--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea that a reporter has to be 'fair…" description: "\"The idea that a reporter has to be 'fair and balanced' is ridiculous. The fact is, the truth usually is not fair and it's not balanced. Truth stands by..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/lou-dobbs-26019_balanced_the-idea-that-a-reporter-has-to-be-fair_2497375.png" --- # The idea that a reporter has to be 'fair and balanced' is… ![“The idea that a reporter has to be 'fair and balanced' is ridiculous. The fact is, the truth usually is not fair and it's not balanced. Truth stands by itself. And the idea that something called fair and balanced is a substitute for truth and fact is mindless nonsense that has captured much of the…” quote by Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/lou-dobbs-26019_balanced_the-idea-that-a-reporter-has-to-be-fair_2497375.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/lou-dobbs-26019_balanced_the-idea-that-a-reporter-has-to-be-fair_2497375.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/lou-dobbs-26019_balanced_the-idea-that-a-reporter-has-to-be-fair_2497375.png) > “The idea that a reporter has to be 'fair and balanced' is ridiculous. The fact is, the truth usually is not fair and it's not balanced. Truth stands by itself. And the idea that something called fair and balanced is a substitute for truth and fact is mindless nonsense that has captured much of the national media.” [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques the notion that news can be both fair and balanced, arguing that truth stands alone and should not be compromised by such labels. **In simple terms:** Truth is independent of fairness or balance. Key Takeaway Prioritize truth over superficial fairness. Themes media ethics truth integrity Mood critical analytical Type journalistic philosophical When to use this quote - news reporting - public discourse - media consumption Key Concepts journalism critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can audiences discern truth amid claims of balance? - What responsibilities do journalists have beyond fairness? A Different Perspective Fairness can be misused to obscure truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Mindless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindless/) [Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense/) [Not fair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-fair/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Reporters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporters/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth. Not the biased truth, Not the liest truth, But the highest truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-fair-and-balanced-truth-not-the-biased/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“The USO called him their fair-haired boy. But it had all been after the war was over”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-avallone/the-uso-called-him-their-fair-haired-boy-but-it-had-all-been-after/) Michael Avallone > [Let's just be honest about it, there are many, many news agencies out there that are not fair and balanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-robinson/let-s-just-be-honest-about-it-there-are-many-many-news-agencies-out/) [Mark Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-robinson/) > [More often than not "fair" and "balanced" may be mutually exclusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-gabler/more-often-than-not-fair-and-balanced-may-be-mutually-exclusive/) [Neal Gabler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-gabler/) > [One person, one vote sounds so reasonable and - dare I say it - democratic. But the voting process in America is anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-belzer/one-person-one-vote-sounds-so-reasonable-and-dare-i-say-it-democratic/) [Richard Belzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-belzer/) > [Fox is fair and balanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-colmes/fox-is-fair-and-balanced/) [Alan Colmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-colmes/) > [I think that 'Fox News' is fair and balanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/i-think-that-fox-news-is-fair-and-balanced/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [There are some programs on FOX that are not only fair and balanced, they're commentary shows. They don't have to be. But they brag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-goldberg/there-are-some-programs-on-fox-that-are-not-only-fair-and-balanced/) [Bernard Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-goldberg/) > [Fox News has changed its slogan from 'Fair and Balanced' to 'See, I told you so!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/fox-news-has-changed-its-slogan-from-fair-and-balanced-to-see-i-told/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“Life’s not fair. It’s not even, not balanced, not right. Why should relationships between people be any different? There’s always going to be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wildbow/life-s-not-fair-it-s-not-even-not-balanced-not-right-why-should/) wildbow > [If stop-and-frisk was a fair and balanced practice that targeted everybody equally across the board, then I could understand the extra precautions being taken,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/if-stop-and-frisk-was-a-fair-and-balanced-practice-that-targeted/) [Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [We get a ton of email; everybody does now. It gives us a kind of a pulse that you can feel. We hear people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-hume/we-get-a-ton-of-email-everybody-does-now-it-gives-us-a-kind-of-a/) [Brit Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-hume/) > [Fair and balanced is doublespeak for bite-out-chunks-of-truth until only irrelevancy is left, byte-sized, entertaining irrelevancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larisa-alexandrovna/fair-and-balanced-is-doublespeak-for-bite-out-chunks-of-truth-until/) [Larisa Alexandrovna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larisa-alexandrovna/) > [I believe the most important thing for the media is to be objective, fair, and balanced. We should not report a story with preconceptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/i-believe-the-most-important-thing-for-the-media-is-to-be-objective/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [In general, we believe in regulation - just as long as it is fair and balanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-gebbia/in-general-we-believe-in-regulation-just-as-long-as-it-is-fair-and/) [Joe Gebbia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-gebbia/) ## More by Lou Dobbs > [ Israel is extraordinary blessed to have \[Benjamin Netanyahu\] as prime minister at this pivotal time in history and so is the United States of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/israel-is-extraordinary-blessed-to-have-benjamin-netanyahu-as-prime/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [I'm one of those fellas who's got lots of regrets, but I don't regret having regrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/i-m-one-of-those-fellas-who-s-got-lots-of-regrets-but-i-don-t-regret/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [I am not one of those people who like to play. I don't. I'm neither coy, nor do I, in any way, want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/i-am-not-one-of-those-people-who-like-to-play-i-don-t-i-m-neither-coy/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [If CEOs insist that middle class Americans compete with cheap foreign labor, why not outsource the jobs of CEOs? If business is all about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/if-ceos-insist-that-middle-class-americans-compete-with-cheap-foreign/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [We have 23 million people unemployed. They're America's forgotten people. It's the damndest thing that this much collateral damage is acceptable to this \[Barack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/we-have-23-million-people-unemployed-they-re-america-s-forgotten/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [Competition is the hallmark of a free enterprise economy. 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I don't support amnesty, and for that reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/i-ve-made-it-clear-in-my-reporting-that-we-need-a-rational-effective/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [The invasion of illegal aliens is threatening the health of many Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/the-invasion-of-illegal-aliens-is-threatening-the-health-of-many/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [I don't think we need to deal with just one thing. Look at where we are now compared to where we were when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-dobbs/i-don-t-think-we-need-to-deal-with-just-one-thing-look-at-where-we/) [Lou Dobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-dobbs/) > [We expect a horse race, ... The reality is that competition drives all innovation. 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