--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the problems that we have as…" description: "\"One of the problems that we have as American journalists is that we bring the American cultural baggage with us and we plop it down and it follows us a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95a/john-pomfret-22608_american_one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-amer_2459833.jpg" --- # One of the problems that we have as American journalists… ![“One of the problems that we have as American journalists is that we bring the American cultural baggage with us and we plop it down and it follows us around and that's just a fact of life.” quote by John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95a/john-pomfret-22608_american_one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-amer_2459833.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95a/john-pomfret-22608_american_one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-amer_2459833.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95a/john-pomfret-22608_american_one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-amer_2459833.jpg) > “One of the problems that we have as American journalists is that we bring the American cultural baggage with us and we plop it down and it follows us around and that's just a fact of life.” [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American journalists often carry cultural biases that shape their reporting, influencing perspectives unintentionally. **In simple terms:** Journalists' cultural biases affect their work. Key Takeaway Recognize and mitigate personal biases. Themes journalism culture bias objectivity media Mood analytical critical Type observational reflective When to use this quote - newsrooms - reporting on foreign affairs - editorial meetings - media training - public discourse Key Concepts cognitive bias cultural relativism Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to become more aware of your biases? - How does cultural baggage impact audience perception? A Different Perspective Eliminating bias completely is unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baggage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baggage/) [Journalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalists/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) ## Related quotes > [The idea that women journalists bring a different taste in stories or sensibility isn't true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/the-idea-that-women-journalists-bring-a-different-taste-in-stories-or-2/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [A poet's cultural baggage and erudition can interfere with a poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-dunn/a-poet-s-cultural-baggage-and-erudition-can-interfere-with-a-poem/) [Douglas Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-dunn/) > [I've always been curious about how much of our cultural baggage we bring to what and how we read. I suspect we bring a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/i-ve-always-been-curious-about-how-much-of-our-cultural-baggage-we/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [Well, Mr Obama inherited probably the biggest inventory of problems, certainly foreign policy problems, than any American president ever has. I think the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/well-mr-obama-inherited-probably-the-biggest-inventory-of-problems/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [One of the many problems with the American left has been its image as something rather too solemn, mirthless, herbivorous, dull, monochrome, righteous, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/one-of-the-many-problems-with-the-american-left-has-been-its-image-as/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I think we all recognize that one of the problems in American culture is that increasingly, there's no middle ground. That either you're a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-tuten/i-think-we-all-recognize-that-one-of-the-problems-in-american-culture/) [Frederic Tuten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-tuten/) > [I believe that absolute objectivity does not exist. American journalists, although they try to be objective, always lean one way or another. They repeat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-borge/i-believe-that-absolute-objectivity-does-not-exist-american/) [Tomas Borge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-borge/) > [American journalists tend to treat inequality as a fact of life. But it needn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/american-journalists-tend-to-treat-inequality-as-a-fact-of-life-but/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [With the war in Iraq, I had the cooperation of the Department of Defense. Kuwait was pretty eager to get American journalists in there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/with-the-war-in-iraq-i-had-the-cooperation-of-the-department-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Bush DOJ lawyer Jack Goldsmith hailed what he called “an underappreciated phenomenon: the patriotism of the American press,” meaning that the domestic media tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bush-doj-lawyer-jack-goldsmith-hailed-what-he-called-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American journalists and politicians made a perfect spectacle of themselves in discussing the Abu Ghraib prison controversy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-snow/american-journalists-and-politicians-made-a-perfect-spectacle-of/) [Tony Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-snow/) > [It's not the first time that I speak with American journalists. I've had meetings with many different newspapers and stations, and I've ha -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-nasrallah/it-s-not-the-first-time-that-i-speak-with-american-journalists-i-ve/) [Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-nasrallah/) > [The only authors whom I acknowledge as American are the journalists. They, indeed, are not great writers, but they speak the language of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-only-authors-whom-i-acknowledge-as-american-are-the-journalists/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [From reading a previous answer, you know that I consider all those aspects to be part of American cultural myth and thus they figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/from-reading-a-previous-answer-you-know-that-i-consider-all-those/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [I have made sense of my life by developing an ability to analyze Mainstream American Cultural Artifacts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/i-have-made-sense-of-my-life-by-developing-an-ability-to-analyze/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) ## More by John Pomfret > [I was fourteen when Kissinger made his secret trip to China, and then there was subsequently Nixon's trip to China, and I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/i-was-fourteen-when-kissinger-made-his-secret-trip-to-china-and-then/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [Whereas with foreign coverage there's a much broader disconnect between you and your audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/whereas-with-foreign-coverage-there-s-a-much-broader-disconnect/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [In some ways the domestic reporting is a lot easier because Americans will talk to you about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/in-some-ways-the-domestic-reporting-is-a-lot-easier-because-americans/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [But on the other hand, in the midst of the chaos, you find normal people. You find people who are willing to risk their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/but-on-the-other-hand-in-the-midst-of-the-chaos-you-find-normal/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [And then I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to China in 1980, which was quite early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/and-then-i-was-lucky-enough-to-get-the-opportunity-to-go-to-china-in/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [I was posted to China in the summer of 1988, which was the greatest time ever, I think, to have been in China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/i-was-posted-to-china-in-the-summer-of-1988-which-was-the-greatest/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [When I see somebody being mistreated, my eyes tear up and I want to stop it. And I believe that the best thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/when-i-see-somebody-being-mistreated-my-eyes-tear-up-and-i-want-to/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [I think some of the best reporters are the ones who can really illustrate the differences between societies, at the same time trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/i-think-some-of-the-best-reporters-are-the-ones-who-can-really/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [Working overseas is more difficult in that it's much more complicated to get people to open their hearts to you and to tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/working-overseas-is-more-difficult-in-that-it-s-much-more-complicated/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [I think to a certain extent in Bosnia and among the Hutus in Rwanda and also among the Tutsis in Rwanda who then took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/i-think-to-a-certain-extent-in-bosnia-and-among-the-hutus-in-rwanda/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [For me the much more significant question is what did the Americans do, if anything, to help the Croatian army, because they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/for-me-the-much-more-significant-question-is-what-did-the-americans/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [Good journalism, I think, represents life and if you try to organize something too neatly it usually blows up in your face and doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/good-journalism-i-think-represents-life-and-if-you-try-to-organize/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [I had my life threatened by Bosnian Serbs on numerous occasions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/i-had-my-life-threatened-by-bosnian-serbs-on-numerous-occasions/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [And when they do spin out of control there are important ramifications that affect America, not just its direct national interest but its broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/and-when-they-do-spin-out-of-control-there-are-important/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) > [The desire to become a journalist came really because I very much like living abroad, and like to travel, and wanted to be paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/the-desire-to-become-a-journalist-came-really-because-i-very-much/) [John Pomfret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) [Explore all 27 John Pomfret quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One of the problems that we have as American journalists is that we bring the American cultural baggage with us and we plop it down and it follows us around and that's just a fact of life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Pomfret" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-american-journalists-is-that-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-american-journalists-is-that-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95a/john-pomfret-22608_american_one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-amer_2459833.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95a/john-pomfret-22608_american_one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-amer_2459833.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/95a/john-pomfret-22608_american_one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-amer_2459833.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the problems that we have as American journalists is that we bring the American cultural baggage with…” — John Pomfret", "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 Pomfret", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pomfret/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One of the problems that we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-american-journalists-is-that-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pomfret/one-of-the-problems-that-we-have-as-american-journalists-is-that-we/#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 } } ] } ```