A reporter is always concerned with tomorrow. There’s nothing tangible of yesterday. All I can say I’ve done is agitate the air ten or fifteen minutes and then boom – it’s gone.
Meaning of the quote
A reporter's job is all about what will happen in the future, not the past. The things they say are quickly forgotten, like stirring up the air for just a short time before it's gone. Reporters don't have anything concrete from the past to show for their work - it's all about trying to predict and report on what's coming next.
About Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow was an iconic American broadcast journalist who gained prominence during World War II with his live radio reports from Europe. He later used his television program “See It Now” to help censure Senator Joseph McCarthy, cementing his legacy as one of journalism’s greatest figures.
More quotes from Edward R. Murrow
If we were to do the Second Coming of Christ in color for a full hour, there would be a considerable number of stations which would decline to carry it on the grounds that a Western or a quiz show would be more profitable.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Just once in a while let us exalt the importance of ideas and information.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
The politician in my country seeks votes, affection and respect, in that order. With few notable exceptions, they are simply men who want to be loved.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn’t mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them and cover them up, at least a little bit.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
A reporter is always concerned with tomorrow. There’s nothing tangible of yesterday. All I can say I’ve done is agitate the air ten or fifteen minutes and then boom – it’s gone.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Fame is morally neutral.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
A satellite has no conscience.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices – just recognize them.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Good night, and good luck.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
People say conversation is a lost art; how often I have wished it were.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)
We cannot make good news out of bad practice.
American broadcast journalist (1908-1965)