Baghdad Quote by Harold Evans
“Television and radio are what I call sequential media; they're not simultaneous media. With simultaneous media, you can scan your eye down an electronic or print page and pick among six or seven stories you might like and want to read. With television and radio, you have to wait until the guy's finished talking about the balloon boy, which I don't have the slightest interest in, to find out that all hell's broken loose in Baghdad. Because they've chosen that day to start with the balloon boy.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on Media Evolution, 2005
Sequential media like TV and radio deliver one story at a time, limiting choice compared to print or digital where multiple stories are visible simultaneously.
In simple terms: TV and radio give one story at a time, unlike print or web which show many options.
Key Takeaway
Seek media that offers multiple concurrent stories for broader perspective.
Themes
media
choice
attention
information overload
Mood
frustrated
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
observational
When to use this quote
- news watching
- radio listening
- online browsing
- media planning
- content curation
Key Concepts
sequential vs simultaneous
media consumption
cognitive load
Questions to Reflect On
- How does single‑story media shape your perception of events?
- What alternatives can you use to get broader coverage?
A Different Perspective
Limited to one narrative at a time, reducing user agency and relevance.
![“[The web] is going to end up being a tremendous advantage, providing we can work out the financial structure. I think we’ll see newspapers survive, being printed at home... Or you’ll have a local print shop, so that rather than waiting for the newspapers to arrive by truck, which is 30 percent at…” quote by Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/473/harold-evans-15687_advantage_the-web-is-going-to-end-up-being-a-treme_47749.jpg)
![“If I want to spend the rest of my life reading one day's output of information, which is about what it would take, OK fine. But I personally prefer calibration from an aggregator or newspaper, where the No. 1 story is one they consider important, [and] they're usually right.” quote by Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/17f/harold-evans-15687_calibration_if-i-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-r_193195.jpg)
