--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I left Toronto and entered…" description: "\"When I left Toronto and entered journalism in the late 1990s, I had many notions about the news business, nearly all of them wrong, as it turned out.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/tom-rachman-8194_about_when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journali_3128469.png" --- # When I left Toronto and entered journalism in the late… ![“When I left Toronto and entered journalism in the late 1990s, I had many notions about the news business, nearly all of them wrong, as it turned out.” quote by Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/tom-rachman-8194_about_when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journali_3128469.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/tom-rachman-8194_about_when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journali_3128469.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/tom-rachman-8194_about_when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journali_3128469.png) > “When I left Toronto and entered journalism in the late 1990s, I had many notions about the news business, nearly all of them wrong, as it turned out.” [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early expectations of journalism were unrealistic; experience revealed many misconceptions about the industry. **In simple terms:** Journalism is not what you think. Key Takeaway Stay open to learning and adapt. Themes journalism career learning Mood reflective realistic Type advice career When to use this quote - newsrooms - career transitions - media education - professional growth Key Concepts media industry career development Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions did you have about your field? - How do you adjust when reality differs? A Different Perspective Industry changes can outpace personal expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1990S Notions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1990s-notions-5523745/) [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Entered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entered/) [Entered Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entered-journalism-1407704/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalism Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism-late-5523746/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Late 1990S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late-1990s-269134/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left Toronto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-toronto-4099837/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Nearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Notions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notions/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Toronto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toronto/) [Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned/) [Wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong/) ## Related quotes > [Most of us entered journalism and joined 'news organizations' because we care about the greater good. We strive to comfort the afflicted and afflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shuster/most-of-us-entered-journalism-and-joined-news-organizations-because/) [David Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shuster/) > [You can be in the league and still feel like you're not in the league. That was the point I was at when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-tucker/you-can-be-in-the-league-and-still-feel-like-you-re-not-in-the-league/) [P. J. Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-tucker/) > [From when I was born to when I was 21, I never left Toronto. That's why I'm such a city cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/from-when-i-was-born-to-when-i-was-21-i-never-left-toronto-that-s-why/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) > [The 'looking forward' so prevalent in the late 1990s was bound to end once the new millennium began. Like some others of that era,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-looking-forward-so-prevalent-in-the-late-1990s-was-bound-to-end/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [The late 1990s were really a moment of still tremendous hope and optimism about the relationship between Russia and the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-late-1990s-were-really-a-moment-of-still-tremendous-hope-and/) [Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/) > [Real short- and long-term rates were relatively high in the late-1990s, so financial excess can also arise without a low-rate environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-relatively-high-in-the-late-1990s/) [Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/) > [In the late 1990s, I left the teaching field to write biographies and histories for young adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-shields/in-the-late-1990s-i-left-the-teaching-field-to-write-biographies-and/) [Charles J. Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-shields/) > [When Japan was on the rise, American governors would come to inspect Toyota City and study 'just in time' manufacturing to increase efficiency; when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/when-japan-was-on-the-rise-american-governors-would-come-to-inspect/) [David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) > [Morality is often seen as an innovation, like agriculture and writing. From this perspective, babies are pint-sized psychopaths, self-interested beings who need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bloom/morality-is-often-seen-as-an-innovation-like-agriculture-and-writing/) [Paul Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bloom/) > [But ultimately what I was impressed by during my years in government was how much the intellectual climate and the prevailing intellectual notions constrained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/but-ultimately-what-i-was-impressed-by-during-my-years-in-government/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [“notions we used to titillate ourselves with. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/notions-we-used-to-titillate-ourselves-with-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to make it a really strong point to not watch 'Battlestar Galactica' before starting 'Caprica' because I was afraid it was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magda-apanowicz/i-wanted-to-make-it-a-really-strong-point-to-not-watch-battlestar/) [Magda Apanowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magda-apanowicz/) > [I understand people have preconceived notions of who I am or what I do. But I do find it a bit bizarre that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-moore/i-understand-people-have-preconceived-notions-of-who-i-am-or-what-i/) [Mandy Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-moore/) > [... the notions category and functor were not formulated or put in print until the idea of a natural transformation was also at hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saunders-mac-lane/the-notions-category-and-functor-were-not-formulated-or-put-in-print/) [Saunders Mac Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saunders-mac-lane/) > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) ## More by Tom Rachman > [At the outset, my notion of being a writer was that you would have moments of inspiration and moments of frustration, when you'd crumple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/at-the-outset-my-notion-of-being-a-writer-was-that-you-would-have/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“He cannot deny a certain relief in being able to sift through academic tomes, fulfilling his journalistic duty without having to barge past security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/he-cannot-deny-a-certain-relief-in-being-able-to-sift-through/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [My intent was to gain experience for fiction I eventually hoped to write. But there's no question I was drawn in by the hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/my-intent-was-to-gain-experience-for-fiction-i-eventually-hoped-to/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“I built and I built— heaven knows I have done that well. Those skyscrapers, full of tenants, floor after floor, and not a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/i-built-and-i-built-heaven-knows-i-have-done-that-well-those/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“What is wrong with guys? Half are molting; half are nothing but undergrowth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/what-is-wrong-with-guys-half-are-molting-half-are-nothing-but/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“What I really fear is time. That's the devil: whipping us on when we'd rather loll, so the present sprints by, impossible to grasp,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/what-i-really-fear-is-time-that-s-the-devil-whipping-us-on-when-we-d/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“Journalism is a bunch of dorks pretending to be alpha males.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/journalism-is-a-bunch-of-dorks-pretending-to-be-alpha-males/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [My parents used to rent old movies - my whole childhood is in black and white - and it was my dream to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/my-parents-used-to-rent-old-movies-my-whole-childhood-is-in-black-and/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [I went to the University of Toronto to study the history and theory of film, in the back of my mind thinking I'd go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/i-went-to-the-university-of-toronto-to-study-the-history-and-theory/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [The training of a journalist, of working with words for thousands of hours, is extraordinarily useful for a fiction writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/the-training-of-a-journalist-of-working-with-words-for-thousands-of/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [During my past career as a journalist, I relished writing obits and equally dreaded phoning relatives for the necessary facts. But to my surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/during-my-past-career-as-a-journalist-i-relished-writing-obits-and/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“Don't people drown their sorrows in things like scotch? Not strawberry whatever-it's-called.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/don-t-people-drown-their-sorrows-in-things-like-scotch-not-strawberry/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“Nothing epitomizes the futility of human striving quite like aspartame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/nothing-epitomizes-the-futility-of-human-striving-quite-like-aspartame/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [“She is a wonderful nerd, and he hopes this won't change. He'd be distressed if she were cool-- it'd be as if his flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/she-is-a-wonderful-nerd-and-he-hopes-this-won-t-change-he-d-be/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [Many things embarrass me, but reading isn't one of them. I'm not ashamed of my slightly weird collection of prison memoirs. Nor the flaky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/many-things-embarrass-me-but-reading-isn-t-one-of-them-i-m-not/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) [Explore all 83 Tom Rachman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [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/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I left Toronto and entered journalism in the late 1990s, I had many notions about the news business, nearly all of them wrong, as it turned out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Rachman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journalism-in-the-late-1990s-i-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journalism-in-the-late-1990s-i-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/tom-rachman-8194_about_when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journali_3128469.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/tom-rachman-8194_about_when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journali_3128469.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f7/tom-rachman-8194_about_when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journali_3128469.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I left Toronto and entered journalism in the late 1990s, I had many notions about the news business…” — Tom Rachman", "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": "Tom Rachman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I left Toronto and entered...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journalism-in-the-late-1990s-i-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journalism-in-the-late-1990s-i-had/#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 } } ] } ```