I joined the 'Times' in 1972, and I came with the mark of Cain on me because I was clearly against the war. But my editor, Abe Rosenthal, he hired me because he liked stories. He used to come to the Washington bureau and almost literally pat me on the head and say, 'How is my little Commie today? What do you have for me?'
Interpretation
The quote captures the challenges faced by a journalist with an unpopular stance during a controversial time.
Seymour Hersh reflects on his experience as a journalist at the 'Times' during the Vietnam War era, highlighting both the stigma he faced for being anti-war and the support he received from his editor, Abe Rosenthal. The quote illustrates the tension between journalistic integrity and the political climate of the time, as well as the sometimes personal relationships that can develop in the newsroom.
In practice
In a discussion about the role of journalists during conflicts, this quote can illustrate the personal sacrifices made for truth.
In Vietnam, our soldiers came back and they were reviled as baby killers, in shame and humiliation. It isn't happening now, but I will tell you, there has never been an American army as violent and murderous as our army has been in Iraq.
The Center for Public Integrity is the real thing. A group of dedicated people who remember that great journalism is about grit and guts and stamina and razor-sharp instincts. They are, thank heaven, here to stay.
The greatest felony in the news business today is to be behind, or to miss a big story. So speed and quantity substitute for thoroughness and quality, for accuracy and context.
The biggest problem I have in journalism is being quoted or misquoted and then being asked to defend something I haven't said.
If information is true, if it can be verified, and if it's really important, the newspaper needs to be willing to take the risk associated with using unidentified sources.
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.
When I was trained as a journalist, as a race-relations reporter in Nashville covering the end of the civil-rights movement, we were strictly forbidden to use the first-person pronoun. There was kind of an electric charge around it. To come out from hiding and use the word 'I' carried a lot of fright for me.
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