---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great danger in the South comes…"
description: "\"“The great danger in the South comes precisely from the fact that the public is not informed. Newspapers shirk notoriously their editorial responsibili..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/john-howard-griffin-21519_danger_the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-prec_2563645.jpg"
---

#  The great danger in the South comes precisely from the…

![“The great danger in the South comes precisely from the fact that the public is not informed. Newspapers shirk notoriously their editorial responsibilities and print what they think their readers want. They lean with the prevailing winds and employ every fallacy of logic in order to editorialize…” quote by John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/john-howard-griffin-21519_danger_the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-prec_2563645.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/john-howard-griffin-21519_danger_the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-prec_2563645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/john-howard-griffin-21519_danger_the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-prec_2563645.jpg)

> ““The great danger in the South comes precisely from the fact that the public is not informed. Newspapers shirk notoriously their editorial responsibilities and print what they think their readers want. They lean with the prevailing winds and employ every fallacy of logic in order to editorialize harmoniously with popular prejudices.””

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The media in the South fails to inform, instead pandering to popular bias and using faulty logic to align with reader expectations.

**In simple terms:** Media often follows popular bias over truth.

Key Takeaway

Seek diverse, critical sources.

Themes

media bias information public opinion

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical cautionary

When to use this quote

- news consumption
- political campaigns
- education
- public discourse

Key Concepts

journalism political science critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- What sources can you trust for unbiased information?
- How can you challenge prevailing narratives?

A Different Perspective

Readers may lack tools to discern bias.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/)

## Related quotes

> [We are a democracy, and there is only one way to get a democracy on its feet in the matter of its individual, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/we-are-a-democracy-and-there-is-only-one-way-to-get-a-democracy-on-2/)

[Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/)

> [Democracy doesn't work unless the public is informed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/democracy-doesn-t-work-unless-the-public-is-informed/)

[Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/)

> [We are a democracy, and there is only one way to get a democracy on its feet in the matter of its individual, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pulitzer/we-are-a-democracy-and-there-is-only-one-way-to-get-a-democracy-on/)

[Joseph Pulitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pulitzer/)

> [As a journalist, I fundamentally believe that keeping the public informed is an essential part of democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-brennan/as-a-journalist-i-fundamentally-believe-that-keeping-the-public/)

[Margaret Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-brennan/)

> [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/)

> [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Things that appear on the front page of the newspaper as 'fact' are far more dangerous than the games played by a novelist, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/things-that-appear-on-the-front-page-of-the-newspaper-as-fact-are-far/)

[E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/)

> [The reason we have not gone to newspapers is because its a slow growth industry and I think they are dying. I'm not sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumner-redstone/the-reason-we-have-not-gone-to-newspapers-is-because-its-a-slow/)

[Sumner Redstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumner-redstone/)

> [Why did I become a writer? Because I grew up in New York City, and there were seven newspapers in New York City, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-did-i-become-a-writer-because-i-grew-up-in-new-york-city-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/)

[Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/)

> [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [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/)

> [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [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/)

> [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/)

[Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/)

## More by John Howard Griffin

> [He who is less than just is less than man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/he-who-is-less-than-just-is-less-than-man/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“We led strange, hidden lives. We were advocating one thing: that this country rid itself of the racism that prevented some citizens from living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/we-led-strange-hidden-lives-we-were-advocating-one-thing-that-this/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“I remained in my room more and more each day. The situation in Montgomery was so strange I decided to try passing back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/i-remained-in-my-room-more-and-more-each-day-the-situation-in/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [The Negro. The South. These are the details. The real story is the universal one of men who destroy the souls of other men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/the-negro-the-south-these-are-the-details-the-real-story-is-the/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“All human beings face the same fundamental problems of loving and of suffering, of striving toward human aspirations for themselves and their children, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/all-human-beings-face-the-same-fundamental-problems-of-loving-and-of/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“I knew, and every black man there knew, that I, as a man now white once again, could say the things that needed saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/i-knew-and-every-black-man-there-knew-that-i-as-a-man-now-white-once/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“The delusion lies in the fact that no matter how well we think we know the Other, we still judge from within the imprisoning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/the-delusion-lies-in-the-fact-that-no-matter-how-well-we-think-we/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“Many otherwise decent men and women could find no other solution. They are willing to degrade themselves to their basest levels to prevent the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/many-otherwise-decent-men-and-women-could-find-no-other-solution-they/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“We need a conversion of morals," the elderly man said. "Not just superficially, but profoundly. And in both races. We need a great saint-some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/we-need-a-conversion-of-morals-the-elderly-man-said-not-just/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“Some wanted to know where they could find girls, wanted us to get Negro girls for them. We learned to spot these from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/some-wanted-to-know-where-they-could-find-girls-wanted-us-to-get/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“God is invoked … and He is invoked against the God of the spirit, of intelligence and love - excluding and hating this God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/god-is-invoked-and-he-is-invoked-against-the-god-of-the-spirit-of/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [ “...\[C\]ulture-learned behavior patterns so deeply engrained they produce unconscious involuntary reactions-is a prison.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/c-ulture-learned-behavior-patterns-so-deeply-engrained-they-produce/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [If we say, as we do, that no one in this country intends for racism to lead to genocide, the effects of racism are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/if-we-say-as-we-do-that-no-one-in-this-country-intends-for-racism-to/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“Newspapers play up as sensational every attempt by a Negro to rape a white woman. Yet this white rape of Negro women is apparently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/newspapers-play-up-as-sensational-every-attempt-by-a-negro-to-rape-a/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

> [“Phew!” His small blue eyes shone with repugnance, a look of such unreasoning contempt for my skin that it filled me with despair. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/phew-his-small-blue-eyes-shone-with-repugnance-a-look-of-such/)

[John Howard Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

[Explore all 29 John Howard Griffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/)

## More Danger quotes

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/)

[Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/)

> [“Anything you fear is a shackle to ur soul. It is a phobia that tethers and blinds ur ability to see and comprehend your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/anything-you-fear-is-a-shackle-to-ur-soul-it-is-a-phobia-that-tethers/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/)

[Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/)

> [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/)

Christopher Wood

> [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... No great party can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-dangers-in-consensus-it-could-be-an-attempt-to-satisfy/)

[Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/)

> [“I’ll always come back to you,” he said. “Always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/i-ll-always-come-back-to-you-he-said-always/)

[Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/)

> [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/)

[Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [A sea setting us upon the ice has brought us close to danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hudson/a-sea-setting-us-upon-the-ice-has-brought-us-close-to-danger/)

[Henry Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hudson/)

> [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [There's a danger in starting a fire, you'll never know how many bridges you'll burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-danger-in-starting-a-fire-you-ll-never-know-how-many/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [This is the gift of your species and this is the danger, because you do not choose to control your imaginings. You imagine wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-is-the-gift-of-your-species-and-this-is-the-danger-because-you/)

[Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/)

[Browse all 5,463 Danger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The great danger in the South comes precisely from the fact that the public is not informed. Newspapers shirk notoriously their editorial responsibilities and print what they think their readers want. They lean with the prevailing winds and employ every fallacy of logic in order to editorialize harmoniously with popular prejudices.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Howard Griffin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-precisely-from-the-fact-that-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Danger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-precisely-from-the-fact-that-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/john-howard-griffin-21519_danger_the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-prec_2563645.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/john-howard-griffin-21519_danger_the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-prec_2563645.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/john-howard-griffin-21519_danger_the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-prec_2563645.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The great danger in the South comes precisely from the fact that the public is not informed. Newspapers…” — John Howard Griffin",
                "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": "John Howard Griffin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard-griffin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The great danger in the South...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-precisely-from-the-fact-that-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard-griffin/the-great-danger-in-the-south-comes-precisely-from-the-fact-that-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
