--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no substitute for face-to-face…" description: "\"There is no substitute for face-to-face reporting and research.\" — Thomas Friedman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/thomas-friedman-1784_face-to-face_there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face_2612741.png" --- # There is no substitute for face-to-face reporting and… ![“There is no substitute for face-to-face reporting and research.” quote by Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/thomas-friedman-1784_face-to-face_there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face_2612741.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/thomas-friedman-1784_face-to-face_there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face_2612741.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/thomas-friedman-1784_face-to-face_there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face_2612741.png) > “There is no substitute for face-to-face reporting and research.” [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement emphasizes that direct, in‑person reporting and research remain essential and cannot be fully replaced by other methods. **In simple terms:** Face‑to‑face reporting is irreplaceable. Key Takeaway Prioritize on‑the‑ground investigation. Themes journalism research accuracy trust engagement Mood thoughtful analytical balanced Type statement observation professional advice When to use this quote - remote reporting - automated data analysis - second‑hand accounts - digital surveys Key Concepts fieldwork interviewing data collection verification human connection Questions to Reflect On - How can technology enhance, not replace, face‑to‑face reporting? - What are the limits of remote research? A Different Perspective The claim may underestimate the value of digital tools that complement fieldwork. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Face Reporting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-reporting-2042011/) [Face to face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-to-face/) [Reporting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporting/) [Reporting Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reporting-research-2042010/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Substitute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substitute/) ## Related quotes > [When you are face to face with a difficulty, you are up against a discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/when-you-are-face-to-face-with-a-difficulty-you-are-up-against-a/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [I think all good reporting is the same thing - the best attainable version of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-bernstein/i-think-all-good-reporting-is-the-same-thing-the-best-attainable/) [Carl Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-bernstein/) > [This trend of reporting process over substance is unfortunate, if omnipresent. Even worse is the media's inability - or unwillingness - to fact-check Republicans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-alterman/this-trend-of-reporting-process-over-substance-is-unfortunate-if/) [Eric Alterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-alterman/) > [... war reporting is still essentially the same - someone has to go there and see what is happening. You can't get that information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-colvin/war-reporting-is-still-essentially-the-same-someone-has-to-go-there/) [Marie Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-colvin/) > [I've got a particular way of writing novels, and that carries over into the way I write comics and games, too. I'm a news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/i-ve-got-a-particular-way-of-writing-novels-and-that-carries-over/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [The first step in good reporting is good snooping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-drudge/the-first-step-in-good-reporting-is-good-snooping/) [Matt Drudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-drudge/) > [Anytime you step out of an embedded reporting situation, you're always making calculations about what's safe and what's not safe, feeling out the edges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-rowley/anytime-you-step-out-of-an-embedded-reporting-situation-you-re-always/) [Rick Rowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-rowley/) > [I think people in Botswana are pleased that my books paint a positive picture of their lives and portray the country as being very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/i-think-people-in-botswana-are-pleased-that-my-books-paint-a-positive/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [What happens when I'm dealing with the problems in North Korea and the Middle East? Are you folks going to be reporting all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/what-happens-when-i-m-dealing-with-the-problems-in-north-korea-and/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Police not enforcing laws results in a high crime rate that is formally reported as a low crime rate in police statistics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/police-not-enforcing-laws-results-in-a-high-crime-rate-that-is/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Sideline reporting may look insidious, superfluous, or just a total waste of airtime from where you sit - probably on a couch or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-shuster/sideline-reporting-may-look-insidious-superfluous-or-just-a-total/) [Suzy Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-shuster/) > [Am I accurately reporting what I see in such a blossom? The answer is no ... and yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-lacy/am-i-accurately-reporting-what-i-see-in-such-a-blossom-the-answer-is/) [Allen Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-lacy/) > [This is reporting the way I like it... in the field, gritty and aggressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hansen/this-is-reporting-the-way-i-like-it-in-the-field-gritty-and-aggressive/) [Chris Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hansen/) > [I will say this: One thing I did see in my reporting again and again is that the Obamas themselves are much more involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-kantor/i-will-say-this-one-thing-i-did-see-in-my-reporting-again-and-again/) [Jodi Kantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-kantor/) > [I didn't care for beat reporting, covering the same thing day after day - short attention span.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-portis/i-didn-t-care-for-beat-reporting-covering-the-same-thing-day-after/) [Charles Portis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-portis/) ## More by Thomas Friedman > [I'm pretty much an open book. I am a fanatic golfer and golf nut. If I have three free hours any day, my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-m-pretty-much-an-open-book-i-am-a-fanatic-golfer-and-golf-nut-if-i/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [The financial crisis just made the hole deeper, which is why our stimulus needs to be both big and smart, both financially and educationally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/the-financial-crisis-just-made-the-hole-deeper-which-is-why-our/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Many jobs at Google require math, computing, and coding skills, so if your good grades truly reflect skills in those areas that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/many-jobs-at-google-require-math-computing-and-coding-skills-so-if/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Never before in the history of the planet have so many people, on their own, had the ability to find so much information about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/never-before-in-the-history-of-the-planet-have-so-many-people-on/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [When I was growing up, my parents told me, 'Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.' I tell my daughters, 'Finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/when-i-was-growing-up-my-parents-told-me-finish-your-dinner-people-in/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/hillary-clinton-has-decided-to-line-up-with-john-mccain-in-pushing-to/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Two things are going on at the same time with the flattening of the world: The relentless quest for efficiency is squeezing some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/two-things-are-going-on-at-the-same-time-with-the-flattening-of-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Our president's latest energy initiative was to go to Saudi Arabia and beg King Abdullah to give us a little relief on gasoline prices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/our-president-s-latest-energy-initiative-was-to-go-to-saudi-arabia/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I don't think the Arab Spring had much to do with energy. I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/until-we-fully-understand-what-turned-two-brothers-who-allegedly/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Geopolitics is all about leverage. We cannot make ourselves safer abroad unless we change our behavior at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/geopolitics-is-all-about-leverage-we-cannot-make-ourselves-safer/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/big-breakthroughs-happen-when-what-is-suddenly-possible-meets-what-is/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [That's right-the striking thing about greenhouse gases is the diversity of sources that emit them. A herd of cattle belching can be worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/that-s-right-the-striking-thing-about-greenhouse-gases-is-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [There is something more severe than the problem with Thomas Friedman, which can be generalized to represent someone causing action while being completely unaccountable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-something-more-severe-than-the-problem-with-thomas-friedman/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/pessimists-are-usually-right-and-optimists-are-usually-wrong-but-all/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) [Explore all 208 Thomas Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## More Face to face quotes > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [A man may quarrel with himself alone; that is, by controverting his better instincts and knowledge when brought face to face with temptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/a-man-may-quarrel-with-himself-alone-that-is-by-controverting-his/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“Gerber, who studied seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ottoman court decisions, points to examples of Ottoman muftis (official jurists) who, despite being paid by the government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/gerber-who-studied-seventeenth-and-eighteenth-century-ottoman-court/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“True love is like a ghost; everyone talks of it, but few have met it face to face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-love-is-like-a-ghost-everyone-talks-of-it-but-few-have-met-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even when you're talking to them face to face you have this feeling of not connecting, as if the words just pass through them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryu-murakami/even-when-you-re-talking-to-them-face-to-face-you-have-this-feeling/) [Ryū Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryu-murakami/) > [“Each time we come to savasana, we practice dying—we surrender the body to the earth and prepare for our destiny in this life. Facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-main/each-time-we-come-to-savasana-we-practice-dying-we-surrender-the-body/) [Darren Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-main/) > [Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee, and to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/now-it-is-time-to-sit-quiet-face-to-face-with-thee-and-to-sing/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Though science makes no use for poetry, poetry is enriched by science. Poetry “takes up” the scientific vision and re-expresses its truths, but always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-p-jacks-2/though-science-makes-no-use-for-poetry-poetry-is-enriched-by-science/) [L.P. Jacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-p-jacks-2/) > [“The goal of human life," says Ramakrishna, "is to meet God face to face." But the magic is this: if we look deeply into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-cope/the-goal-of-human-life-says-ramakrishna-is-to-meet-god-face-to-face/) [Stephen Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-cope/) > [“Do you want to know something from the beyond? Do you want to chat with divine beings face to face? It is indispensable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/do-you-want-to-know-something-from-the-beyond-do-you-want-to-chat/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [Relationships start out face to face...and end back to back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/relationships-start-out-face-to-face-and-end-back-to-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [While I was still going to embrace social media, I knew I had to do things that nobody else was doing. 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They are the two principles that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/it-is-the-eternal-struggle-between-these-two-principles-right-and/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 827 Face to face quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-to-face/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no substitute for face-to-face reporting and research.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Friedman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face-reporting-and-research/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Face to face" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face-reporting-and-research/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/thomas-friedman-1784_face-to-face_there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face_2612741.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/thomas-friedman-1784_face-to-face_there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face_2612741.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35d/thomas-friedman-1784_face-to-face_there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face_2612741.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no substitute for face-to-face reporting and research.” — Thomas Friedman", "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": "Thomas Friedman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no substitute for face-to-face...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face-reporting-and-research/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-no-substitute-for-face-to-face-reporting-and-research/#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 } } ] } ```