--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever you're reporting, there's always…" description: "\"Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you can't say or write, but the questions, you always want to get as close to that line as possible..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/michael-hastings-6810_always_whenever-you-re-reporting-there-s-always_1640093.png" --- # Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you… ![“Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you can't say or write, but the questions, you always want to get as close to that line as possible. You want to ask the tough questions.” quote by Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/michael-hastings-6810_always_whenever-you-re-reporting-there-s-always_1640093.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/michael-hastings-6810_always_whenever-you-re-reporting-there-s-always_1640093.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/michael-hastings-6810_always_whenever-you-re-reporting-there-s-always_1640093.png) > “Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you can't say or write, but the questions, you always want to get as close to that line as possible. You want to ask the tough questions.” [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Journalists should push to the edge of what can be disclosed, asking the hardest questions despite constraints. **In simple terms:** Push to the limits of what can be reported. Key Takeaway Ask tough questions despite limits. Themes journalism truth courage Mood determined critical Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - investigative reporting - political interviews - whistleblower cases - press conferences Key Concepts accountability transparency risk Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance truth‑seeking with safety? - When should you hold back? A Different Perspective Risk of legal repercussions or loss of access. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask/) [Ask Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-tough-560506/) [Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/line/) [Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible/) [Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions/) [Reporting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporting/) [Reporting Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporting-say-560507/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough/) [Tough questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough-questions/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Whenever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whenever/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-questions-560505/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [I want to be a journalist; I want to ask tough questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-earhardt/i-want-to-be-a-journalist-i-want-to-ask-tough-questions/) [Ainsley Earhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-earhardt/) > [I like being able to ask tough questions, to learn from someone who knows more than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cantlay/i-like-being-able-to-ask-tough-questions-to-learn-from-someone-who/) [Patrick Cantlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cantlay/) > [I try to be open and try to ask tough questions of everyone. We all do come to the table with our own life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisyn-camerota/i-try-to-be-open-and-try-to-ask-tough-questions-of-everyone-we-all-do/) [Alisyn Camerota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisyn-camerota/) > [We have to ask the tough questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-kelly/we-have-to-ask-the-tough-questions/) [Megyn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-kelly/) > [When you walk into a doctor's office, you've got to have the same attitude you would about anything else. You've got to ask tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/when-you-walk-into-a-doctor-s-office-you-ve-got-to-have-the-same/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [“A writer must ask the tough questions. It’s the only way to get to the heart of the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-winton/a-writer-must-ask-the-tough-questions-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-to-the/) [Tom Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-winton/) > [I am the nice adversary, the guy that's going to ask the tough questions and is not going to be happy with the quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/i-am-the-nice-adversary-the-guy-that-s-going-to-ask-the-tough/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [My job is to ask tough questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-acosta/my-job-is-to-ask-tough-questions/) [Jim Acosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-acosta/) > [Why do I write about China? That is a very good question. I think there are questions about China that I haven't been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/why-do-i-write-about-china-that-is-a-very-good-question-i-think-there/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [The best work that I am able to do is when I am willing to write about questions I haven't quite figured out, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/the-best-work-that-i-am-able-to-do-is-when-i-am-willing-to-write/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > [If you write, one of the questions you're always trying to answer is, Where do you get your ideas? And, if you write, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-abbey/if-you-write-one-of-the-questions-you-re-always-trying-to-answer-is/) [Lynn Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-abbey/) > [“I think about Rilke , who said that it's the questions that move us, not the answers. As a writer I believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-think-about-rilke-who-said-that-it-s-the-questions-that-move-us-not/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I don't think writers should write about answers. I think writers should write about questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-don-t-think-writers-should-write-about-answers-i-think-writers/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [I always say I write because I have questions, not because I have answers. It's true that you begin the conversation - that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-always-say-i-write-because-i-have-questions-not-because-i-have/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [The reason I write is because I have questions. What I don't want is for people to forget that I'm a novelist and think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/the-reason-i-write-is-because-i-have-questions-what-i-don-t-want-is/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) ## More by Michael Hastings > [I have a deep-seated skepticism about the morality of violence. Violence is almost always morally corrosive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-have-a-deep-seated-skepticism-about-the-morality-of-violence/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The humanitarian argument is so selective I find it difficult to swallow. It's not even so much about the choice as to where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-humanitarian-argument-is-so-selective-i-find-it-difficult-to/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If Bill O'Reilly is calling you a far-left critic, in my book, no matter what your political persuasion is, that's probably - that probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-bill-o-reilly-is-calling-you-a-far-left-critic-in-my-book-no/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [I'm post-cynical on this stuff. I look at the El Salvador model as the glory days: Why don't we just fund the death squads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-m-post-cynical-on-this-stuff-i-look-at-the-el-salvador-model-as-the/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Whether or not Afghanistan would be a peaceful nation-state had we not gone into Iraq I doubt. Afghanistan is going to be Afghanistan, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/whether-or-not-afghanistan-would-be-a-peaceful-nation-state-had-we/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [One of their major initiatives was getting all officers on Facebook. So the question is, why are these people who are there to train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/one-of-their-major-initiatives-was-getting-all-officers-on-facebook/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [It was interesting watching the Afghanistan war review deliberations, this three-month process where Barack Obama did the most thorough foreign policy review ever by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/it-was-interesting-watching-the-afghanistan-war-review-deliberations/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Inside the White House there were always extreme amounts of doubt about whether they should be escalating in Afghanistan. In fact, most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/inside-the-white-house-there-were-always-extreme-amounts-of-doubt/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The State Department is essentially... I was going to use the word useless. But I don't know if that's correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-state-department-is-essentially-i-was-going-to-use-the-word/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If someone tells you something is off the record, I don't print it. If they don't tell me something is off the record, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-someone-tells-you-something-is-off-the-record-i-don-t-print-it-if/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If you polled the military in Afghanistan as to how many think we should be there or not, the numbers would probably be similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-you-polled-the-military-in-afghanistan-as-to-how-many-think-we/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Afghanistan would have been difficult enough without Iraq. Iraq made it impossible. The argument that had we just focused on Afghanistan we'd now be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/afghanistan-would-have-been-difficult-enough-without-iraq-iraq-made/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [“Her name has been released to the press. Her photograph is released, too. I want to talk to the press about it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/her-name-has-been-released-to-the-press-her-photograph-is-released/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The frightening aspect is that it's part of a larger effort from the Pentagon to tear down the wall between public affairs and propaganda,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-frightening-aspect-is-that-it-s-part-of-a-larger-effort-from-the/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [An information operations team was sent to Afghanistan to conduct various psychological operations on the Afghans and Taliban. The team was then asked not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/an-information-operations-team-was-sent-to-afghanistan-to-conduct/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) [Explore all 97 Michael Hastings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whenever you're reporting, there's always something you can't say or write, but the questions, you always want to get as close to that line as possible. 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