“How does so much [false news] get into the American newspapers, even the good ones? Is it because journalists, as a class, are habitual liars, and prefer what is not true to what is true? I don't think it is. Rather, it is because journalists are, in the main, extremely stupid, sentimental and credulous fellows -- because nothing is easier than to fool them -- because the majority of them lack the sharp intelligence that the proper discharge of their duties demands.”

—  H.L. Mencken

Prejudices: A Selection, p. 220
1920s

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H.L. Mencken photo
H.L. Mencken 281
American journalist and writer 1880–1956

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