--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Journalists have no choice but to fight…" description: "\"Journalists have no choice but to fight back because if they don't, they will become irrelevant,\" — James Risen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd0/james-risen-62906_choices_journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight_2402031.jpg" --- # Journalists have no choice but to fight back because if… ![“Journalists have no choice but to fight back because if they don't, they will become irrelevant,” quote by James Risen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd0/james-risen-62906_choices_journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight_2402031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd0/james-risen-62906_choices_journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight_2402031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd0/james-risen-62906_choices_journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight_2402031.jpg) > “Journalists have no choice but to fight back because if they don't, they will become irrelevant,” [James Risen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-risen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Journalists must actively defend their role, or risk losing relevance in a changing media landscape. **In simple terms:** Reporters need to fight to stay important. Key Takeaway Defend your relevance actively. Themes media integrity activism relevance press freedom Mood urgent determined Type analytical motivational When to use this quote - covering political scandals - investigative reporting - media watchdog - community engagement Key Concepts journalism ethics public trust digital disruption Questions to Reflect On - How can journalists balance advocacy with objectivity? - What strategies keep reporting vital without compromising credibility? A Different Perspective If journalists fight back, they may alienate audiences or be perceived as biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Journalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalists/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m a journalist, and journalists need news. Deprive them of it, and they go a bit barking. Deprive them of news long enough, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-m-a-journalist-and-journalists-need-news-deprive-them-of-it-and/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [I don't trust lawyers and journalists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/i-don-t-trust-lawyers-and-journalists/) [Lisa Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ling/) > [One of the most important roles of our journalists is to be watchdogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/one-of-the-most-important-roles-of-our-journalists-is-to-be-watchdogs/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Journalists are getting big stories wrong, over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/journalists-are-getting-big-stories-wrong-over-and-over-again/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [I respect journalism. I was always very aware of journalism from a very broad point of view, but I'd say my baptism by fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-arcy/i-respect-journalism-i-was-always-very-aware-of-journalism-from-a/) [James D'arcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-arcy/) > [So much of what I say gets sensationalized and journalists have to report on scandal because that's what people are hungry to read about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/so-much-of-what-i-say-gets-sensationalized-and-journalists-have-to/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The fact is that in a way, journalists become a kind of default in the system when you don't have substantive two-party back-and-forth inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-suskind/the-fact-is-that-in-a-way-journalists-become-a-kind-of-default-in-the/) [Ron Suskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-suskind/) > [In Washington journalists can afford to live almost as well as people who work for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-washington-journalists-can-afford-to-live-almost-as-well-as-people/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Are you a journalist?” “I’m a doctor.” “Good. We need doctors, Wallahi .” Sadoon scowled. “Journalists only tell lies and smuggle carpets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-cockburn/are-you-a-journalist-i-m-a-doctor-good-we-need-doctors-wallahi-sadoon/) [Leslie Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-cockburn/) > [Compared with other Americans, journalists are more likely to live in upscale neighborhoods, have maids, own Mercedes and trade stocks, and less likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leo/compared-with-other-americans-journalists-are-more-likely-to-live-in/) [John Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leo/) > [Journalists are notoriously easy to kid. All you have to do is speak to a journalist in a very serious tone of voice, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/journalists-are-notoriously-easy-to-kid-all-you-have-to-do-is-speak/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [When I was twelve or thirteen, if you liked something that was outside of your friend group genre, you had to rationalize and explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/autre-ne-veut/when-i-was-twelve-or-thirteen-if-you-liked-something-that-was-outside/) [Autre Ne Veut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/autre-ne-veut/) > [Life is not complicated we make it It's your choice to cry for it or fight for it :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jraj/life-is-not-complicated-we-make-it-it-s-your-choice-to-cry-for-it-or/) [Jraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jraj/) > [Trust me, you're not my first choice to fight next to, Sunshine, but as as much as it would simplify things, I wouldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/trust-me-you-re-not-my-first-choice-to-fight-next-to-sunshine-but-as/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [Fighters have a choice to fight for any organization they want. They've got a choice of playing baseball, basketball, football, swinging a hammer, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hughes/fighters-have-a-choice-to-fight-for-any-organization-they-want-they/) [Matt Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hughes/) ## More by James Risen > [I’ve been an investigative reporter for a long time, and almost always, the government says that \[‘you can’t publish that because of the national…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/i-ve-been-an-investigative-reporter-for-a-long-time-and-almost-always/) [James Risen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-risen/) > [To most of America, war has become not only tolerable but profitable, and so there is no longer any great incentive to end it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/to-most-of-america-war-has-become-not-only-tolerable-but-profitable/) [James Risen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-risen/) > [The United States is now relearning an ancient lesson, dating back to the Roman Empire. Brutalizing an enemy only serves to brutalize the army…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/the-united-states-is-now-relearning-an-ancient-lesson-dating-back-to/) [James Risen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-risen/) > [I wrote Pay Any Price as my answer to the government's campaign against me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/i-wrote-pay-any-price-as-my-answer-to-the-government-s-campaign/) [James Risen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-risen/) [Explore all 5 James Risen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-risen/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. 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When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Journalists have no choice but to fight back because if they don't, they will become irrelevant,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Risen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight-back-because-if-they-don-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight-back-because-if-they-don-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd0/james-risen-62906_choices_journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight_2402031.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd0/james-risen-62906_choices_journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight_2402031.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd0/james-risen-62906_choices_journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight_2402031.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Journalists have no choice but to fight back because if they don't, they will become irrelevant,” — James Risen", "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": "James Risen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-risen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Journalists have no choice but to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight-back-because-if-they-don-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-risen/journalists-have-no-choice-but-to-fight-back-because-if-they-don-t/#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 } } ] } ```