---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each story on televised news is…"
description: "\"“Each story on televised news is “breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean.”\" — Timothy..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/timothy-snyder-882_journalism_each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking_2483786.jpg"
---

#  Each story on televised news is “breaking” until it is…

![“Each story on televised news is “breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean.” quote by Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/timothy-snyder-882_journalism_each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking_2483786.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/timothy-snyder-882_journalism_each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking_2483786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/timothy-snyder-882_journalism_each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking_2483786.jpg)

> ““Each story on televised news is “breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean.””

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

## About This Quote

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

News stories are fleeting; constant new headlines obscure deeper truths.

**In simple terms:** Breaking news distracts from underlying issues.

Key Takeaway

Seek depth beyond headlines.

Themes

media information overload attention truth

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- social media scrolling
- 24‑hour news
- political campaigns
- emergency alerts

Key Concepts

critical thinking media literacy public discourse

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you stay informed without overwhelm?
- What sources provide lasting insight?

A Different Perspective

Constant vigilance can lead to fatigue.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Breaking Displaced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-displaced-892596/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [News Breaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news-breaking-543316/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Story Televised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-televised-892594/) [Televised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/televised/) [Televised News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/televised-news-892595/)

## Related quotes

> [Where nationally televised news had been a once-nightly ritual, it has since grown into a 24-hour-a-day habit, available on channels devoted entirely and ceaselessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-itzkoff/where-nationally-televised-news-had-been-a-once-nightly-ritual-it-has/)

[Dave Itzkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-itzkoff/)

> [“Politicians in our times feed their clichés to television, where even those who wish to disagree repeat them. Television purports to challenge political language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/politicians-in-our-times-feed-their-clich-s-to-television-where-even/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“walk over and turn the television on to CNN, and it has a huge BREAKING NEWS banner plastered across the bottom of the screen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rosenfelt/walk-over-and-turn-the-television-on-to-cnn-and-it-has-a-huge/)

[David Rosenfelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rosenfelt/)

> [Both domestically and globally, news is breaking at an unrelenting pace. 'Face the Nation' has long been the place that viewers across the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-brennan/both-domestically-and-globally-news-is-breaking-at-an-unrelenting/)

[Margaret Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-brennan/)

> [A narrow and distorted picture of America often emerges from the televised news. A single dramatic piece of the mosaic becomes, in the minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiro-t-agnew/a-narrow-and-distorted-picture-of-america-often-emerges-from-the/)

[Spiro T. Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spiro-t-agnew/)

> [I had no idea this thing was televised. Boy, is my face red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-had-no-idea-this-thing-was-televised-boy-is-my-face-red/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [Revolution might be televised but make sure if they do see them people see my good side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/revolution-might-be-televised-but-make-sure-if-they-do-see-them/)

[Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/)

> [With my own memoirs, they are truthful, and I write everything fully expecting to some day end up televised on Court TV, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/with-my-own-memoirs-they-are-truthful-and-i-write-everything-fully/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [If it's not televised, there's no way Americans will know about competitive badminton. All they know is the back-yard thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-bach/if-it-s-not-televised-there-s-no-way-americans-will-know-about/)

[Howard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-bach/)

> [John Kennedy won the first televised presidential debate among those watching it, while Richard Nixon won among those listening on the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-estrich/john-kennedy-won-the-first-televised-presidential-debate-among-those/)

[Susan Estrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-estrich/)

> [I was the candidate first time a Green or any progressive third party has ever been in a national televised debate. I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-camejo/i-was-the-candidate-first-time-a-green-or-any-progressive-third-party/)

[Peter Camejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-camejo/)

> [I was part of the first ever women's match to ever be televised in China. That's something no one can take away from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-blanchard/i-was-part-of-the-first-ever-women-s-match-to-ever-be-televised-in/)

[Tessa Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-blanchard/)

> [Most fans don't realize 75 percent of the matches we have are non-televised. I prefer a non-televised show because it is more ring-focused and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-barrett/most-fans-don-t-realize-75-percent-of-the-matches-we-have-are-non/)

[Wade Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-barrett/)

> [Obviously, the Sixties was a time when everyone wanted to experiment, and then everything became very formulated and corporate, so artists tended to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/obviously-the-sixties-was-a-time-when-everyone-wanted-to-experiment/)

[Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/)

> [There's always been a little bit of tension between the writers of science fiction literature and then science-fiction televised shows or movies, partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/there-s-always-been-a-little-bit-of-tension-between-the-writers-of/)

[John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/)

## More by Timothy Snyder

> [“Nationalism is relativist, since the only truth is the resentment we feel when we contemplate others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/nationalism-is-relativist-since-the-only-truth-is-the-resentment-we/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/That ever I was born to set it right!” Thus Hamlet. Yet he concludes: “Nay, come,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-time-is-out-of-joint-o-cursed-spite-that-ever-i-was-born-to-set/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“the democracies that arose after the First World War (and the Second) often collapsed when a single party seized power in some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-democracies-that-arose-after-the-first-world-war-and-the-second/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“salami tactics—slicing off layers of opposition one by one. Most people were distracted, some were imprisoned, and others were outmatched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/salami-tactics-slicing-off-layers-of-opposition-one-by-one-most/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“We allowed ourselves to accept the politics of inevitability, the sense that history could move in only one direction: toward liberal democracy...We imbibed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/we-allowed-ourselves-to-accept-the-politics-of-inevitability-the/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“The key to this translation of ideology to politics in both cases was an effective appeal to human experience at the crucial time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-key-to-this-translation-of-ideology-to-politics-in-both-cases-was/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Both of these positions, inevitability and eternity, are antihistorical. The only thing that stands between them is history itself. History allows us to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/both-of-these-positions-inevitability-and-eternity-are-antihistorical/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“The whole notion of disruption is adolescent: It assumes that after the teenagers make a mess, the adults will come and clean it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-whole-notion-of-disruption-is-adolescent-it-assumes-that-after/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“As she observed, “the first essential step on the road to total domination is to kill the juridical person in man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/as-she-observed-the-first-essential-step-on-the-road-to-total/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“The first mode is the open hostility to verifiable reality, which takes the form of presenting inventions and lies as if they were facts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-first-mode-is-the-open-hostility-to-verifiable-reality-which/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Once we subliminally accept that we are watching a reality show rather than thinking about real life, no image can actually hurt the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/once-we-subliminally-accept-that-we-are-watching-a-reality-show/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Confidence in duration is the antidote to panic and the tonic of demagogy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/confidence-in-duration-is-the-antidote-to-panic-and-the-tonic-of/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/be-calm-when-the-unthinkable-arrives-modern-tyranny-is-terror/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Life is political, not because the world cares about how you feel, but because the world reacts to what you do. The minor choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/life-is-political-not-because-the-world-cares-about-how-you-feel-but/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

> [“Extremism' certainly sounds bad, and governments often try to make it sound worse by using the word 'terrorism' in the same sentence. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/extremism-certainly-sounds-bad-and-governments-often-try-to-make-it/)

[Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

[Explore all 339 Timothy Snyder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/)

## 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": "“Each story on televised news is “breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon wave but never see the ocean.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Timothy Snyder"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking-until-it-is-displaced-by-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Journalism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking-until-it-is-displaced-by-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/timothy-snyder-882_journalism_each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking_2483786.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/timothy-snyder-882_journalism_each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking_2483786.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba9/timothy-snyder-882_journalism_each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking_2483786.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Each story on televised news is “breaking” until it is displaced by the next one. So we are hit by wave upon…” — Timothy Snyder",
                "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": "Timothy Snyder",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Each story on televised news is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking-until-it-is-displaced-by-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/each-story-on-televised-news-is-breaking-until-it-is-displaced-by-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
