Business Quote by Greg Egan
““How’s work?’ Martin asked. Behrouz was now a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, which these days seemed to mean as much video journalism as prose. ‘Not bad.’ Behrouz smiled slightly. ‘Business people might be the last paying market left for real news. If they’re convinced that they’re getting fearlessly objective information, they’ll keep shelling out for it – while everyone else gives up caring and buries their head inside their favourite consensual reality.’ Martin laughed softly, self-conscious but grateful for a few words of real conversation, a lifeline out of the pit. ‘You’re not a fan of News Five Point Oh, then?’ ‘Don’t get me started. HigherTribe is worse, but they’re all pathological. What isn’t filtered and spun is just invented out of whole cloth.’ ‘Yeah.’ The replacement of journalism by rumour aggregators and group-think salons was a serious matter, but Martin’s enthusiasm for talking shop was already beginning to falter.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Distress, by Greg Egan, 1995
The quote critiques the commodification of news, where business interests drive supposedly objective reporting, while deeper truth is lost to sensationalism and echo chambers.
In simple terms: News is driven by profit, not truth, leading to shallow reporting.
Seek media that values depth over profit.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- news consumption
- media literacy
- critical thinking
- public discourse
- media business
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you verify the credibility of a news source?
- What role should profit play in journalism?
It assumes all business‑driven outlets are untrustworthy, ignoring nuanced reporting.