Time & Perspective Quote by Roone Arledge

A network can survive bad news; what it can’t survive is being caught treating news like set dressing. Roone Arledge’s line is a cool, surgical indictment of ABC’s posture toward journalism: not simply that the network failed, but that it performed failure with just enough polish to look like effort. “Half-hearted” suggests a lack of institutional will. “Cosmetic” is harsher, implying the goal was never substance at all, only the appearance of responsibility - newsroom as branding exercise.

Arledge’s real move is the pivot from past to present: “I wasn’t certain… nor am I now.” That flat repetition lands like a verdict. It tells you the problem isn’t a single botched initiative; it’s strategic ambiguity. ABC’s “real aim” is framed as unknowable because, in Arledge’s view, the network benefits from keeping it that way. If the aim is ratings, say it. If it’s public service, fund it. If it’s prestige, stop confusing medals with missions. By refusing to resolve the question, the institution preserves maximum flexibility and minimum accountability.

The context matters: Arledge came out of sports television, where he helped invent modern, story-driven broadcast spectacle, then took the reins at ABC News. He knew exactly how easily production values can masquerade as purpose. The quote reads like an insider warning: when news becomes a cosmetic layer on entertainment, trust erodes quietly - and then all at once.