--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For billionaires who cannot buy good…" description: "\"For billionaires who cannot buy good press, there is the option of buying the press.\" — William Finnegan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/william-finnegan-21232_billionaires_for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-pre_2666158.jpg" --- # For billionaires who cannot buy good press, there is the… ![“For billionaires who cannot buy good press, there is the option of buying the press.” quote by William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/william-finnegan-21232_billionaires_for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-pre_2666158.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/william-finnegan-21232_billionaires_for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-pre_2666158.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/william-finnegan-21232_billionaires_for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-pre_2666158.jpg) > “For billionaires who cannot buy good press, there is the option of buying the press.” [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Billionaires can control media narratives by purchasing outlets, bypassing traditional influence channels. **In simple terms:** Rich people can buy media to shape their image. Key Takeaway Consider the impact of media ownership on public discourse. Themes media control wealth influence Mood critical concerned Type journalistic ethical When to use this quote - political campaigns - corporate branding - media consolidation Key Concepts ownership dynamics public perception Questions to Reflect On - What are ethical limits of media ownership? - How does this affect democratic discourse? A Different Perspective Ownership may not guarantee favorable coverage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Billionaires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billionaires/) [Billionaires Buy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billionaires-buy-2467178/) [Buy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buy/) [Buying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying/) [Buying Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buying-press-2467179/) [Cannot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cannot/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-press-1811199/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Option](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/option/) [Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/press/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [I feel like not all press is good press. Sometimes personal things can be released, and... that's not good press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher-lloyd/i-feel-like-not-all-press-is-good-press-sometimes-personal-things-can/) [Cher Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher-lloyd/) > [I'm not founded on the notion that any press is good press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jani-lane/i-m-not-founded-on-the-notion-that-any-press-is-good-press/) [Jani Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jani-lane/) > [I hate good press, and I abhor bad press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/i-hate-good-press-and-i-abhor-bad-press/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [Any press is good press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/any-press-is-good-press/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've tried to tell people that the reason I don't really get excited over good press is that I don't want to get agitated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-shadow/i-ve-tried-to-tell-people-that-the-reason-i-don-t-really-get-excited/) [DJ Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-shadow/) > [I am very much aware that if I am getting good press at the moment I could just as easily be getting bad press.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-hill/i-am-very-much-aware-that-if-i-am-getting-good-press-at-the-moment-i/) [Damon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-hill/) > [I'm not one who goes for the 'all press is good press' dictum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-sobule/i-m-not-one-who-goes-for-the-all-press-is-good-press-dictum/) [Jill Sobule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-sobule/) > [I never read the good press and never read the bad press. If you believe the good press you're finished. If you believe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-kirwan/i-never-read-the-good-press-and-never-read-the-bad-press-if-you/) [Dervla Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-kirwan/) > [My advice to any diplomat who wants to have good press is to have two or three kids and a dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-t-rowan/my-advice-to-any-diplomat-who-wants-to-have-good-press-is-to-have-two/) [Carl T. Rowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-t-rowan/) > [Any press is good press. So keep on ragging me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/any-press-is-good-press-so-keep-on-ragging-me/) [Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/) > [Everyone wants to be loved, generally. If you released a record and nobody said anything, if you didn't get any feedback from people you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/everyone-wants-to-be-loved-generally-if-you-released-a-record-and/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I used to get great press. I get the worst press. I get such dishonest reporting with the media. I've never had anything like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-used-to-get-great-press-i-get-the-worst-press-i-get-such-dishonest/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Good press, bad press, whatever, only means a lot to me if it's writ by somebody I respect, by somebody I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/good-press-bad-press-whatever-only-means-a-lot-to-me-if-it-s-writ-by/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I was one of the first people in the Palestinian world, in the late 1970s, to say that there is no military option, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-was-one-of-the-first-people-in-the-palestinian-world-in-the-late/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) > [The right wing has an ecosystem that is funded by billionaires who want tax cuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/the-right-wing-has-an-ecosystem-that-is-funded-by-billionaires-who/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) ## More by William Finnegan > [The differences between the received wisdom, the standard version of events, and the facts on the ground may be subtle or they may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/the-differences-between-the-received-wisdom-the-standard-version-of/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [Writing is pretty flexible work, don't you think? If you want to surf, you just have to get a lot done when the waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/writing-is-pretty-flexible-work-don-t-you-think-if-you-want-to-surf/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [You're after something - not a story, but a certain, exquisitely intense encounter with beauty - and the only way to find it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/you-re-after-something-not-a-story-but-a-certain-exquisitely-intense/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [“When I finally came in and complained, she tried to explain, not for the first time, how exquisitely boring it was to watch surfing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/when-i-finally-came-in-and-complained-she-tried-to-explain-not-for/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [It's completely different, for instance, to report on poor farmers in Africa than it is to report on, say, poor African-Americans. The familiarity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/it-s-completely-different-for-instance-to-report-on-poor-farmers-in/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [“Surfing, to begin with, was not a “sport.” It was a “path.” And the more you poured into it, the more you got back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/surfing-to-begin-with-was-not-a-sport-it-was-a-path-and-the-more-you/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [“I later spent a year studying Finnegans Wake with Norman O. Brown, an exercise in masturbatory obscurantism that Bryan would never have undertaken—and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/i-later-spent-a-year-studying-finnegans-wake-with-norman-o-brown-an/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [Poor-country surf communities can be complex and, to some extent, leveling. The fisherman's kid is competing head to head with the plutocrat's gilded son.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/poor-country-surf-communities-can-be-complex-and-to-some-extent/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [I need to conduct myself differently in different communities. In my experience, the journalistic conventions - you know, I'm the reporter, you're the subject,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/i-need-to-conduct-myself-differently-in-different-communities-in-my/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [There are good waves not that far from Manhattan - on Long Island, in north Jersey. It's true that the best surf around here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/there-are-good-waves-not-that-far-from-manhattan-on-long-island-in/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [I'm trying to find out what's actually true, which is nearly always something, if not a world of things, that you can't read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/i-m-trying-to-find-out-what-s-actually-true-which-is-nearly-always/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [I remember surfing in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, even Madeira, when local fishermen had never seen a surfboard before, and refused to believe that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/i-remember-surfing-in-fiji-samoa-tonga-even-madeira-when-local/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [Even wars, big conflicts that have drawn a lot of news coverage, sometimes seem to me to have a center that hasn't been described,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/even-wars-big-conflicts-that-have-drawn-a-lot-of-news-coverage/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [As I travelled around Australia, strangers in pubs, on airplanes, in beach parking lots would bring up Gina Rinehart, not knowing I was writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/as-i-travelled-around-australia-strangers-in-pubs-on-airplanes-in/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) > [“Being friends as in writing letters was so much easier than being friends as in living together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/being-friends-as-in-writing-letters-was-so-much-easier-than-being/) [William Finnegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) [Explore all 29 William Finnegan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/) ## More Billionaires quotes > [The right wing has an ecosystem that is funded by billionaires who want tax cuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/the-right-wing-has-an-ecosystem-that-is-funded-by-billionaires-who/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [If I could set a world record, it would be that I have 150 business partners, all with thriving businesses of their own that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-corcoran/if-i-could-set-a-world-record-it-would-be-that-i-have-150-business/) [Barbara Corcoran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-corcoran/) > [A government run by billionaires for billionaires is an affront to freedom and morality and humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/a-government-run-by-billionaires-for-billionaires-is-an-affront-to/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [It's an absurd world - you know, billionaires in Birkenstocks. But I'd rather have nerdy tech guys as the next Carnegie than oil tycoons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-middleditch/it-s-an-absurd-world-you-know-billionaires-in-birkenstocks-but-i-d/) [Thomas Middleditch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-middleditch/) > [I know a lot of people in the city, at all levels, horizontally and vertically - and that to me is a privilege, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-know-a-lot-of-people-in-the-city-at-all-levels-horizontally-and/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [The mistake the apartheid government made was they gave the black people nothing, so they had nothing to lose. But now a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-smith/the-mistake-the-apartheid-government-made-was-they-gave-the-black/) [Wilbur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-smith/) > [“The world would be a better place without billionaires.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/the-world-would-be-a-better-place-without-billionaires/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [I believe in a society where all people do well. Not just a handful of billionaires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/i-believe-in-a-society-where-all-people-do-well-not-just-a-handful-of/) [Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/) > [If your parents are billionaires, that might actually be an obstacle to your own happiness and self-development. If you go to Oxford or Harvard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-your-parents-are-billionaires-that-might-actually-be-an-obstacle/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Billionaires like the Koch brothers, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, and political puppet master Karl Rove should not be able to buy our elections. Secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-johnson/billionaires-like-the-koch-brothers-casino-mogul-sheldon-adelson-and/) [Hank Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-johnson/) > [The middle class should not continue to foot the bill for tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/the-middle-class-should-not-continue-to-foot-the-bill-for-tax-breaks/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) > [There is no reason that billionaires should crowd us out from our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-malley/there-is-no-reason-that-billionaires-should-crowd-us-out-from-our/) [Martin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-malley/) > [“As “voyeurs of billionaires” (Goolsbee, 2007) material excess has become our metronome of modern living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-brian-ogawa/as-voyeurs-of-billionaires-goolsbee-2007-material-excess-has-become/) [Dr. Brian Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-brian-ogawa/) > [I know of at least two black women who are billionaires: Sheila Johnson, who co-founded BET, and Oprah Winfrey. And I know of hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lelia-bundles/i-know-of-at-least-two-black-women-who-are-billionaires-sheila/) [A'Lelia Bundles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lelia-bundles/) > [Arnold Schwarzenegger cut teacher's salaries and parks and libraries rather than raise taxes for the many California millionaires and billionaires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/arnold-schwarzenegger-cut-teacher-s-salaries-and-parks-and-libraries/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) [Browse all 106 Billionaires quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billionaires/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For billionaires who cannot buy good press, there is the option of buying the press.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Finnegan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-press-there-is-the-option-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Billionaires" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-press-there-is-the-option-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/william-finnegan-21232_billionaires_for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-pre_2666158.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/william-finnegan-21232_billionaires_for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-pre_2666158.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/william-finnegan-21232_billionaires_for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-pre_2666158.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For billionaires who cannot buy good press, there is the option of buying the press.” — William Finnegan", "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": "William Finnegan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-finnegan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For billionaires who cannot buy good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-press-there-is-the-option-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-finnegan/for-billionaires-who-cannot-buy-good-press-there-is-the-option-of/#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 } } ] } ```