--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Journalistic conventions make it hard for…" description: "\"Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to deal with a big, complicated lie.\" — Michael Kinsley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/michael-kinsley-18523_bigs_journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-fo_779059.png" --- # Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to… ![“Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to deal with a big, complicated lie.” quote by Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/michael-kinsley-18523_bigs_journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-fo_779059.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/michael-kinsley-18523_bigs_journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-fo_779059.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/michael-kinsley-18523_bigs_journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-fo_779059.png) > “Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to deal with a big, complicated lie.” [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Journalistic standards prioritize verification, making it difficult to expose complex falsehoods quickly. **In simple terms:** Media rules hinder quick debunking of big lies. Key Takeaway Seek alternative fact‑checking methods. Themes media truth verification journalism Mood frustrated determined Type analytical critical When to use this quote - political scandals - corporate fraud - misinformation campaigns Key Concepts epistemology information overload Questions to Reflect On - How can journalists balance speed and accuracy? - What tools help uncover layered deception? A Different Perspective Complex lies may be hidden behind partial truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Reporters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporters/) ## Related quotes > [I need to conduct myself differently in different communities. In my experience, the journalistic conventions - you know, I'm the reporter, you're the subject,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/i-need-to-conduct-myself-differently-in-different-communities-in-my/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [I know it's cheaper to fund an op-ed columnist than a team of reporters, but I think it confuses the mission of what these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-know-it-s-cheaper-to-fund-an-op-ed-columnist-than-a-team-of/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [You learn nothing if you carry with you a journalistic system of values, which is invented to save reporters from experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-rexroth/you-learn-nothing-if-you-carry-with-you-a-journalistic-system-of/) [Kenneth Rexroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-rexroth/) > [By journalistic custom and D.C. law, of course, reporters don't carry guns to news conferences -- and certainly not when the person at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-milbank/by-journalistic-custom-and-d-c-law-of-course-reporters-don-t-carry/) [Dana Milbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-milbank/) > [I can only answer that I tried to tell the truth and, if not be objective, at least be fair; history is not served…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-shilts/i-can-only-answer-that-i-tried-to-tell-the-truth-and-if-not-be/) [Randy Shilts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-shilts/) > [As reporters set aside their traditional role as fact seekers and veer into advocacy, they find themselves on a slippery journalistic slope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/as-reporters-set-aside-their-traditional-role-as-fact-seekers-and/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I think it's very healthy to use journalistic and legal techniques to investigate the evidence for and against Christianity and other faith systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-strobel/i-think-it-s-very-healthy-to-use-journalistic-and-legal-techniques-to/) [Lee Strobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-strobel/) > [The ‘I’ character in journalism is almost pure invention. Unlike the ‘I’ of autobiography, who is meant to be seen as a representation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-i-character-in-journalism-is-almost-pure-invention-unlike-the-i/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [I have been a sports fan my whole life. To be able to talk about sports in an intelligent, journalistic fashion and to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-gumbel/i-have-been-a-sports-fan-my-whole-life-to-be-able-to-talk-about/) [Bryant Gumbel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-gumbel/) > [I am an emotional and fragile person. I observe life, I am perceptive and can read a person's body language. I have a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madhur-bhandarkar/i-am-an-emotional-and-fragile-person-i-observe-life-i-am-perceptive/) [Madhur Bhandarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madhur-bhandarkar/) > [The biggest journalistic game-changer of our time has been the rise of social media and the overgrowth of faux news sources - league- and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lipsyte/the-biggest-journalistic-game-changer-of-our-time-has-been-the-rise/) [Robert Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lipsyte/) > [There's a whole journalistic-industrial complex dedicated to keeping newsprint, TV screens and radio waves clean of destabilizing scoops damaging to corporations or the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-s-a-whole-journalistic-industrial-complex-dedicated-to-keeping/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [“He cannot deny a certain relief in being able to sift through academic tomes, fulfilling his journalistic duty without having to barge past security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/he-cannot-deny-a-certain-relief-in-being-able-to-sift-through/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“The provision of news and information, for example, has been ‘dumbed down’ to a previously unimaginable degree, and the line between Hollywood fiction and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mclaughlin/the-provision-of-news-and-information-for-example-has-been-dumbed/) [Paul McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mclaughlin/) ## More by Michael Kinsley > [He's nice enough not to want to be associated with a nasty remark but not nice enough not to make it. Lacking the courage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/he-s-nice-enough-not-to-want-to-be-associated-with-a-nasty-remark-but/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [Almost any government activity can also be seen as taking property without just compensation. The basic model of an unconstitutional aking would be if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/almost-any-government-activity-can-also-be-seen-as-taking-property/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [The definition of a gaffe is when a politician tells the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/the-definition-of-a-gaffe-is-when-a-politician-tells-the-truth/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [He hasn't said whether he remembers the episode itself - or, if he doesn't, whether that is because it never happened or because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/he-hasn-t-said-whether-he-remembers-the-episode-itself-or-if-he-doesn/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [What could be more absurd than the idea that genuine anti-Christian prejudice is a major force in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/what-could-be-more-absurd-than-the-idea-that-genuine-anti-christian/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [The takings clause of the Fifth Amendment is for conservatives what the equal protection clause of the 14th is for liberals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/the-takings-clause-of-the-fifth-amendment-is-for-conservatives-what/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [It wouldn't be fair to say that conservatives cherish property the way liberals cherish equality. But it would be fair to say that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/it-wouldn-t-be-fair-to-say-that-conservatives-cherish-property-the/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [One answer is that the town's elected officials thought that the project served a public purpose and that the various subsidies and favors were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/one-answer-is-that-the-town-s-elected-officials-thought-that-the/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [Anything that keeps a politician humble is healthy for democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/anything-that-keeps-a-politician-humble-is-healthy-for-democracy/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [In those days, the late 1970s, one of the leading politicians was a soon-to-be uncle by marriage of Arnold Schwarzenegger, named Ted Kennedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/in-those-days-the-late-1970s-one-of-the-leading-politicians-was-a/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [The case decided on Thursday, though, seemed promising to takings fans because it wasn't about compensation. It was about the requirement that any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/the-case-decided-on-thursday-though-seemed-promising-to-takings-fans/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [Almost any government activity can also be seen as taking property 'without just compensation.' The basic model of an unconstitutional 'taking' would be if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/almost-any-government-activity-can-also-be-seen-as-taking-property-2/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [The akings clause of the Fifth Amendment is for conservatives what the equal protection clause of the 14th is for liberals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/the-akings-clause-of-the-fifth-amendment-is-for-conservatives-what/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [In any event, the proper question isn't what a journalist thinks is relevant but what his or her audience thinks is relevant. Denying people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/in-any-event-the-proper-question-isn-t-what-a-journalist-thinks-is/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) > [I have a saying: the scandal isn't what's illegal, the scandal is what's legal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/i-have-a-saying-the-scandal-isn-t-what-s-illegal-the-scandal-is-what/) [Michael Kinsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) [Explore all 34 Michael Kinsley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to deal with a big, complicated lie.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Kinsley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-for-reporters-to-deal-with-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-for-reporters-to-deal-with-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/michael-kinsley-18523_bigs_journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-fo_779059.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/michael-kinsley-18523_bigs_journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-fo_779059.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c2/michael-kinsley-18523_bigs_journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-fo_779059.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Journalistic conventions make it hard for reporters to deal with a big, complicated lie.” — Michael Kinsley", "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 Kinsley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kinsley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Journalistic conventions make it hard for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-for-reporters-to-deal-with-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kinsley/journalistic-conventions-make-it-hard-for-reporters-to-deal-with-a/#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 } } ] } ```