--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We still write too many stories that are…" description: "\"We still write too many stories that are \"state of the race\" stories that are informed almost solely by what the polling shows and by what we're then d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/frank-bruni-16963_books_we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are_181310.jpg" --- # We still write too many stories that are "state of the… ![“We still write too many stories that are "state of the race" stories that are informed almost solely by what the polling shows and by what we're then deducing about who's up, who's down, and I'm just not sure that's very helpful to readers, it certainly doesn't elevate the debate and, and the…” quote by Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/frank-bruni-16963_books_we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are_181310.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/frank-bruni-16963_books_we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are_181310.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/frank-bruni-16963_books_we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are_181310.jpg) > “We still write too many stories that are "state of the race" stories that are informed almost solely by what the polling shows and by what we're then deducing about who's up, who's down, and I'm just not sure that's very helpful to readers, it certainly doesn't elevate the debate and, and the problem is if you, if you cover these things, and I don't think the Times is particularly culpable, I think other news organizations are worse, if you cover them in an entirely "who's up, who's down" horse race way.” [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes media focus on superficial rankings rather than substantive analysis, arguing it fails to inform readers or deepen public discourse. **In simple terms:** Media often prioritize shallow rankings over deeper insight, limiting public understanding. Key Takeaway Prioritize depth over surface metrics. Themes journalism media criticism public discourse information quality debate elevation Mood critical concerned reflective Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - news reporting - political coverage - public policy discussion - media training - editorial strategy Key Concepts agenda setting media ethics critical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can journalists balance audience interest with substantive analysis? - What metrics could replace “who’s up, who’s down” in reporting? A Different Perspective Focusing on rankings can still attract audiences but may sacrifice nuance and long‑term credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Helpful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpful/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [News Organizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news-organizations-802739/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Polling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polling/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Stories Informed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-informed-1938440/) [Stories State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-state-1938441/) [Think News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-news-435431/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I can't speak for the news side 'cause I'm on the opinion side. But what I have noticed that the news side has done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/i-can-t-speak-for-the-news-side-cause-i-m-on-the-opinion-side-but/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [I'm not seeking for answers; I just want to tell stories and state my opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/i-m-not-seeking-for-answers-i-just-want-to-tell-stories-and-state-my/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [“All life is hindsight, really, stories informed by their endings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lippman/all-life-is-hindsight-really-stories-informed-by-their-endings/) [Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/) > [Frankly, I think that the news industry is critically important because it points out things and surfaces truths that can often be uncomfortable. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/frankly-i-think-that-the-news-industry-is-critically-important/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [How about a positive LSD story? Wouldn't that be news-worthy, just the once? To base your decision on information rather than scare tactics and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/how-about-a-positive-lsd-story-wouldn-t-that-be-news-worthy-just-the-2/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I thought the coverage of the election 2017 was disgraceful, and it was dishonest. It was ideologically driven and I think that the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/i-thought-the-coverage-of-the-election-2017-was-disgraceful-and-it/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [By the same token, I think news has more and more of a pro bono aspect to all the networks. When we do our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-moonves/by-the-same-token-i-think-news-has-more-and-more-of-a-pro-bono-aspect/) [Leslie Moonves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-moonves/) > [I don't think anywhere you go to get news is news anymore. 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By and large the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roone-arledge/i-don-t-think-the-news-department-will-have-to-lie-down-and-play-dead/) [Roone Arledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roone-arledge/) > [I have a liberal definition of news because I think news can be what excites people. I'm not very sanctimonious about what news is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-sawyer/i-have-a-liberal-definition-of-news-because-i-think-news-can-be-what/) [Diane Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-sawyer/) > [When did an old white guy yelling at me, telling me what to think become news? What gives him the right to tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/when-did-an-old-white-guy-yelling-at-me-telling-me-what-to-think/) [Lisa Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ling/) > [I became a journalist because I didn't want to have to rely on the press for information... I only read it to make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-became-a-journalist-because-i-didn-t-want-to-have-to-rely-on-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There really is no foolproof or even optimal way of dealing with White House emissaries who tell whoppers on live television. On the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-wemple/there-really-is-no-foolproof-or-even-optimal-way-of-dealing-with/) [Erik Wemple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-wemple/) ## More by Frank Bruni > [We are constantly bemoaning that we have two nominees, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, who are when you put them together as unpopular a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/we-are-constantly-bemoaning-that-we-have-two-nominees-hillary-clinton/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [“Books are personal, passionate. They stir emotions and spark thought in a manner all their own, and I'm convinced that the shattered world has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/books-are-personal-passionate-they-stir-emotions-and-spark-thought-in/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [But fairness is where we’re heading, at least in regard to marriage, which has emerged as the terrain on which Americans are hashing out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/but-fairness-is-where-we-re-heading-at-least-in-regard-to-marriage/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [Campaigns waged with lies presage governments racked by distrust. 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I mean it's funny because we've been harping on polls like never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/i-think-the-donald-trump-s-obsession-is-is-bigger-than-just-polling-i/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [You're encouraging a response in citizens and the public, that has nothing to do with an informed decision, that has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/you-re-encouraging-a-response-in-citizens-and-the-public-that-has/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [Writers and reporters need to remind themselves they're not to be judged solely by the number of clicks or eyeballs on a given story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/writers-and-reporters-need-to-remind-themselves-they-re-not-to-be/) [Frank Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/) > [Another way in which our system is unfair. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We still write too many stories that are \"state of the race\" stories that are informed almost solely by what the polling shows and by what we're then deducing about who's up, who's down, and I'm just not sure that's very helpful to readers, it certainly doesn't elevate the debate and, and the problem is if you, if you cover these things, and I don't think the Times is particularly culpable, I think other news organizations are worse, if you cover them in an entirely \"who's up, who's down\" horse race way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Bruni" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are-state-of-the-race-stories/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are-state-of-the-race-stories/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/frank-bruni-16963_books_we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are_181310.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/frank-bruni-16963_books_we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are_181310.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/frank-bruni-16963_books_we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are_181310.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We still write too many stories that are \"state of the race\" stories that are informed almost solely by what…” — Frank Bruni", "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": "Frank Bruni", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bruni/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We still write too many stories...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are-state-of-the-race-stories/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bruni/we-still-write-too-many-stories-that-are-state-of-the-race-stories/#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 } } ] } ```