---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Journalism, spooked by rumors of its own…"
description: "\"Journalism, spooked by rumors of its own obsolescence, has stopped believing in itself. Groans of doom alternate with panicked happy talk.\" — Maureen Dowd"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/maureen-dowd-6927_doom_journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own_1105078.jpg"
---

#  Journalism, spooked by rumors of its own obsolescence, has…

![“Journalism, spooked by rumors of its own obsolescence, has stopped believing in itself. Groans of doom alternate with panicked happy talk.” quote by Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/maureen-dowd-6927_doom_journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own_1105078.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/maureen-dowd-6927_doom_journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own_1105078.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/maureen-dowd-6927_doom_journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own_1105078.jpg)

> “Journalism, spooked by rumors of its own obsolescence, has stopped believing in itself. Groans of doom alternate with panicked happy talk.”

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

## About This Quote

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

Critiques journalism’s self‑doubt amid fear of irrelevance, leading to contradictory narratives.

**In simple terms:** Journalism is confused and fearful.

Key Takeaway

Seek clarity and purpose in reporting.

Themes

media self‑doubt change communication

Mood

critical analytical

Type

media cultural

When to use this quote

- newsrooms
- media training
- public discourse
- media literacy
- strategic planning

Key Concepts

journalism ethics information overload digital disruption

Questions to Reflect On

- What can journalists do to rebuild confidence?
- How does fear affect news coverage?

A Different Perspective

May overgeneralize the industry’s state.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doom/) [Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalism Spooked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism-spooked-2915730/) [Obsolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsolescence/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Rumors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumors/) [Rumors Obsolescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rumors-obsolescence-2915731/) [Spooked Rumors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spooked-rumors-2915732/) [Stopped Believing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopped-believing/) [Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk/)

## Related quotes

> [One of the weirdest things that happened to artists and art criticism was this moment when everyone got cynical and stopped believing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/one-of-the-weirdest-things-that-happened-to-artists-and-art-criticism/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [Just as many who were brought up to think of God as a bearded old gentleman sitting on a cloud decided that when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-as-many-who-were-brought-up-to-think-of-god-as-a-bearded-old/)

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

> [This was how you wound up in the Inquisition. When you stopped being able to see any difference between Light Ones and Dark Ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lukyanenko/this-was-how-you-wound-up-in-the-inquisition-when-you-stopped-being/)

[Sergei Lukyanenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lukyanenko/)

> [“When you stopped believing in God,” he went on, “did you stop believing in good and evil?” “No. But I stopped believing there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/when-you-stopped-believing-in-god-he-went-on-did-you-stop-believing/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“I never talk about the end game." He winked at her. "I've lived so long without death that I've stopped believing in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/i-never-talk-about-the-end-game-he-winked-at-her-i-ve-lived-so-long/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [I never stopped believing in my skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-blachowicz/i-never-stopped-believing-in-my-skills/)

[Jan Blachowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-blachowicz/)

> [I never stopped believing in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-blachowicz/i-never-stopped-believing-in-myself/)

[Jan Blachowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-blachowicz/)

> [It's about the people, who have stopped believing because the cup of evil has run over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-shostakovich/it-s-about-the-people-who-have-stopped-believing-because-the-cup-of/)

[Dmitri Shostakovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-shostakovich/)

> [“She realized, when relationships failed to last, it was not because love was no longer present, but because people had stopped believing in themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-westover/she-realized-when-relationships-failed-to-last-it-was-not-because/)

[Christina Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-westover/)

> [I stopped believing there was a power of good and a power of evil that were outside us. And I came to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-stopped-believing-there-was-a-power-of-good-and-a-power-of-evil/)

[Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/)

> [“I had long ago stopped believing in promises. Biological imperatives, yes. Environmental factors, yes. Promises, no.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-had-long-ago-stopped-believing-in-promises-biological-imperatives/)

[Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/)

> [“I stopped believing in stars when the morning came by.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-abdulatif/i-stopped-believing-in-stars-when-the-morning-came-by/)

[Salma Abdulatif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-abdulatif/)

> [“I don't know if I ended up siding with the academics just because I happened to end up in graduate school, or if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-don-t-know-if-i-ended-up-siding-with-the-academics-just-because-i/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [People belong to each other only as long as they both believe. He stopped believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/people-belong-to-each-other-only-as-long-as-they-both-believe-he/)

[Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/)

> [I never stopped believing myself and what I was capable of doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-acuna-jr/i-never-stopped-believing-myself-and-what-i-was-capable-of-doing/)

[Ronald Acuna Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-acuna-jr/)

## More by Maureen Dowd

> [If there's one thing white men have never had a problem with in this clubby, white marble enclave of Washington, it's getting pulled up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/if-there-s-one-thing-white-men-have-never-had-a-problem-with-in-this/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [When you're young, and even at times when you're older, it's hard to fathom this: What needs to be nurtured is the stuff that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/when-you-re-young-and-even-at-times-when-you-re-older-it-s-hard-to/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [“Who knows? If women all end up with the same face and body, men may gravitate toward the quirky. Then the chicks with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/who-knows-if-women-all-end-up-with-the-same-face-and-body-men-may/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [Why can't Google, which likes to see itself as a 'Don't Be Evil' benevolent force in society, just write us a big check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/why-can-t-google-which-likes-to-see-itself-as-a-don-t-be-evil/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [“Materialism has defeated feminism as well. In a sign of the times, Gloria Steinem was on the picket line when the first American DeBeers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/materialism-has-defeated-feminism-as-well-in-a-sign-of-the-times/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [“Romantic googling can be as dangerous as drunk text messaging. Of course hell hath no fury like a woman who Google-bombs her old flames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/romantic-googling-can-be-as-dangerous-as-drunk-text-messaging-of/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [Paul Ryan, who teamed up with Akin in the House to sponsor harsh anti-abortion bills, may look young and hip and new generation, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/paul-ryan-who-teamed-up-with-akin-in-the-house-to-sponsor-harsh-anti/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [Obama invented himself against all odds and repeated parental abandonment, and he worked hard to regiment his emotions. But now that can come across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/obama-invented-himself-against-all-odds-and-repeated-parental/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [Feminism died in 1998 when Hillary allowed henchlings and Democrats to demonize Monica as an unbalanced stalker, and when Gloria Steinem defended Mr. Clinton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/feminism-died-in-1998-when-hillary-allowed-henchlings-and-democrats/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [President Obama thinks he can use emotion to bring pressure on Congress. But that's not how adults with power respond to things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/president-obama-thinks-he-can-use-emotion-to-bring-pressure-on/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [ Now that Hillary \[Clinton\] has won Pennsylvania, it will take a village to help Obama escape from the suffocating embrace of his rival. Certainly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/now-that-hillary-clinton-has-won-pennsylvania-it-will-take-a-village/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [I don't understand men. I don't even understand what I don't understand about men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/i-don-t-understand-men-i-don-t-even-understand-what-i-don-t/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [Good and evil are not like the Redskins and the Cowboys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/good-and-evil-are-not-like-the-redskins-and-the-cowboys/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [And as far as doing God's work, I think the bankers who took government money and then gave out obscene bonuses are the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/and-as-far-as-doing-god-s-work-i-think-the-bankers-who-took/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

> [It is men's worst fear, personally and professionally, that women will pin the sin on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/it-is-men-s-worst-fear-personally-and-professionally-that-women-will/)

[Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

[Explore all 96 Maureen Dowd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/)

## More Doom quotes

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [... War on the destiny of man! Doom on the sun! Before death takes you, O take back this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-on-the-destiny-of-man-doom-on-the-sun-before-death-takes-you-o/)

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

> [Fate with impartial hand turns out the doom of high and low; her capacious urn is constantly shaking the names of all mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/fate-with-impartial-hand-turns-out-the-doom-of-high-and-low-her/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [It is easy enough to say that man is immortal simply because he will endure: that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-is-easy-enough-to-say-that-man-is-immortal-simply-because-he-will/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/)

[Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/)

> [Forget the noose. Forget the Iron Maiden. Forget the electric chair or the guillotine. The mind was mankind's most painful torture chamber, the blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/forget-the-noose-forget-the-iron-maiden-forget-the-electric-chair-or/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [When there's doom and gloom, don't forget there's darkness before dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/when-there-s-doom-and-gloom-don-t-forget-there-s-darkness-before-dawn/)

[Rakesh Jhunjhunwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-jhunjhunwala/)

> [For Scotland has a double dose of the poison called heredity; the sense of blood in the aristocrat, the sense of doom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-scotland-has-a-double-dose-of-the-poison-called-heredity-the/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [Politics is about the participation and engagement of the wider citizenry - to miss that point would doom us to irrelevance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blunkett/politics-is-about-the-participation-and-engagement-of-the-wider/)

[David Blunkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blunkett/)

> [Social and cultural change, however desirable, should not be effected by the engines of national power. Let us, through persuasion and education, seek to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-goldwater/social-and-cultural-change-however-desirable-should-not-be-effected/)

[Barry Goldwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-goldwater/)

> [Seek for the Sword that was broken In Imladris it dwells; There shall be counsels taken Stronger than Morgul-spells. There shall be shown a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seek-for-the-sword-that-was-broken-in-imladris-it-dwells-there-shall/)

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

> [“Cathy, don't look so defeated. She was only trying to put us down again. Maybe nothing did work out right for her, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/cathy-don-t-look-so-defeated-she-was-only-trying-to-put-us-down-again/)

[V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/)

> [“She told herself that she was happy to meet her executioner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-maclean/she-told-herself-that-she-was-happy-to-meet-her-executioner/)

[Sarah MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-maclean/)

> [“The danger of darkness is deep doom!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-danger-of-darkness-is-deep-doom/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [There is the extreme of hopelessness and the inevitability of doom, a deep despair that comes from the sense that our industrial, consuming society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/there-is-the-extreme-of-hopelessness-and-the-inevitability-of-doom-a/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

[Browse all 501 Doom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doom/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Journalism, spooked by rumors of its own obsolescence, has stopped believing in itself. Groans of doom alternate with panicked happy talk.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Maureen Dowd"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own-obsolescence-has-stopped/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doom"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own-obsolescence-has-stopped/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/maureen-dowd-6927_doom_journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own_1105078.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/maureen-dowd-6927_doom_journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own_1105078.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/maureen-dowd-6927_doom_journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own_1105078.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Journalism, spooked by rumors of its own obsolescence, has stopped believing in itself. Groans of doom…” — Maureen Dowd",
                "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": "Maureen Dowd",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Journalism, spooked by rumors of its...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own-obsolescence-has-stopped/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/journalism-spooked-by-rumors-of-its-own-obsolescence-has-stopped/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
