--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We plaster our news reports with…" description: "\"“We plaster our news reports with political pundits not offering independent opinions but serving their masters.”\" — Sharyl Attkisson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/sharyl-attkisson-12588_politics_we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-politic_1559182.jpg" --- # We plaster our news reports with political pundits not… ![“We plaster our news reports with political pundits not offering independent opinions but serving their masters.” quote by Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/sharyl-attkisson-12588_politics_we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-politic_1559182.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/sharyl-attkisson-12588_politics_we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-politic_1559182.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/sharyl-attkisson-12588_politics_we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-politic_1559182.jpg) > ““We plaster our news reports with political pundits not offering independent opinions but serving their masters.”” [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media often features pundits who echo powerful interests rather than provide independent analysis. **In simple terms:** News can be biased by hidden agendas. Key Takeaway Seek diverse, independent sources. Themes media bias power independence Mood skeptical critical Type analytical inquisitive When to use this quote - news consumption - critical thinking - media literacy - public discourse Key Concepts journalism propaganda information ecology Questions to Reflect On - Who controls the narratives you hear? - How can you verify information? A Different Perspective Independent voices are scarce, limiting balanced perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Opinions Serving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions-serving-5845098/) [Political Pundits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-pundits-792445/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Pundits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pundits/) [Pundits Offering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pundits-offering-5845097/) [Reports Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reports-political-5134212/) ## Related quotes > [“Political pundits are under professional obligation to regard the obvious as being too obvious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/political-pundits-are-under-professional-obligation-to-regard-the/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Americans have a lower opinion of Congress than they do of the NFL replacement refs, head lice, traffic jams, cockroaches and even the group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/americans-have-a-lower-opinion-of-congress-than-they-do-of-the-nfl/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [The nice thing about political pundits is that, when they answer a question, one no longer understands what they were asked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indro-montanelli/the-nice-thing-about-political-pundits-is-that-when-they-answer-a/) [Indro Montanelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indro-montanelli/) > [I did write a number of reports on my political experiences, but there were many omissions, and I feel bad about that because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-did-write-a-number-of-reports-on-my-political-experiences-but-there/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Exaggeration is the political pundits' stock in trade: nobody built a loyal readership on equivocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-boles/exaggeration-is-the-political-pundits-stock-in-trade-nobody-built-a/) [Nick Boles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-boles/) > [If pro athletes and entertainers want to freelance as political pundits, then they should not be surprised when they're called out for insulting politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/if-pro-athletes-and-entertainers-want-to-freelance-as-political/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I'm not a journalist. I'm a pundit. I'm a commentator, I'm somebody with an opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rove/i-m-not-a-journalist-i-m-a-pundit-i-m-a-commentator-i-m-somebody-with/) [Karl Rove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rove/) > [I tend not to read the papers or listen to what the pundits say about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jones/i-tend-not-to-read-the-papers-or-listen-to-what-the-pundits-say-about/) [Phil Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jones/) > [He laid into me with the same gusto as a right-wing political pundit on the O'Reilly Factor defending President's Bush right to vacation six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/he-laid-into-me-with-the-same-gusto-as-a-right-wing-political-pundit/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [Pundits are used to analyzing the gap between what our ideals suggest and what our security interests require.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/pundits-are-used-to-analyzing-the-gap-between-what-our-ideals-suggest/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The military profession, especially is the long-established great powers, is deeply pessimistic about the likelihood that people and countries will behave well under stress.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwynne-dyer/the-military-profession-especially-is-the-long-established-great/) [Gwynne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwynne-dyer/) > [What do intellectuals and opinion makers get from big government? An increasing number of cushy jobs in the bureaucracy, or in the government-subsidized sector,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/what-do-intellectuals-and-opinion-makers-get-from-big-government-an/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [Life is more about losing than winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thorn/life-is-more-about-losing-than-winning/) [John Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thorn/) > [Forget the consultants, the pundits and the pollsters; good policy is good politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-demint/forget-the-consultants-the-pundits-and-the-pollsters-good-policy-is/) [Jim DeMint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-demint/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) ## More by Sharyl Attkisson > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Obama administration officials who were in key positions on Sept. 11, 2012, acknowledge that a range of mistakes were made the night of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obama-administration-officials-who-were-in-key-positions-on-sept-11/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [We Americans like to believe we live in a free country with the right to use the justice system to ensure that government abuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/we-americans-like-to-believe-we-live-in-a-free-country-with-the-right/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Obviously, if I cared about what people said about my reporting, I wouldn't be a good journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obviously-if-i-cared-about-what-people-said-about-my-reporting-i/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [The beauty of American elections is that anything can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-beauty-of-american-elections-is-that-anything-can-happen/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I'm not a professional political analyst, so my political analysis is worth about what you pay for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-m-not-a-professional-political-analyst-so-my-political-analysis-is/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Ever since his inauguration, President Trump's political opponents have been pushing to impeach him. They just hadn't found the right excuse. In other words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/ever-since-his-inauguration-president-trump-s-political-opponents/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I think very few of us have a thick bold line on every given topic that falls neatly into the box of a chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-think-very-few-of-us-have-a-thick-bold-line-on-every-given-topic/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Everyone would like to believe that anyone possibly exposed to a serious contagious disease would comply with self-quarantine requirements. But history teaches a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/everyone-would-like-to-believe-that-anyone-possibly-exposed-to-a/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I just don't care what people think. I'm just trying to do what I think is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-just-don-t-care-what-people-think-i-m-just-trying-to-do-what-i/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [If you've read my New York Times bestseller 'Stonewalled', you know that I'm a fan of an intellectual exercise I call the Substitution Game.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/if-you-ve-read-my-new-york-times-bestseller-stonewalled-you-know-that/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [The bottom line is: Polls can be provocative, informative, fun or maddening. But as we move into 2020, it's important to be mindful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-bottom-line-is-polls-can-be-provocative-informative-fun-or/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [The nature of the government's surveillance on me and my family is forensically proven and not subject to legitimate question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-nature-of-the-government-s-surveillance-on-me-and-my-family-is/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [When analysis and opinion are invited, various viewpoints should be represented. Allegations of political blame, when they occur, should be reasonably challenged on all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/when-analysis-and-opinion-are-invited-various-viewpoints-should-be/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [And this may be hard to swallow for those deeply embedded in a particular political philosophy, but I think most people - whatever their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/and-this-may-be-hard-to-swallow-for-those-deeply-embedded-in-a/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) [Explore all 54 Sharyl Attkisson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) ## More Journalism quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [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 have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [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/) > [One lesson to learn is that the press and the broadcasters are not neutral. And it seems we have to learn it each time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/one-lesson-to-learn-is-that-the-press-and-the-broadcasters-are-not/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. But, if you want to just alter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-you-want-to-change-something-by-tuesday-theater-is-no-good/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [People think they're getting objective information, but they're not. They're getting news wrapped up in opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-samuels/people-think-they-re-getting-objective-information-but-they-re-not/) [Lynn Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-samuels/) [Browse all 8,189 Journalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We plaster our news reports with political pundits not offering independent opinions but serving their masters.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sharyl Attkisson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-political-pundits-not-offering/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Journalism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-political-pundits-not-offering/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/sharyl-attkisson-12588_politics_we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-politic_1559182.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/sharyl-attkisson-12588_politics_we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-politic_1559182.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c5/sharyl-attkisson-12588_politics_we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-politic_1559182.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We plaster our news reports with political pundits not offering independent opinions but serving their…” — Sharyl Attkisson", "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": "Sharyl Attkisson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We plaster our news reports with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-political-pundits-not-offering/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/we-plaster-our-news-reports-with-political-pundits-not-offering/#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 } } ] } ```