--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The information highway is being sold to…" description: "\"The information highway is being sold to us as delivering information, but what it's really delivering is data... Unlike data, information has utility,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/clifford-stoll-13747_accuracy_the-information-highway-is-being-sold-to_1268152.jpg" --- # The information highway is being sold to us as delivering… ![“The information highway is being sold to us as delivering information, but what it's really delivering is data... Unlike data, information has utility, timeliness, accuracy, a pedigree... Editors serve as barometers of quality, and most of an editor's time is spent saying no.” quote by Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/clifford-stoll-13747_accuracy_the-information-highway-is-being-sold-to_1268152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/clifford-stoll-13747_accuracy_the-information-highway-is-being-sold-to_1268152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/clifford-stoll-13747_accuracy_the-information-highway-is-being-sold-to_1268152.jpg) > “The information highway is being sold to us as delivering information, but what it's really delivering is data... Unlike data, information has utility, timeliness, accuracy, a pedigree... Editors serve as barometers of quality, and most of an editor's time is spent saying no.” [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The so-called information highway actually provides raw data, not useful information; editors filter for quality and relevance. **In simple terms:** Data vs information; editors ensure quality. Key Takeaway Prioritize quality over quantity. Themes media information editing quality data Mood critical analytical Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - journalism - research - content creation - policy making Key Concepts information theory gatekeeping Questions to Reflect On - How can we improve data to information conversion? - What role should editors play today? A Different Perspective Data alone lacks context and usefulness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accuracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Highways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highways/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Timeliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timeliness/) ## Related quotes > [The fact that radio is so hopeless at delivering data makes it an uncluttered medium, offering the basic story without the detailed trappings. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/the-fact-that-radio-is-so-hopeless-at-delivering-data-makes-it-an/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The information highway will transform our culture as dramatically as Gutenberg's press did the Middle Ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-information-highway-will-transform-our-culture-as-dramatically-as/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The Information Highway intrigues me because I have always been a newshound; I have always been curious about why people believe what they believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-information-highway-intrigues-me-because-i-have-always-been-a/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [It's been my policy to view the Internet not as an 'information highway,' but as an electronic asylum filled with babbling loonies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/it-s-been-my-policy-to-view-the-internet-not-as-an-information/) [Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/) > [In regards to black people, we have a treasure trove of information that nobody else really has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-johnson-rice/in-regards-to-black-people-we-have-a-treasure-trove-of-information/) [Linda Johnson Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-johnson-rice/) > [For a young cartoonist, they have to get going on the web, because that's where everybody goes for their information. And it really works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mosher/for-a-young-cartoonist-they-have-to-get-going-on-the-web-because-that-2/) [Terry Mosher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mosher/) > [So many people are accustomed to written information that you really have to have a few more bells and whistles in this day and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bell/so-many-people-are-accustomed-to-written-information-that-you-really/) [Chris Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bell/) > [As recently as the '70s, people were forced to see information that they didn't agree with in newspapers and the like. Now there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-saffo/as-recently-as-the-70s-people-were-forced-to-see-information-that/) [Paul Saffo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-saffo/) > [I don't feel overwhelmed with information. I really like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-don-t-feel-overwhelmed-with-information-i-really-like-it/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [I don’t use a computer. We have too much information and it’s really impossible to filter it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-prokhorov/i-don-t-use-a-computer-we-have-too-much-information-and-it-s-really/) [Mikhail Prokhorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-prokhorov/) > [I definitely think it's important to share my process when it comes to the bottom surgery, because that information really isn't out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazz-jennings/i-definitely-think-it-s-important-to-share-my-process-when-it-comes/) [Jazz Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazz-jennings/) > [The only time information is really an edge is if you either have more or you're using it better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-morey/the-only-time-information-is-really-an-edge-is-if-you-either-have/) [Daryl Morey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-morey/) > [Real search is about providing valuable information when it's really needed to those who are actually looking for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/real-search-is-about-providing-valuable-information-when-it-s-really/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [Secrecy is for losers. For people who do not know how important the information really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/secrecy-is-for-losers-for-people-who-do-not-know-how-important-the/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) ## More by Clifford Stoll > [Rather than bringing me closer to others, the time that I spend online isolates me from the most important people in my life, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/rather-than-bringing-me-closer-to-others-the-time-that-i-spend-online/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [“VI was predecessor to hundreds of word processing systems. By now, Unix folks see it as a bit stodgy—it hasn’t the versatility of Gnu-Emacs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/vi-was-predecessor-to-hundreds-of-word-processing-systems-by-now-unix/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [It's easier to apologize afterwards than getting something allowed in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/it-s-easier-to-apologize-afterwards-than-getting-something-allowed-in/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Data isn't information, any more than fifty tons of cement is a skyscraper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/data-isn-t-information-any-more-than-fifty-tons-of-cement-is-a/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/treat-your-password-like-your-toothbrush-don-t-let-anybody-else-use/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [There is a difference between having access to information and having the savvy it takes to interpret it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/there-is-a-difference-between-having-access-to-information-and-having/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [No computer network with pretty graphics can ever replace the salespeople that make our society work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/no-computer-network-with-pretty-graphics-can-ever-replace-the/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [If you don't have an e-mail address, you're in the Netherworld. If you don't have your own World Wide Web page, you're a nobody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/if-you-don-t-have-an-e-mail-address-you-re-in-the-netherworld-if-you/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [“The astronomer's rule of thumb: if you didn't write it down, it didn't happen”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/the-astronomer-s-rule-of-thumb-if-you-didn-t-write-it-down-it-didn-t/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [We'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Internet. Uh, sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/we-ll-soon-buy-books-and-newspapers-straight-over-the-internet-uh-sure/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [“Over the past decade Stallman created a powerful editing program called Gnu-Emacs. But Gnu’s much more than just a text editor. It’s easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/over-the-past-decade-stallman-created-a-powerful-editing-program/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [The truth is no online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher and no computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/the-truth-is-no-online-database-will-replace-your-daily-newspaper-no/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Spending an evening on the World Wide Web is much like sitting down to a dinner of Cheetos, two hours later your fingers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/spending-an-evening-on-the-world-wide-web-is-much-like-sitting-down/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [The virtual community? The word virtual does not mean "virtue." It means "not." When I go to the store and they say: The shirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/the-virtual-community-the-word-virtual-does-not-mean-virtue-it-means/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) > [Call me a troglodyte; I'd rather peruse those photos alongside my sweetheart, catch the newspaper on the way to work, and page thorough a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/call-me-a-troglodyte-i-d-rather-peruse-those-photos-alongside-my/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) [Explore all 48 Clifford Stoll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) ## More Accuracy quotes > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [Tachyon OPC+ is a natural extension of our market-winning Tachyon platform, giving customers a clear path to minimizing the OPC error budget and producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/tachyon-opc-is-a-natural-extension-of-our-market-winning-tachyon/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [Scientific accuracy confirms the Bible is the Word of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/scientific-accuracy-confirms-the-bible-is-the-word-of-god/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [In software speed to market, speed to learning is really key. In hardware if you screw it up you are dead. So accuracy really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reid-hoffman/in-software-speed-to-market-speed-to-learning-is-really-key-in/) [Reid Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reid-hoffman/) > [Lawyers tend to be bright people. They tend to be-much more than many journalists I've encountered-sticklers for detail and accuracy, and they have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/lawyers-tend-to-be-bright-people-they-tend-to-be-much-more-than-many/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [There's a simplicity in typography that demands absolute accuracy... the only way you can experience it is by doing it, and you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-maag/there-s-a-simplicity-in-typography-that-demands-absolute-accuracy-the/) Bruno Maag > [“The only thing that words can do with any real precision or accuracy is hang together. Accuracy of description in language is not possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/the-only-thing-that-words-can-do-with-any-real-precision-or-accuracy/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > [Am I accurately reporting what I see in such a blossom? The answer is no ... and yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/am-i-accurately-reporting-what-i-see-in-such-a-blossom-the-answer-is/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [Only by being suspended aloft, by dangling my mind in the heavens and mingling my rare thought with the ethereal air, could I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/only-by-being-suspended-aloft-by-dangling-my-mind-in-the-heavens-and/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [Without much accuracy, with strangely little love at all, your family will decide for you exactly who you are, and they'll keep nudging, coaxing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-gurganus/without-much-accuracy-with-strangely-little-love-at-all-your-family/) [Allan Gurganus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-gurganus/) > [The federal government is starting to plan for climate change by making extended forecasts that can help people plan for extreme weather - because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/the-federal-government-is-starting-to-plan-for-climate-change-by/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [Nobody sees reality whole; we all need others to show us the parts of it that they see better than we do. Nobody sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nobody-sees-reality-whole-we-all-need-others-to-show-us-the-parts-of/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [The state of empathy, or being empathic, is to perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/the-state-of-empathy-or-being-empathic-is-to-perceive-the-internal/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [What we have learned is that Roland-Jones is a very promising prospect. Because of the way he bowls, he will not blow batsmen away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-agnew/what-we-have-learned-is-that-roland-jones-is-a-very-promising/) [Jonathan Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-agnew/) [Browse all 388 Accuracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accuracy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The information highway is being sold to us as delivering information, but what it's really delivering is data... Unlike data, information has utility, timeliness, accuracy, a pedigree... 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