Business Quote by Sara Gruen
““The business of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable" was one of the aphorisms his boss liked to quote.””
About This Quote
News should soothe those who suffer and challenge those who are complacent.
In simple terms: Comfort the suffering, disturb the complacent.
Key Takeaway
Balance empathy with provocation.
Themes
media
ethics
social responsibility
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
ethical
observational
When to use this quote
- journalism
- advertising
- public policy
- activism
Key Concepts
comfort
discomfort
power dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- Who benefits from being comforted?
- How can discomfort inspire change?
A Different Perspective
Comforting may dilute critical scrutiny.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)