---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: American media has just become talk…"
description: "\"American media has just become talk radio, incredibly partisan name-calling and op-eds. I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan proved it has complete..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/shane-smith-9533_act_american-media-has-just-become-talk-radi_2847537.jpg"
---

#  American media has just become talk radio, incredibly…

![“American media has just become talk radio, incredibly partisan name-calling and op-eds. I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan proved it has completely failed to act as an effective fourth estate. And young people didn't sleep through that, as is widely believed; they learned instead not to…” quote by Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/shane-smith-9533_act_american-media-has-just-become-talk-radi_2847537.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/shane-smith-9533_act_american-media-has-just-become-talk-radi_2847537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/shane-smith-9533_act_american-media-has-just-become-talk-radi_2847537.jpg)

> “American media has just become talk radio, incredibly partisan name-calling and op-eds. I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan proved it has completely failed to act as an effective fourth estate. And young people didn't sleep through that, as is widely believed; they learned instead not to trust what they were being told.”

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

American media has turned into partisan talk radio, failing as a watchdog; younger generations learn distrust.

**In simple terms:** Media bias erodes trust.

Key Takeaway

Seek diverse sources for truth.

Themes

media politics trust

Mood

skeptical concerned

Type

journalistic analytical

When to use this quote

- news consumption
- media literacy
- civic engagement

Key Concepts

bias information decay public discourse

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you verify information?
- What role should media play?

A Different Perspective

Some outlets still uphold integrity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act/) [Afghanistan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afghanistan/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-media/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed/) [Effective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effective/) [Estate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/estate/) [Failed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed/) [Fourth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fourth/) [Fourth Estate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fourth-estate-695992/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Incredibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredibly/) [Incredibly Partisan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incredibly-partisan-2253978/) [Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instead/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Media Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media-just-357167/) [Partisan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partisan/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Proved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proved/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk/) [Talk radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-radio/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-wars-532190/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Wars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wars/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Widely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/widely/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/)

## Related quotes

> [American media has just become talk radio, incredibly partisan name-calling and op-eds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/american-media-has-just-become-talk-radio-incredibly-partisan-name/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [When you think about how many wars are created through the word religion it's hard to identify with it, or even accept it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-phillips/when-you-think-about-how-many-wars-are-created-through-the-word/)

[Arlene Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-phillips/)

> [“Most people don’t appreciate just how peaceful an era we live in. None of us was alive a thousand years ago, so we easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/most-people-don-t-appreciate-just-how-peaceful-an-era-we-live-in-none/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [Many, who should know better, think that wars can be decided by soulless machines, rather than by the blood and anguish of brave men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/many-who-should-know-better-think-that-wars-can-be-decided-by/)

[George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/)

> [I think that wars will never stop, it's just that there are sides. You have to choose your side. And there are more progressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/i-think-that-wars-will-never-stop-it-s-just-that-there-are-sides-you/)

[Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/)

> [We think of - there are too many wars, of course, in the world as we speak, but my read on this suggests to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavis-smiley/we-think-of-there-are-too-many-wars-of-course-in-the-world-as-we/)

[Tavis Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavis-smiley/)

> [I don't think I'm against all wars, but you'd have to have a damn good reason to send your son or daughter to fight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-don-t-think-i-m-against-all-wars-but-you-d-have-to-have-a-damn-good/)

[Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/)

> [“To fight a war, you must believe it can accomplish something. We fight this one to save John’s kingdom, or perhaps even to save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tad-williams/to-fight-a-war-you-must-believe-it-can-accomplish-something-we-fight/)

[Tad Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tad-williams/)

> [Wars should be fought with words, not bombs, not weapons. And calm words. I think that wars should be fought over a chessboard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mattie-stepanek/wars-should-be-fought-with-words-not-bombs-not-weapons-and-calm-words/)

[Mattie Stepanek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mattie-stepanek/)

> [“You think wars get started because some duke gets shot, or someone cuts off one’s ear, or someone’s sited their missiles in the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman-and-terry-pratchett/you-think-wars-get-started-because-some-duke-gets-shot-or-someone/)

[Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman-and-terry-pratchett/)

> [“In 1828 the British historian Macaulay dubbed the press gallery in Parliament a ‘fourth estate’ of the realm. Today the news media appear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hargreaves/in-1828-the-british-historian-macaulay-dubbed-the-press-gallery-in/)

[Ian Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hargreaves/)

> [Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporter's gallery yonder, there sat a fourth estate more important far than they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/burke-said-there-were-three-estates-in-parliament-but-in-the-reporter/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [Thank God for the founding fathers, who set up three separate branches of government. And the media acting as the Fourth Estate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-carson/thank-god-for-the-founding-fathers-who-set-up-three-separate-branches/)

[Andre Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-carson/)

> [“If I could tell my colleagues in the media four things, they would be: 1.Everyone hates you. 2.No one is afraid of you. 3.No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/if-i-could-tell-my-colleagues-in-the-media-four-things-they-would-be/)

[Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/)

> [The press is the fourth estate of the realm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-press-is-the-fourth-estate-of-the-realm/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

## More by Shane Smith

> [I think there are so many problems in the world today, we have to figure out how to fix them rather than point fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-think-there-are-so-many-problems-in-the-world-today-we-have-to/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [If you're big in Montreal, you're big in Quebec. If you're big in Toronto, you're big in Canada. But if you're big in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/if-you-re-big-in-montreal-you-re-big-in-quebec-if-you-re-big-in/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [I never thought we had a chance of impacting anything. I am just starting to realize that we can change things - not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-never-thought-we-had-a-chance-of-impacting-anything-i-am-just/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [Whenever I view success, I'm dressed as Mozart on an island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/whenever-i-view-success-i-m-dressed-as-mozart-on-an-island/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [I don't care if I die - look, I'm old - but you want your kids to have good times and a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-don-t-care-if-i-die-look-i-m-old-but-you-want-your-kids-to-have/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [American media has just become talk radio, incredibly partisan name-calling and op-eds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/american-media-has-just-become-talk-radio-incredibly-partisan-name/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [I want to build the next CNN with 'VICE' - it's within my grasp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-want-to-build-the-next-cnn-with-vice-it-s-within-my-grasp/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [It's our job to get into the hardest-to-see places and bring back the best footage - we have the best footage of North Korea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/it-s-our-job-to-get-into-the-hardest-to-see-places-and-bring-back-the/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [Every generation has a changing of the guard in media. We do the same stuff that everybody else does, but we just do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/every-generation-has-a-changing-of-the-guard-in-media-we-do-the-same/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [I have a place in Costa Rica that is in the middle of the jungle. There's no Internet. There's no TV. Do I work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-have-a-place-in-costa-rica-that-is-in-the-middle-of-the-jungle/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [When you're 18, 19, you want to live fast and leave a beautiful corpse behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/when-you-re-18-19-you-want-to-live-fast-and-leave-a-beautiful-corpse/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [If you're coming from America to Iraq, then how are you supposed to be objective? I mean, you could pay lip service to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/if-you-re-coming-from-america-to-iraq-then-how-are-you-supposed-to-be/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [You have to be dynamic. You have to be able to change. So a lot of times we'll go to a country or go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/you-have-to-be-dynamic-you-have-to-be-able-to-change-so-a-lot-of/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [I woke up. I was like, "Look, you can do anything you want - and you want a lot of things, so you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-woke-up-i-was-like-look-you-can-do-anything-you-want-and-you-want-a/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

> [I want to be like Tom Freston. Tom just flies around everywhere, gets to make movies, gets to start TV shows, hang out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-want-to-be-like-tom-freston-tom-just-flies-around-everywhere-gets/)

[Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

[Explore all 72 Shane Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/)

## More Act quotes

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/)

[Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/)

[Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/)

> [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/)

[Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/)

> [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/)

[Vashti Quiroz-Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vashti-quiroz-vega/)

> [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/)

[Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/)

> [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/)

[Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/)

> [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/)

[Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/)

> [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/)

[Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/)

> [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

> [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/)

[Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/)

> [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/)

[Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/)

[Browse all 1,802 Act quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "American media has just become talk radio, incredibly partisan name-calling and op-eds. I think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan proved it has completely failed to act as an effective fourth estate. And young people didn't sleep through that, as is widely believed; they learned instead not to trust what they were being told.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Shane Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/american-media-has-just-become-talk-radio-incredibly-partisan-name-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Act"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/american-media-has-just-become-talk-radio-incredibly-partisan-name-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/shane-smith-9533_act_american-media-has-just-become-talk-radi_2847537.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/shane-smith-9533_act_american-media-has-just-become-talk-radi_2847537.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/shane-smith-9533_act_american-media-has-just-become-talk-radi_2847537.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“American media has just become talk radio, incredibly partisan name-calling and op-eds. I think the wars in…” — Shane Smith",
                "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": "Shane Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "American media has just become talk...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/american-media-has-just-become-talk-radio-incredibly-partisan-name-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/american-media-has-just-become-talk-radio-incredibly-partisan-name-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
