Autor: John Swinton (Saltoun, Escòcia, 12 de desembre de 1829 - Nova York, 15 de desembre de 1901), periodista. Cap de redacció de
The New York Times.
Citació més llarga i original:
There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history,
in
America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it.
There is not one of you who dares to write your honest
opinions, and if you
did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid
weekly
for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with.
Others of
you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who
would be
so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets
looking for
another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of
my
paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone.
The business of the journalists is to destroy the truth, to
lie outright, to
pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his
country and
his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it, and what folly
is this
toasting an independent press?
We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes.
We are the
jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our
possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are
intellectual prostitutes.
Font: Segons NoticiasERB: "El 25 de setembre de 1980, en un sopar de gala del gremi periodístic on ell era un dels homenatjats, algú va proposar un brindis per la Llibertat de Premsa." Aquest web ens dóna la font original: Labor's Untold Story, by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais, published by United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, NY, 1955/1979.
