--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any serious effort to reform the media…" description: "\"Any serious effort to reform the media system would have to necessarily be part of a revolutionary program to overthrow the capitalist system itself.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/robert-waterman-mcchesney-2452_capitalist_any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-s_790010.png" --- # Any serious effort to reform the media system would have… ![“Any serious effort to reform the media system would have to necessarily be part of a revolutionary program to overthrow the capitalist system itself.” quote by Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/robert-waterman-mcchesney-2452_capitalist_any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-s_790010.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/robert-waterman-mcchesney-2452_capitalist_any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-s_790010.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/robert-waterman-mcchesney-2452_capitalist_any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-s_790010.png) > “Any serious effort to reform the media system would have to necessarily be part of a revolutionary program to overthrow the capitalist system itself.” [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media reform cannot be isolated; it must challenge the capitalist structures that shape it **In simple terms:** Changing media requires broader economic change Key Takeaway Link media policy to economic reform Themes media politics capitalism reform systemic Mood analytical urgent Type political economic When to use this quote - journalism - policy advocacy - education curricula Key Concepts critical theory public sphere Questions to Reflect On - What systemic barriers hinder media reform? - How can grassroots actions influence capital? A Different Perspective Economic forces may resist change ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalist/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Necessarily Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessarily-revolutionary-6069555/) [Overthrow Capitalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overthrow-capitalist-6069553/) [Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program/) [Program Overthrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/program-overthrow-6069552/) [Reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform/) [Reform Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform-media-6069554/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/) [Revolutionary Program](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary-program-6069551/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) ## Related quotes > [You will never ever, in any circumstance, win any struggle at any time. That being said, we have a long way to go. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/you-will-never-ever-in-any-circumstance-win-any-struggle-at-any-time/) [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) > [But the ultimate goal is to get rid of the media capitalists in the phone and cable companies and to divest them from control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/but-the-ultimate-goal-is-to-get-rid-of-the-media-capitalists-in-the/) [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) > [The Enron scandal calls into question the integrity of the entire capitalist system, which previously we assumed was based on honest, straightforward greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/the-enron-scandal-calls-into-question-the-integrity-of-the-entire/) [Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/) > [When you come from a family of communists and you go through your teenage rebellion, what's the best way of rebelling from a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/when-you-come-from-a-family-of-communists-and-you-go-through-your/) [Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/) > [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/) [Davis McCaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davis-mccaughey/) > [Capitalism has created a situation called scarcity. 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Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [For me, it is clear that we are currently in a period of structural crisis of capitalism going back to the 1970s, but deepening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bellamy-foster/for-me-it-is-clear-that-we-are-currently-in-a-period-of-structural/) [John Bellamy Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bellamy-foster/) > [“Capitalist cycle of profit. The rancher sells a cow for profit. The butcher sells cuts for profit. The restaurant sells meals for profit. 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Now I work for myself twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/when-i-was-young-i-worked-for-a-capitalist-twelve-hours-a-day-and-i/) [Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [As the variable capital always stays in the hands of the capitalist in some form or other, it cannot be claimed in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-variable-capital-always-stays-in-the-hands-of-the-capitalist/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/) [William Henry Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-pickering/) ## More by Robert Waterman McChesney > [ The range of debate between the dominant U.S. \[political\] parties tends to closely resemble the range of debate within the business class. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/the-range-of-debate-between-the-dominant-u-s-political-parties-tends/) [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) > [Coverage of Iraq has plummeted, because people in power no longer want to talk about it suddenly. 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That being said, we have a long way to go. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/you-will-never-ever-in-any-circumstance-win-any-struggle-at-any-time/) [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) > [Even if someone wanted a purely free-market, competitive media system, it would require extensive government regulation to set up those markets. All our largest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/even-if-someone-wanted-a-purely-free-market-competitive-media-system/) [Robert Waterman McChesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/) > [In the last two years we've seen a sea change in the United States on media issues. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/capitalist-cycle-of-profit-the-rancher-sells-a-cow-for-profit-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [For me, it is clear that we are currently in a period of structural crisis of capitalism going back to the 1970s, but deepening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bellamy-foster/for-me-it-is-clear-that-we-are-currently-in-a-period-of-structural/) [John Bellamy Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bellamy-foster/) > [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [Capitalism has created a situation called scarcity. And that scarcity is not natural, it's socially induced. Along with that sense of scarcity, or feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/capitalism-has-created-a-situation-called-scarcity-and-that-scarcity/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/) [Davis McCaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davis-mccaughey/) > [When you come from a family of communists and you go through your teenage rebellion, what's the best way of rebelling from a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/when-you-come-from-a-family-of-communists-and-you-go-through-your/) [Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/) > [The Enron scandal calls into question the integrity of the entire capitalist system, which previously we assumed was based on honest, straightforward greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/the-enron-scandal-calls-into-question-the-integrity-of-the-entire/) [Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/) > [Human beings were behaving as human beings and not as cogs in the capitalist machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/human-beings-were-behaving-as-human-beings-and-not-as-cogs-in-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Beautiful women must think about their beauty as capitalists think about their investments or politicians about their majorities; it is all they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/beautiful-women-must-think-about-their-beauty-as-capitalists-think/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) [Browse all 968 Capitalist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Any serious effort to reform the media system would have to necessarily be part of a revolutionary program to overthrow the capitalist system itself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Waterman McChesney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-system-would-have-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Capitalist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-system-would-have-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/robert-waterman-mcchesney-2452_capitalist_any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-s_790010.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/robert-waterman-mcchesney-2452_capitalist_any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-s_790010.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32e/robert-waterman-mcchesney-2452_capitalist_any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-s_790010.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Any serious effort to reform the media system would have to necessarily be part of a revolutionary program…” — Robert Waterman McChesney", "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": "Robert Waterman McChesney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-waterman-mcchesney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Any serious effort to reform the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-system-would-have-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-waterman-mcchesney/any-serious-effort-to-reform-the-media-system-would-have-to/#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 } } ] } ```