140 character Quote by Ryan Holiday
“You cannot have your news instantly and have it done well. You cannot have your news reduced to 140 characters or less without losing large parts of it. You cannot manipulate the news but not expect it to be manipulated against you. You cannot have your news for free; you can only obscure the costs. If as a culture we can learn this lesson, and if we can learn to love the hard work, we will save ourselves much trouble and collateral damage. We must remember: There is no easy way.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Obstacle Is the Way, 2016
News requires depth, cost, and effort; shortcuts sacrifice truth and invite manipulation.
In simple terms: Good news takes work.
Key Takeaway
Invest time in thorough reporting.
Themes
media
integrity
effort
Mood
cautious
reflective
Type
philosophical
advisory
When to use this quote
- press releases
- corporate communications
- social media posts
Key Concepts
journalism
information theory
Questions to Reflect On
- What is the cost of brevity?
- How do you guard against manipulation?
A Different Perspective
Rapid formats can distort complex issues.
![“The Post is famous for its investigative journalism. It pours energy and investment and sweat and dollars into uncovering important stories. And then a bunch of websites summarize that [work] in about four minutes and readers can access that news for free. One question is, how do you make a living…” quote by Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/17a/jeff-bezos-1193_investigative-journa_the-post-is-famous-for-its-investigative_403494.jpg)
