Sharyl Attkisson > Quotes

“Right now, as you read these words, versions of history and current events are being written and revised in real time according to what powerful interests wish them to say. Our “memory hole” is found in growing efforts to “curate” or censor information on the news, ban certain facts, declare selected viewpoints illegitimate, cleanse social media of particular accounts, and judge people and events of the distant past using today’s evolving and controversial standards. Even those who know better are left, like Winston Smith, to guess and wonder how many others like them are out there—how many of the unindoctrinated who don’t buy the spin?”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“We must challenge any administration both publicly and legally if they violate ethics or the law, or betray the public they’re supposed to serve.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“We're living amid an artificial reality, persuaded to believe it's real by astroturf engineered to look like grassroots.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, The Smear: How the Secret Art of Character Assassination Controls What You Think, What You Read, and How You Vote

“All of this evokes the dicta of successful historic propagandists described earlier. From Alinsky's Rules for Radicals:
>"Ridicule is man's most potent weapon."
>"Keep the pressure on. Never let up."
> "development of operations that will keep a constant pressure on the opposition."
>"Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it."
>"Not every item of news should be published. Rather must those who control news policies endeavor to make every item of news serve a certain purpose."
>"Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, The Smear: How the Secret Art of Character Assassination Controls What You Think, What You Read, and How You Vote

“When it comes to green energy investigations, I conclude that the internal opposition I face has its origins in the personal beliefs of those who decide which stories go on the air and which are kept off. The purpose of the stories I propose isn’t to examine the general merits or shortfalls of the technology, ideology, or movement. They’re financial stories delving into possible waste, abuse, and questionable spending of tax dollars. What I didn’t anticipate is that some colleagues and managers, unable to disconnect their personal viewpoints from their duty as journalists, would view this line of reporting as damaging to a cause about which they hold deep-rooted beliefs. Fearful that the stories would discourage rather than promote green energy, they want to prevent the public from seeing them at all. It’s a paternalistic attitude that results in de facto censorship. Simply put: they decide that it’s best for you to not hear a story at all rather than run the risk that you might see it and form the “wrong” opinion. (By that, I mean an opinion that differs from theirs.)”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Either Facebook’s fact-checkers are propagandists for the vaccine industry, or they are so ill informed that they simply do not know the facts.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“I discovered this tie several years ago when reporting on an FDA source’s tip about the suspected link between antiperspirants and breast cancer. The FDA official told me that the agency was contemplating requiring a breast cancer warning on antiperspirants based on several studies suggesting a possible link. But some inside the FDA felt that industry opposition would be insurmountable. It was an inside debate that would interest many in the public. As I pursued the story, the cosmetics industry wouldn’t do an interview but referred me to the American Cancer Society, which, they assured me, would defend their interests. Indeed, the American Cancer Society was all too happy to agree to appear on camera debunking any idea of a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer. But in my pre-interview with the Cancer Society’s chief doctor, I discovered he hadn’t read—and apparently didn’t know about—the latest peer-reviewed, published studies suggesting a link. That’s when I thought to ask the Cancer Society if it got funding from the cosmetics industry. The answer was a very defensive “Yes.” But the charity wouldn’t disclose how much and said they wouldn’t go through with the on-camera interview unless I agreed not to ask about the antiperspirant industry funding. I forwarded the studies to the American Cancer Society’s doctor. When he did the on-camera interview with me, he reversed his earlier position that had claimed the antiperspirant–breast cancer link was a “myth.” Instead, he answered my questions by deflecting—repeatedly stating, when asked about the latest antiperspirant studies, that women have more important things to focus on, such as getting regular mammograms.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“The smear artist reveals himself by his disparate treatment of people and situations. He drapes himself in a superhero cape, claiming to defend the aggrieved. He pretends to right societal wrongs. In fact, though, he's motivated primarily by paid interests and his own selfish agendas. By definition, the job requires that morality and conscience be cast aside”
― Sharyl Attkisson, The Smear: How the Secret Art of Character Assassination Controls What You Think, What You Read, and How You Vote

“In reality, for those who bother to look, history and experience teach that the biggest dose of skepticism should be reserved for the authorities that seek to influence us and the information they want us to receive.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Debunked”: This word was rarely used in news reporting until a few years ago. That’s when propagandists began deploying the term to discredit theories, stories, and science with which they disagree. In fact, when special interests launch this word, it often means the opposite is the case: the targeted idea has not been debunked at all. Oftentimes, the idea in question is a subject of legitimate dispute or has actually proven to be true. Therefore, it is often inaccurate for news reporters to jump on the “debunked” bandwagon.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“It is important to recognize that the people behind a narrative do not always have cynical or evil motives. They may even be acting according to what they believe to be a higher purpose. In such cases, these people share an important belief: that they are smarter than you are. They do not trust you to process information and draw your own conclusions because you might draw the wrong ones. You must not be left to your own devices. So, much like Big Brother, they dictate which views are to be considered legitimate and which are off-limits. They tell you what to think.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“When it comes to news reporting, the center has been dragged so far left that a neutral posture is now viewed as right wing. Liberal or anti-Trump views—those are considered good, truth-telling journalism. At least that’s what the afflicted seem to believe. But raise questions about fairness or consider alternate viewpoints—that simply proves you’re the one who’s biased. Maybe even (gasp!) conservative. (Although you’re not.)”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“THE POLITICAL-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX Big corporations rule the world. You may choose not to believe it. That’s exactly what they’re counting on. They influence vast amounts of information we receive. They control some facets of government so effectively that the government has all but given up trying to resist it. And it’s the same whether we’re talking about Democrats or Republicans.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Worried about the wrong things and not worried about the right things. The tendency to stick to mostly “safe” stories means you’ll see a lot of so-called day-of-air reports on topics that won’t generate pushback from the special interests we care about. Think: weather, polls, surveys, studies, positive medical news, the pope, celebrities, obituaries, press conferences, government announcements, animals, the British royals, and heartwarming features. They fill airtime much like innocuous white noise.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“We plaster our news reports with political pundits not offering independent opinions but serving their masters.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, The Smear: How Shady Political Operatives and Fake News Control What You See, What You Think, and How You Vote

“After Watergate, few would have predicted today’s dynamic in which some journalists view their job not as questioning the powers that be, but undermining those who report on the powers that be.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Some of them have forgotten. They think they personally own your tax dollars.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Pushing original and investigative reporting has become like trying to feed the managers spinach. They don’t like the taste, but they occasionally hold their nose and indulge because it’s good for them—or because it looks good. They much prefer it to be sugarcoated, deep-fried, or otherwise disguised so that it goes down easier.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“A single billion is a pretty big number, let alone three. One billion minutes ago the Roman Empire was dominating the earth. One billion hours ago, we were in the Stone Age.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“We in the media have, to a frightening degree, gotten on board with the efforts to convince the public that they do not need or deserve access to all information, only that which powerful interests see fit for them to have.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“The Obama administration’s War on Leaks is by far the most aggressive that I’ve seen since the Nixon administration,”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Snooping scandal. As serious as the implications are, the media manages to give it a catchy little name. Not so much intruding, trespassing, invading, or spying. Snooping. You know, like a boyfriend snoops around on his girlfriend’s Facebook account. Or kids snoop through the closets for Christmas packages. It’s like dubbing HealthCare.gov’s disastrous launch a “glitch.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Emanuel barks back as we continue rolling the camera for editing shots. “I’m fully medicated!”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Your tax dollars are paying the salary of an ATF manager who’s using taxpayer time and resources to direct his teams of taxpayer-supported public affairs officials to “push” propaganda in order to drown out an important, truthful story of public interest.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Stonewalled: One Reporter's Fight for Truth in Obama's Washington

“Through his unconventional ways that defied predictions and operated outside the controlling narratives, Trump exposed bias, flaws, and weaknesses in the news media, causing its members to lose their collective mind and shed all pretense of objectivity. The media at large became committed to a political agenda to undermine and ultimately remove Trump from office. Which only served to prove his point about their bias.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“When it comes to news reporting, the center has been dragged so far left that a neutral posture is now viewed as right wing.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“No matter how we feel about Trump or any other subject of our reporting, we are not entitled to exaggerate about them, publish poorly sourced reporting, or treat them unfairly under the rationale that they somehow deserve it.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“Eventually, as told in 1984, the masses lose the ability to form independent thoughts. The Party can convince them that anything is true.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“I spent a whole career in the news business, and now it’s being denigrated. Minimized by false equivalencies between opinion and news.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted

“My goal is to bring information to light that is underreported or not well known. If someone wants me simply to report what others are reporting, they’re not looking for facts and information. They want me to advance a narrative they support.”
― Sharyl Attkisson, Slanted