Daily Inspiration Quote by Bill Kovach

Kovach’s line is a bracing admission that the newsroom’s favorite self-myth -- that “good work” will naturally be recognized and rewarded -- has been revoked by the market. He frames journalism less as a holy calling than as a product competing on the same shelf as outrage bait, influencer confessionals, and algorithm-tuned sludge. The sting is in “had better”: it’s not advice, it’s a warning. If journalists refuse to engage the economics, economics will happily erase them.

The subtext is a critique of professional complacency. “Create a demand” doesn’t mean begging audiences to behave better; it implies journalism must earn attention the way everything else does, by proving felt value. That’s a hard pivot from the old monopoly-era assumption that news is a civic necessity people will dutifully consume. Kovach is also quietly challenging the industry’s habit of treating “the business side” as morally tainted. In a supply-and-demand world, purity is a luxury; sustainability is an ethical requirement.

Contextually, the quote sits neatly in the long shadow of collapsing ad revenue, newsroom layoffs, and the platform era where distribution is outsourced to companies optimized for engagement, not enlightenment. Kovach isn’t endorsing click-chasing. He’s pushing for a different kind of persuasion: packaging rigor without sanding off its seriousness, building relationships that make trust tangible, and explaining why verification beats vibe. The intent is pragmatic, almost impatient: if journalism can’t articulate its own worth in human terms, someone else will define it as optional.