There's never any time I think I'm a real journalist, because I don't have any of the qualifications or the intentions for that.
John OliverRead
The British media is sinking down, as the American news media has lowered the bar for all of humanity. British news media is definitely trying to stoop down to that level. Everyone is stooping to the lowest common denominator.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the decline in journalistic standards across media platforms.
In this quote, John Oliver expresses concern over the declining standards in journalism, particularly highlighting how the American news media has set a low benchmark that British media feels compelled to follow. He emphasizes a broader trend where media organizations prioritize sensationalism and shallow reporting, ultimately degrading the quality of information available to the audience.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about the quality of news coverage in modern journalism.
There's never any time I think I'm a real journalist, because I don't have any of the qualifications or the intentions for that.
Australia turns out to be a sensational place, albeit one of the most comfortably racist places I've ever been in. They've really settled into their intolerance like an old resentful slipper.
I watch one news channel until my soul can't take it anymore. It's the background of my life.
My first 'Daily Show' piece was pretending I had this terrible immigrant journey, so I went to talk to an immigration lawyer who would help out people, and I ran into him in Penn Station about three months after I'd gotten the green card. I said, 'I got my green card yesterday.' And he hugged me because he understood that level of relief.
Southern people are bigger-hearted and kinder than I had any right to expect.
When you've married someone who's been at war, there is nothing you can do that compares to that level of selflessness and bravery.
I'm 68 and a half years old; I grew up with newspapers; I love newspapers; I love the news business. I started CNN; I'm a journalist and proud of it.
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices.
It's great to engage with the mainstream media to get messages out, but the most empowering tool is to create records of our lives, and our own images, which are not filtered through judgements, biases, or misunderstandings.
I really do think we're going through a period of concentration of ownership of media, and we're starting to see the effects at the editorial level, and it's all bad. This increased pressure for profits every quarter, smaller news hole, less coverage of important stuff - the extent that it's become one giant infotainment industry.
I suppose popularity is measured by ratings. If a broadcaster is known as the leader because of ratings, then that's where people most want to be seen and heard, so there's no question that there's an advantage.
The most puzzling thing about TV is the steady advance of the sponsor across the line that has always separated news from promotion, entertainment from merchandising. The advertiser has assumed the role of originator, and the performer has gradually been eased into the role of peddler.
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