Editors Quote by Jose Antonio Vargas
“The last thing reporters and editors want to be told is what to do and how to write. They don't want to be some politically correct, Orwellian, kind of like "you're telling me how to write about...?"”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Media commentary, 2021
Editors resist prescriptive advice on writing, fearing loss of creative freedom and political bias.
In simple terms: Writers want freedom, not rules.
Key Takeaway
Respect editorial autonomy.
Themes
media
freedom
creativity
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
reflective
When to use this quote
- newsrooms
- opinion pieces
- editorial meetings
- policy drafting
Key Concepts
censorship
political pressure
journalistic ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How can editors guide without dictating?
- What defines “politically correct” writing?
A Different Perspective
Balancing guidance with independence is tricky.
![“In a print interview, as you may or may not know, they [editors] can do whatever they want. And they do. This is why most people are more hesitant to do print, because they can change it, and they do change it. They even change things that are in quotation marks, which is a pet peeve of mine. I've…” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/74b/fran-lebowitz-690_can-do_in-a-print-interview-as-you-may-or-may-n_1784638.jpg)
![“I walked all around it [the Guggenheim Bilbao] and couldn't find one clear, clean shot. To make things worse, the weather was lousy. Nothing about this rang commercial money shot. In a situation like this there's only one thing to do: forget about pleasing editors, please yourself.” quote by Robert Polidori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/375/robert-polidori-55002_clean_i-walked-all-around-it-the-guggenheim-bi_9097.jpg)
