--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were badly held back not just by the…" description: "\"We were badly held back not just by the technology, but by the culture of journalism.\" — Ezra Klein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/ezra-klein-19354_badly_we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the_1574011.png" --- # We were badly held back not just by the technology, but by… ![“We were badly held back not just by the technology, but by the culture of journalism.” quote by Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/ezra-klein-19354_badly_we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the_1574011.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/ezra-klein-19354_badly_we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the_1574011.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/ezra-klein-19354_badly_we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the_1574011.png) > “We were badly held back not just by the technology, but by the culture of journalism.” [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology alone isn't the main obstacle; entrenched journalistic norms also hinder progress. **In simple terms:** Culture of journalism slows innovation. Key Takeaway Challenge and cultural norms. Themes journalism technology culture innovation change Mood critical reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - newsrooms - media startups - policy debates - academic research Key Concepts Media studies organizational inertia digital transformation Questions to Reflect On - How can newsrooms adopt new tech without losing integrity? - What cultural shifts are needed for digital journalism? A Different Perspective Even with new tools, old habits persist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [Here in the U.S., culture is not that delicious panacea which we Europeans consume in a sacramental mental space and which has its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/here-in-the-u-s-culture-is-not-that-delicious-panacea-which-we/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [Culture and technology exist in a dynamic reciprocal relationship. Culture comprehends technology through the means of narratives or myths, and those narratives influence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/culture-and-technology-exist-in-a-dynamic-reciprocal-relationship/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [“Revolution is what you get when technology and culture collide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-merkoski/revolution-is-what-you-get-when-technology-and-culture-collide/) [Jason Merkoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-merkoski/) > [True flexibility is a symbiotic partnership between employer and employee and between technology and culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-philippe-courtois/true-flexibility-is-a-symbiotic-partnership-between-employer-and/) [Jean-Philippe Courtois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-philippe-courtois/) > [How does contemporary technology and culture changes our understanding of what it means to be human. What is our relationship with - and responsibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-piccinini/how-does-contemporary-technology-and-culture-changes-our/) [Patricia Piccinini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-piccinini/) > [This is a very proud moment for journalism. I think The New York Times and The Washington Post are genuine champions in this moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/this-is-a-very-proud-moment-for-journalism-i-think-the-new-york-times/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [In an era when party fundraising is badly tainted, dinners are a really good way of raising cash for campaigning. Lots of people giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/in-an-era-when-party-fundraising-is-badly-tainted-dinners-are-a/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [I was turning up at sets where inexperienced people were making these badly written films - but they were doing it; that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-fletcher/i-was-turning-up-at-sets-where-inexperienced-people-were-making-these/) [Dexter Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-fletcher/) > [I love pushing my boundaries and seeing how far I can go without, you know, dying or injuring myself too badly. On set I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-grammer/i-love-pushing-my-boundaries-and-seeing-how-far-i-can-go-without-you/) [Spencer Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-grammer/) > [Trump spoke badly about women... It sparked worldwide reactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-chandrababu-naidu/trump-spoke-badly-about-women-it-sparked-worldwide-reactions/) [N. Chandrababu Naidu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-chandrababu-naidu/) > [You can have everything you want as long as you don't want it badly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/you-can-have-everything-you-want-as-long-as-you-don-t-want-it-badly/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-badly/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [I'm talking to anyone who has been dumped - have not gotten the job you really wanted or have received those horrible rejection letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-m-talking-to-anyone-who-has-been-dumped-have-not-gotten-the-job-you/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [There are two ways of knowing if something ends badly: If you're honest with yourself, you just kind of know it. And then there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gilligan/there-are-two-ways-of-knowing-if-something-ends-badly-if-you-re/) [Vince Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gilligan/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) ## More by Ezra Klein > [This is a very proud moment for journalism. I think The New York Times and The Washington Post are genuine champions in this moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/this-is-a-very-proud-moment-for-journalism-i-think-the-new-york-times/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [“Just as youth is wasted on the young, money is wasted on the rich.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/just-as-youth-is-wasted-on-the-young-money-is-wasted-on-the-rich/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [The news is challenging right now. One hard thing about it is that often things don't lend themselves to good explanations or we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/the-news-is-challenging-right-now-one-hard-thing-about-it-is-that/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [Every newspaper in the country covers stories that other newspapers cover. Every industry is filled with people who are competing to do the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/every-newspaper-in-the-country-covers-stories-that-other-newspapers/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [If I'm sitting around exulting over traffic data, I'm an idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/if-i-m-sitting-around-exulting-over-traffic-data-i-m-an-idiot/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [A government shutdown, it isn't the end of the world. It's a bad thing. The government stops working for a few days. We cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/a-government-shutdown-it-isn-t-the-end-of-the-world-it-s-a-bad-thing/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [When I first came to Washington, what I admired most was that people were just really, really smart with a tremendous amount of intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/when-i-first-came-to-washington-what-i-admired-most-was-that-people/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [I don't always have the time I wish I had to understand something I don't understand. So I'm trying to do a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/i-don-t-always-have-the-time-i-wish-i-had-to-understand-something-i/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [Everyday sexual practices on college campuses need to be upended, and men need to feel a cold spike of fear when they begin a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/everyday-sexual-practices-on-college-campuses-need-to-be-upended-and/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [My career wouldn't exist without blogs, electronic text, hyperlinks, and mass online audiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/my-career-wouldn-t-exist-without-blogs-electronic-text-hyperlinks-and/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [The American political system is not good at trading sacrifice now to prevent crises later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/the-american-political-system-is-not-good-at-trading-sacrifice-now-to/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [Maintaining news cycle is the job. It's always been the job. This is just more intense. You find out what the story is, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/maintaining-news-cycle-is-the-job-it-s-always-been-the-job-this-is/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [I do think that there is a very unclear level of conduct in the Trump administration. That's one reason you're seeing this among so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/i-do-think-that-there-is-a-very-unclear-level-of-conduct-in-the-trump/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [The idea of changing and fixing the problem of how news is presented on the Internet has been recognized for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/the-idea-of-changing-and-fixing-the-problem-of-how-news-is-presented/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) > [ I don't trust this \[american\] government to be regulating corporations. I trust big business to be regulated \[by itself\] and to be a party… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/i-don-t-trust-this-american-government-to-be-regulating-corporations/) [Ezra Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) [Explore all 33 Ezra Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/) ## More Badly quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [There are two ways of knowing if something ends badly: If you're honest with yourself, you just kind of know it. And then there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gilligan/there-are-two-ways-of-knowing-if-something-ends-badly-if-you-re/) [Vince Gilligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gilligan/) > [I'm talking to anyone who has been dumped - have not gotten the job you really wanted or have received those horrible rejection letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-m-talking-to-anyone-who-has-been-dumped-have-not-gotten-the-job-you/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-badly/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [You can have everything you want as long as you don't want it badly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/you-can-have-everything-you-want-as-long-as-you-don-t-want-it-badly/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [I was turning up at sets where inexperienced people were making these badly written films - but they were doing it; that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-fletcher/i-was-turning-up-at-sets-where-inexperienced-people-were-making-these/) [Dexter Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-fletcher/) > [In an era when party fundraising is badly tainted, dinners are a really good way of raising cash for campaigning. Lots of people giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/in-an-era-when-party-fundraising-is-badly-tainted-dinners-are-a/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [I love pushing my boundaries and seeing how far I can go without, you know, dying or injuring myself too badly. On set I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-grammer/i-love-pushing-my-boundaries-and-seeing-how-far-i-can-go-without-you/) [Spencer Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-grammer/) > [Trump spoke badly about women... It sparked worldwide reactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-chandrababu-naidu/trump-spoke-badly-about-women-it-sparked-worldwide-reactions/) [N. Chandrababu Naidu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-chandrababu-naidu/) > [People are generally badly advised when they're starting out in the creative field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-lennon/people-are-generally-badly-advised-when-they-re-starting-out-in-the/) [Julian Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-lennon/) > [You know, sometimes you fall in love and you get treated badly, sometimes you get treated well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle/you-know-sometimes-you-fall-in-love-and-you-get-treated-badly/) [Estelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle/) > [Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/books-are-well-written-or-badly-written-that-is-all/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Mandela's heroism is the heroism of a man who suffered so badly for what he thought of as freedom. And yet when he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/mandela-s-heroism-is-the-heroism-of-a-man-who-suffered-so-badly-for/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [Some fighters had blinding speed and reflexes in their heyday but faded badly with age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/some-fighters-had-blinding-speed-and-reflexes-in-their-heyday-but/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [“the only sin on earth was to do things badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-only-sin-on-earth-was-to-do-things-badly/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) Browse all 351 Badly quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We were badly held back not just by the technology, but by the culture of journalism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ezra Klein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the-technology-but-by-the-culture/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Badly" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the-technology-but-by-the-culture/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/ezra-klein-19354_badly_we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the_1574011.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/ezra-klein-19354_badly_we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the_1574011.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/ezra-klein-19354_badly_we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the_1574011.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We were badly held back not just by the technology, but by the culture of journalism.” — Ezra Klein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ezra Klein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-klein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We were badly held back not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the-technology-but-by-the-culture/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-klein/we-were-badly-held-back-not-just-by-the-technology-but-by-the-culture/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```