--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good journalist is modest; his only job…" description: "\"A good journalist is modest; his only job is simple: to decide what counts as news.\" — Michael Ignatieff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/michael-ignatieff-3146_counts_a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job_1916332.jpg" --- # A good journalist is modest; his only job is simple: to… ![“A good journalist is modest; his only job is simple: to decide what counts as news.” quote by Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/michael-ignatieff-3146_counts_a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job_1916332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/michael-ignatieff-3146_counts_a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job_1916332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/michael-ignatieff-3146_counts_a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job_1916332.jpg) > “A good journalist is modest; his only job is simple: to decide what counts as news.” [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A journalist's core duty is to judge what truly matters as news. **In simple terms:** Journalists decide what counts. Key Takeaway Prioritize truth in reporting. Themes journalism ethics responsibility Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical professional When to use this quote - newsrooms - editorial meetings - public discourse Key Concepts critical thinking media literacy Questions to Reflect On - How do you define newsworthiness? - What values guide your decisions? A Different Perspective Bias can cloud judgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) ## Related quotes > [“I had modest job improvement numbers. They blushed a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-had-modest-job-improvement-numbers-they-blushed-a-lot/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I could be one if I wanted to, I'm just way too overqualified for a job that simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/i-could-be-one-if-i-wanted-to-i-m-just-way-too-overqualified-for-a/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [A simple job for simple people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curly-howard/a-simple-job-for-simple-people/) [Curly Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curly-howard/) > [A manager's job is simple. For one hundred sixty-two games you try not to screw up all that smart stuff your organization did last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-weaver/a-manager-s-job-is-simple-for-one-hundred-sixty-two-games-you-try-not/) [Earl Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-weaver/) > [Better a good journalist than a poor assassin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/better-a-good-journalist-than-a-poor-assassin/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I review novels to make money, because it is easier for a sluggard to write an article a fortnight than a book a year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/i-review-novels-to-make-money-because-it-is-easier-for-a-sluggard-to/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [And I came away from that experience, and it was a very difficult experience - I came to understand that you have to practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-schieffer/and-i-came-away-from-that-experience-and-it-was-a-very-difficult/) [Bob Schieffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-schieffer/) > [A good journalist, as you know, is a great listener. And so's a good writer. And I got to listen to people for almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/a-good-journalist-as-you-know-is-a-great-listener-and-so-s-a-good/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [I think the job of a good journalist, especially in Washington, is to create discomfort, and I think for a certain class of people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-think-the-job-of-a-good-journalist-especially-in-washington-is-to/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [I think that part of being a good journalist, part of being an awake member of the world you're in, is to view yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-think-that-part-of-being-a-good-journalist-part-of-being-an-awake/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [“A good journalist must be neutral,” were the first word she heard from her professor at Georgetown. “No journalist is, nor will be, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-pacy-ski/a-good-journalist-must-be-neutral-were-the-first-word-she-heard-from/) [Krzysztof Pacyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-pacy-ski/) > [Obviously, if I cared about what people said about my reporting, I wouldn't be a good journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obviously-if-i-cared-about-what-people-said-about-my-reporting-i/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [If you're a good journalist, you can probably be a good screenwriter or novelist. That skillset travels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/if-you-re-a-good-journalist-you-can-probably-be-a-good-screenwriter/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [If you're a good journalist, what you do is live a lot of things vicariously, and report them for other people who want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reasoner/if-you-re-a-good-journalist-what-you-do-is-live-a-lot-of-things/) [Harry Reasoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reasoner/) > [“because I got distracted Googling for information on the nanny murder (a good journalist always checks her facts, particularly when the primary source is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alderson/because-i-got-distracted-googling-for-information-on-the-nanny-murder/) [Sarah Alderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alderson/) ## More by Michael Ignatieff > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [What really matters is getting new people in. The constitutional changes matter, but the thing that the party mustn't do is turn in on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/what-really-matters-is-getting-new-people-in-the-constitutional/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [The medium's gaze is brief, intense, and promiscuous. The shelf life of the moral causes it makes its own is brutally short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-medium-s-gaze-is-brief-intense-and-promiscuous-the-shelf-life-of/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Those with a gift for action, for their part, often express contempt for those whose gifts are more reflective. Men of action like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/those-with-a-gift-for-action-for-their-part-often-express-contempt/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [There are lots of nations in the world or national peoples who don't yet have states. They're inside someone else's state and they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-are-lots-of-nations-in-the-world-or-national-peoples-who-don-t/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [There's a civic nationalism in Britain and dozens of other countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/there-s-a-civic-nationalism-in-britain-and-dozens-of-other-countries/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Affirming belief that America is an exceptional nation has become a test of patriotism in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/affirming-belief-that-america-is-an-exceptional-nation-has-become-a/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Both Iraq and Syria are a fissile mixture of ethnicities and religions thrown together after Versailles by departing French and British imperialists and only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/both-iraq-and-syria-are-a-fissile-mixture-of-ethnicities-and/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [The legitimacy of coercive acts in a democracy arises from the process by which they are justified and by the degree to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-legitimacy-of-coercive-acts-in-a-democracy-arises-from-the/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Some of our finest leaders were not intellectuals at all, and I admire them enormously because they weren't. Harry Truman wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/some-of-our-finest-leaders-were-not-intellectuals-at-all-and-i-admire/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [If you get the access to see history happen, do you understand the history when it does happen? And the answer to that question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/if-you-get-the-access-to-see-history-happen-do-you-understand-the/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I have been a journalist, off and on, since I was 17. I was a copy boy for the 'New York Times,' when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/i-have-been-a-journalist-off-and-on-since-i-was-17-i-was-a-copy-boy/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [In academic life, false ideas are merely false, and useless ones can be fun to play with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/in-academic-life-false-ideas-are-merely-false-and-useless-ones-can-be/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Liberal democracy has endured because its institutions are designed for handling morally hazardous forms of coercive power. It puts the question of how far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/liberal-democracy-has-endured-because-its-institutions-are-designed/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [An intellectual may be interested in ideas and policies for their own sake, but a politician's interest is exclusively in the question of whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/an-intellectual-may-be-interested-in-ideas-and-policies-for-their-own/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) [Explore all 138 Michael Ignatieff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) ## More Counts quotes > [Experience counts in government even more than in business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/experience-counts-in-government-even-more-than-in-business/) [Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/) > [I like to think that my works flow like music. That may be one reason I work in large groups versus one picture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-eggleston/i-like-to-think-that-my-works-flow-like-music-that-may-be-one-reason/) [William Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-eggleston/) > [There's nothing wrong with pitch counts. But not when it's spit out by a computer, and the computer does not look at an individual's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-seaver/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-pitch-counts-but-not-when-it-s-spit-out-by/) [Tom Seaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-seaver/) > [If you start out trying to achieve a specific thing - like doing stadium shows or going into the studio and doing an album…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-strait/if-you-start-out-trying-to-achieve-a-specific-thing-like-doing/) [George Strait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-strait/) > [I like to smile a lot before going in the car. I make jokes, even on the grid, and then I can still manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/i-like-to-smile-a-lot-before-going-in-the-car-i-make-jokes-even-on/) [Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/) > [Oh, Michael Jackson is Michael Jackson. And no matter if he sold 40 million records off of one record and sold 15 off his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-jackson/oh-michael-jackson-is-michael-jackson-and-no-matter-if-he-sold-40/) [Tito Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tito-jackson/) > [The Term Paper Artist' represents two models of writing, one of the little boy bouncing his ball, generating stories for the sheer pleasure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leavitt/the-term-paper-artist-represents-two-models-of-writing-one-of-the/) [David Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leavitt/) > [Right now counts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/right-now-counts-forever/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Looks, health and elegance are what counts. Someone can look wonderful in a sweatsuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oleg-cassini/looks-health-and-elegance-are-what-counts-someone-can-look-wonderful/) [Oleg Cassini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oleg-cassini/) > [Ultimately, it's your talent that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armaan-malik/ultimately-it-s-your-talent-that-counts/) [Armaan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armaan-malik/) > [In a painting, what counts is the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-braque/in-a-painting-what-counts-is-the-unexpected/) [Georges Braque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-braque/) > [Germany is not like Ireland or Denmark. It is a country where the domestic market counts much more than the external market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bofinger/germany-is-not-like-ireland-or-denmark-it-is-a-country-where-the/) [Peter Bofinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bofinger/) > [It is not how much you make that counts, but how much money you keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/it-is-not-how-much-you-make-that-counts-but-how-much-money-you-keep/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [James Salter has been a fighter pilot, a rogue, and a climber. He counts Robert Redford as a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-rodrick/james-salter-has-been-a-fighter-pilot-a-rogue-and-a-climber-he-counts/) [Stephen Rodrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-rodrick/) > [Every writing teacher gives the subliminal message, every time they teach: 'Your life counts for something.' In no other subject that I know of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/every-writing-teacher-gives-the-subliminal-message-every-time-they/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) Browse all 274 Counts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good journalist is modest; his only job is simple: to decide what counts as news.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Ignatieff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job-is-simple-to-decide-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Counts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job-is-simple-to-decide-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/michael-ignatieff-3146_counts_a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job_1916332.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/michael-ignatieff-3146_counts_a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job_1916332.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/michael-ignatieff-3146_counts_a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job_1916332.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good journalist is modest; his only job is simple: to decide what counts as news.” — Michael Ignatieff", "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": "Michael Ignatieff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A good journalist is modest; his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job-is-simple-to-decide-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/a-good-journalist-is-modest-his-only-job-is-simple-to-decide-what/#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 } } ] } ```