"And what it depends on, of course, is whether the story itself is worth the ethical compromise it requires and whether the competition is onto the story"
About this Quote
Mudd frames the dilemma as two tests. First, "whether the story itself is worth the ethical compromise it requires" treats moral purity as a currency you spend. That word "requires" is key: he is not talking about gratuitous corners cut for thrills, but situations where access, deception, or pressure might be the price of getting something true and consequential into daylight. The subtext is that some truths never surface without someone getting their hands dirty and then living with it.
Second, "whether the competition is onto the story" is the uncomfortable admission that virtue competes with velocity. The ethical line shifts when the scoop is about to be lost, because the social value of disclosure is tangled up with professional survival. Contextually, this reflects an era of broadcast news defined by gatekeepers, tight airtime, and fierce rivalries: if you hesitate, someone else will publish, and your caution wont save the public from harm anyway. Mudd isnt excusing ethical compromise so much as describing the pressure system that manufactures it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Mudd, Roger. (2026, January 16). And what it depends on, of course, is whether the story itself is worth the ethical compromise it requires and whether the competition is onto the story. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-what-it-depends-on-of-course-is-whether-the-121290/
Chicago Style
Mudd, Roger. "And what it depends on, of course, is whether the story itself is worth the ethical compromise it requires and whether the competition is onto the story." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-what-it-depends-on-of-course-is-whether-the-121290/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"And what it depends on, of course, is whether the story itself is worth the ethical compromise it requires and whether the competition is onto the story." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/and-what-it-depends-on-of-course-is-whether-the-121290/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
