My inclination, as an old-school, classically trained journalist, is not to go with a story unless I have it hard. It's not good enough to say something based on rumors that were flying around.
Wolf BlitzerRead
Budget cuts are a sad reality in most newsrooms, and I am concerned that they reduce the collective muscle of journalists who are doing the expensive, and often dangerous, work of on-the-ground reporting.
Interpretation
Budget cuts in newsrooms threaten the quality and safety of on-the-ground journalism.
Jill Abramson's quote highlights the impact of budget cuts in newsrooms, suggesting that financial constraints diminish the effectiveness and safety of journalists who perform vital on-the-ground reporting. This work is often costly and perilous, and the reduction in resources may lead to a decline in the quality of news coverage, ultimately harming the public's access to important information.
In practice
During a speech at a journalism conference, I quoted Jill Abramson to emphasize the need for funding in media organizations.
My inclination, as an old-school, classically trained journalist, is not to go with a story unless I have it hard. It's not good enough to say something based on rumors that were flying around.
The really tough thing would have been to decide to take Woodward and Bernstein off the story. They were carrying the coal for us - in that their stories were right.
I feel no compulsion to be a pundit. As a matter of fact, I really don't have that much to say about most things. Working with hard news satisfies me completely.
If an investigative reporter finds out that someone has been robbing the store, that may be 'gotcha' journalism, but it's also good journalism.
I'm sometimes embarrassed by how clinical I can become when I'm out reporting.
The biggest problem I have in journalism is being quoted or misquoted and then being asked to defend something I haven't said.
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