A few inspirational quotes about journalism from a hugely inspiring book

“A journalist is a grumbler, a censurer, a giver of advice, a regent of sovereigns, a tutor of nations. Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”
— Thomas Jefferson, one of America's founding fathers

“Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you’re at it.”
— Horace Greeley, newspaper editor

“If you don’t have a sensation of apprehension when you set out to find a story and a swagger when you sit down to write it, you are in the wrong business.”
— A.M. Rosenthal, journalist

It is a newspaper’s duty to print the news and raise hell.”
— Wilbur F. Storey, newspaper owner

“I think perfect objectivity is an unrealistic goal; fairness, however, is not.
— Michael Pollan, journalist, author, and professor

“Bad news goes about in clogs, good news in stockinged feet.”
— Welsh proverb

“Journalism never admits that nothing much is happening.”
— Mason Cooley, professor

“The proper question isn’t what a journalist thinks is relevant but what his or her audience thinks is relevant.”
— Michael Kinsley, journalist and author

“Great questions make great reporting.”
— Diane Sawyer, journalist

“I really believe good journalism is good business.”
— Christiane Amanpour, journalist

• Who are Mike Wallace and Beth Knobel, the authors of Heat & Light? And what qualifications do they have to offer advice to the next generation of journalists? Everything will be clear after you read this touching obituary on Huffington Post: "My Colleague, Mike Wallace". Afterwards, read this tribute: "Mike Wallace: An interrogator of the famous and infamous".

MIKE WALLACE, LEGENDARY TELEVISION JOURNALIST

• In addition, you should check out the Heat & Light website, where you will not only get an explanation for the "heat" and "light" in the title, but, among other things, you will also be able to sort through a nifty "Journalists' Toolbox".

• Naturally you will want to own a copy of Heat & Light. It is available on Amazon.in as well as on Flipkart. (Commits students: A copy has been placed in the college library.)

• ALSO READ: Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez on why journalism is the best job in the world.

POSTSCRIPT
WHEN LIFE AS A JOURNALIST
GETS FRUSTRATING 

An excerpt from the final chapter of Heat & Light, titled "The Future: Advice for the Next Generation of Journalists":

It can get awfully frustrating at times in journalism. It can be hard to get yourself noticed, hard to get promoted, and hard to get good assignments. In a bad economy, it can even be hard to get a job.

We’ve both had times in our careers when we did a job we didn’t particularly like, or found it difficult to move up the career ladder. It took Mike several decades to go from being an announcer at a small radio station … to being a star on CBS.

In the end, you need to focus on building experience and expertise, and trust that the knowledge you’re acquiring will ultimately pay off in your career.