“If you consider the great journalists in history, you don't see too many objective journalists on that list. H. L. Mencken was not objective.”

—  Hunter S. Thompson

Interview in The Atlantic Monthly http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/unbound/graffiti/hunter.htm (17 September 1997)
1990s
Context: If you consider the great journalists in history, you don't see too many objective journalists on that list. H. L. Mencken was not objective. Mike Royko, who just died. I. F. Stone was not objective. Mark Twain was not objective. I don't quite understand this worship of objectivity in journalism. Now, just flat-out lying is different from being subjective.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "If you consider the great journalists in history, you don't see too many objective journalists on that list. H. L. Menc…" by Hunter S. Thompson?
Hunter S. Thompson photo
Hunter S. Thompson 268
American journalist and author 1937–2005

Related quotes

John Pilger photo

“Many journalists now are no more than channelers and echoers of what George Orwell called the 'official truth'. They simply cipher and transmit lies. It really grieves me that so many of my fellow journalists can be so manipulated that they become really what the French describe as 'functionaires', functionaries, not journalists. Many journalists become very defensive when you suggest to them that they are anything but impartial and objective. The problem with those words 'impartiality' and 'objectivity' is that they have lost their dictionary meaning. They've been taken over… [they] now mean the establishment point of view… Journalists don't sit down and think, 'I'm now going to speak for the establishment.' Of course not. But they internalise a whole set of assumptions, and one of the most potent assumptions is that the world should be seen in terms of its usefulness to the West, not humanity.”

John Pilger (1939) Australian journalist

The Progressive, Interview with John Pilger http://www.progressive.org/nov02/intv1102.html, November 2002

Jon Stewart photo

“Kurtz: So you don't, you're not confusing yourself with a quote, "real journalist"?
Stewart: No. You guys are—
Kurtz: You're just making fun—
Stewart: You guys are confusing yourselves with real journalists.”

Jon Stewart (1962) American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian

2002-11-02
Reliable Sources
CNN
Television
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0211/02/rs.00.html

“I can only answer that I tried to tell the truth and, if not be objective, at least be fair; history is not served when reporters prize trepidation and propriety over the robust journalistic duty to tell the whole story.”

Randy Shilts (1951–1994) American journalist

The Life and Times of Harvey Milk Randy Shilts, Chronicler of AIDS Epidemic, Dies at 42; Journalism: Author of 'And the Band Played On' is credited with awakening nation to the health crisis http://articles.latimes.com/1994-02-18/news/mn-24467_1_randy-shilts
Quote

Dave Barry photo

“We journalists make it a point to know very little about an extremely wide variety of topics; this is how we stay objective.”

Dave Barry (1947) American writer
Peter Jennings photo

“I'm a little concerned about this notion everybody wants us to be objective," Jennings said.
Jennings said that everyone — even journalists — have points of view through which they filter their perception of the news. It could be race, sex or income. But, he said, reporters are ideally trained to be as objective as possible.
"And when we don't think we can be fully objective, to be fair.”

Peter Jennings (1938–2005) News anchor

Interview for KETV NewsWatch 7 as quoted in article at The Omaha Channel (19 October 2004)

Helmut Schmidt photo

“If you look closely, you'll see that the political journalists actually more belong to the political class and less to journalism.”

Helmut Schmidt (1918–2015) Chancellor of West Germany 1974-1982

Source: in the interview with Giovanni di Lorenzo, ZEITmagazin http://www.zeit.de/2010/13/Schmidt-Kohl-di-Lorenzo/seite-2 25. March 2010, nr. 13

Andrew Vachss photo

“Journalism is the one thing that protects us. There's a history of crusading, let–the–chips–fall–where–they–may journalists. But that's given way to 'advocacy journalists,' who have left– or right–wing biases. That doesn't make sense. The only thing a journalist should worship is the truth.”

Andrew Vachss (1942) American writer and lawyer

Duane Swierczynski's entire interview with Andrew Vachss, originally published July 7, 2005, in the Philadelphia CityPaper.

Humbert Wolfe photo

“You cannot hope
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
British journalist.

But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there's
no occasion to.”

Humbert Wolfe (1885–1940) English poet

"Over the Fire", from The Uncelestial City (London: Victor Gollancz, 1930) p. 30.

“MOND works far too well! In fact, just as planetary systems are Keplerian objects, galaxies are Milgromian objects. Milgrom’s discovery of a0 is likely as epochal as Planck’s discovery of h.”

Pavel Kroupa (1963) Australian astrophysicist

[21 March 2011, Pavel Kroupa: The Dark Matter Crisis website, https://darkmattercrisis.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/question-c-ii-mond-works-far-too-well/]

Arthur Miller photo

“He is a kind of psychic journalist, even when he's great.”

Arthur Miller (1915–2005) playwright from the United States

Paris Review (Summer 1966)
Context: A playwright … is … the litmus paper of the arts. He's got to be, because if he isn't working on the same wave length as the audience, no one would know what in hell he was talking about. He is a kind of psychic journalist, even when he's great.

Related topics