April 17, 2025

The important thing about the so-called ‘communications industry’ is that it is basically concerned with merchandising. News is a kind of by-product and if you want to sell things, you don’t want to offend anybody.

I.F. Stone (1907–1989), American journalist, The Listener (1963) in The Cynic’s Lexicon, Jonathon Green, ed. (London: 1986), p.197

Whom do you avoid offending? Whom do you intentionally seek to offend? Why the difference?

That might have been true at one time, and may be true again in the future, but in these times of deep division is so many countries, giving offence to some faction is the sine qua non for maintaining the support of some one or other faction.