--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is easy for journalism to be morally…" description: "\"“It is easy for journalism to be morally casual, even as it makes large moral claims for itself. So when journalism is accused by those it serves of pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/ian-hargreaves-41901_public-health_it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally_730234.jpg" --- # It is easy for journalism to be morally casual, even as it… ![“It is easy for journalism to be morally casual, even as it makes large moral claims for itself. So when journalism is accused by those it serves of privileging sensation before significance, celebrity before achievement, intrusion before purposeful investigation and entertainment before…” quote by Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/ian-hargreaves-41901_public-health_it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally_730234.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/ian-hargreaves-41901_public-health_it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally_730234.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/ian-hargreaves-41901_public-health_it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally_730234.jpg) > ““It is easy for journalism to be morally casual, even as it makes large moral claims for itself. So when journalism is accused by those it serves of privileging sensation before significance, celebrity before achievement, intrusion before purposeful investigation and entertainment before reliability, the charge demands a response. Journalism stands accused of being not so much a public service as a public health hazard.”” [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Journalism often prioritizes sensationalism and entertainment over depth and responsibility, turning it into a societal risk. **In simple terms:** Media can favor hype over truth, harming public trust. Key Takeaway Demand higher standards and accountability. Themes media ethics public trust responsibility sensationalism accountability Mood critical concerned reflective Type advice critical reflective When to use this quote - newsrooms - social media platforms - political campaigns - public health communication Key Concepts journalistic integrity public health metaphor information quality Questions to Reflect On - How can journalists resist pressure for clicks? - What mechanisms ensure reliable reporting? A Different Perspective Balancing speed and depth is challenging in a fast‑paced news cycle. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Public health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-health/) [Public service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-service/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) ## Related quotes > [“Janet Malcolm had famously described journalism as the art of seduction and betrayal. Any reporter who didn't see journalism as "morally indefensible" was either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/janet-malcolm-had-famously-described-journalism-as-the-art-of/) [michael hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [So immense are the claims on a mother, physical claims on her bodily and brain vigor, and moral claims on her heart and thoughts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-power-cobbe/so-immense-are-the-claims-on-a-mother-physical-claims-on-her-bodily/) [Frances Power Cobbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-power-cobbe/) > [As ages roll on there is doubtless a progression in human nature. The intellectual comes to rule the physical, and the moral claims to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mccosh/as-ages-roll-on-there-is-doubtless-a-progression-in-human-nature-the/) [James McCosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mccosh/) > [It seems to me that responsiveness is a better source for understanding what moral claims are and how they work upon us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/it-seems-to-me-that-responsiveness-is-a-better-source-for/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [Moral claims aren't, as a class, truth-value apt or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/moral-claims-aren-t-as-a-class-truth-value-apt-or-not/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Men and women who refuse to acknowledge God's existence do so, in the final analysis, because it is contrary to their manner of living.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/men-and-women-who-refuse-to-acknowledge-god-s-existence-do-so-in-the/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“On her very first day, when she politely raised questions about Bernie’s health care plan—she has a master’s degree in public health and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/on-her-very-first-day-when-she-politely-raised-questions-about-bernie/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [“Imagine a world where people were 10% happier and less reactive. Marriage, parenting, road rage, politics - all would be improved upon. Public health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harris/imagine-a-world-where-people-were-10-happier-and-less-reactive/) [Dan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harris/) > [It's been overlooked for a long time as a real public health problem. All of western society is a little bit sleep-deprived, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/it-s-been-overlooked-for-a-long-time-as-a-real-public-health-problem/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [It's now evident that public health is part of national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-gottlieb/it-s-now-evident-that-public-health-is-part-of-national-security/) [Scott Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-gottlieb/) > [Extreme weather threatens our energy and electric grid, federal buildings, transportation infrastructure, access to natural resources, public health, our relationships across the globe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cartwright/extreme-weather-threatens-our-energy-and-electric-grid-federal/) [Matt Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cartwright/) > [It is time to end the discrimination against people who need treatment for chemical addiction. It is time for Congress to deal with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ramstad/it-is-time-to-end-the-discrimination-against-people-who-need/) [Jim Ramstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ramstad/) > [We live in a world at constant risk of public health emergencies. In our increasingly interconnected world, public health emergencies can affect anyone, anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tedros-adhanom/we-live-in-a-world-at-constant-risk-of-public-health-emergencies-in/) [Tedros Adhanom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tedros-adhanom/) > [21st-century foreign policy is going to be built on countries that can tackle transnational challenges together. Climate change and public health are the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/21st-century-foreign-policy-is-going-to-be-built-on-countries-that/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Renewable energy could reduce emissions but also create jobs and improve public health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-polman/renewable-energy-could-reduce-emissions-but-also-create-jobs-and/) [Paul Polman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-polman/) ## More by Ian Hargreaves > [“from opinion surveys that journalists are less trusted and less esteemed than used to be the case.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/from-opinion-surveys-that-journalists-are-less-trusted-and-less/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“In politics democracy itself is at stake in this world of high-speed always-on news. Political reporters pronounce sudden verdicts upon the politicians they often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/in-politics-democracy-itself-is-at-stake-in-this-world-of-high-speed/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“News which was once difficult and expensive to obtain today surrounds us like the air we breathe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/news-which-was-once-difficult-and-expensive-to-obtain-today-surrounds/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“In 1828 the British historian Macaulay dubbed the press gallery in Parliament a ‘fourth estate’ of the realm. Today the news media appear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/in-1828-the-british-historian-macaulay-dubbed-the-press-gallery-in/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“In modern democracies, press freedom was being used as a cloak to shield media conglomerates’ domination of public discussion ‘in which misinformation may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/in-modern-democracies-press-freedom-was-being-used-as-a-cloak-to/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“Since more people vote in reality television shows than in elections for the European Parliament or municipal authorities the response of politicians has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/since-more-people-vote-in-reality-television-shows-than-in-elections/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“If the journalist is secretly the tool of some invisible public relations machine or vested commercial interest it is the public whose interest is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/if-the-journalist-is-secretly-the-tool-of-some-invisible-public/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“The press has the power to stimulate people to clean up the environment prevent nuclear proliferation force crooked politicians out of office reduce poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/the-press-has-the-power-to-stimulate-people-to-clean-up-the/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) > [“Satisfying news hunger no longer involves a twice daily diet of a morning newspaper and evening TV news bulletin: news comes in snack-form”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/satisfying-news-hunger-no-longer-involves-a-twice-daily-diet-of-a/) [Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) [Explore all 10 Ian Hargreaves quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/) ## More Journalism quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [One lesson to learn is that the press and the broadcasters are not neutral. And it seems we have to learn it each time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/one-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-press-and-the-broadcasters-are-not/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [People think they're getting objective information, but they're not. They're getting news wrapped up in opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/people-think-they-re-getting-objective-information-but-they-re-not/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) [Browse all 8,189 Journalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is easy for journalism to be morally casual, even as it makes large moral claims for itself. So when journalism is accused by those it serves of privileging sensation before significance, celebrity before achievement, intrusion before purposeful investigation and entertainment before reliability, the charge demands a response. Journalism stands accused of being not so much a public service as a public health hazard.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian Hargreaves" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally-casual-even-as-it-makes-large/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Journalism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally-casual-even-as-it-makes-large/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/ian-hargreaves-41901_public-health_it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally_730234.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/ian-hargreaves-41901_public-health_it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally_730234.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe1/ian-hargreaves-41901_public-health_it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally_730234.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is easy for journalism to be morally casual, even as it makes large moral claims for itself. So when…” — Ian Hargreaves", "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": "Ian Hargreaves", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is easy for journalism to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally-casual-even-as-it-makes-large/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/it-is-easy-for-journalism-to-be-morally-casual-even-as-it-makes-large/#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 } } ] } ```