black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

In the perfect world every source could be identified, but like the man said, “It’s not a perfect world.”

Ben Bradlee

Everybody who talks to a newspaper has a motive. That’s just a given. And good reporters always, repeat always, probe to find out what that motive is.
BEN BRADLEE

Given Motive Newspapers
Hire people smarter than you are and encourage them to bloom.
BEN BRADLEE

Encourage People Smarter
Our best today; better tomorrow.
BEN BRADLEE

Better Today Tomorrow
You never monkey with the truth.
BEN BRADLEE

Animal Monkey Truth
It’s very hard to stand up to the government which is saying that publication will threaten national security. People don’t seem to realize that reporters and editors know something about national security and care deeply about it.
BEN BRADLEE

Editors Government National People Security
Sure, some journalists use anonymous sources just because they’re lazy, and I think editors ought to insist on more precise identification even if they remain anonymous.
BEN BRADLEE

Editors Lazy Thinking
The history of American politics is littered with bodies of people who took so pure a position that they had no clout at all.
BEN BRADLEE

Body People Politics
If an investigative reporter finds out that someone has been robbing the store, that may be ‘gotcha’ journalism, but it’s also good journalism.
BEN BRADLEE

Journalism May Robbing
Nothing’s riding on this, except the First Amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters, but if you guys f-k up again, I’m gonna get mad.
BEN BRADLEE

Country Guy Mad
In the perfect world every source could be identified, but like the man said, “It’s not a perfect world.”
BEN BRADLEE

Men Perfect World
There is nothing like daily journalism! Best damn job in the world!
BEN BRADLEE

Jobs Journalism World
I don’t want to disappoint too many people, but the number of interesting political, historical conversations we had, you could stick in your ear, it wasn’t that many. We talked about friends, family and of course girls.
BEN BRADLEE

Girl Numbers People
I never believed that Nixon could fully resurrect himself. And the proof of that was in the obits.
BEN BRADLEE

Orbit Proof Resurrect Resurrection
The first rough draft of history.
BEN BRADLEE

Drafts Firsts Journalism Rough
Those [Watergate] tapes are going to take me to my grave with a huge smile on my face.
BEN BRADLEE

Faces Graves Tape
It changes your life, the pursuit of truth, if you know that you have tried to find the truth and gone past the first apparent truth towards the real truth. It’s very, it’s very exciting.
BEN BRADLEE

Gone Past Real

In the perfect world every source could be identified, but like the man said, “It’s not a perfect world.”

Related Topics

Popular Authors

In the perfect world every source could be identified, but like the man said, “It’s not a perfect world.”

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Ben Bradlee Quotes