"People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news"

A. J. Liebling’s observation highlights a fundamental tension in how information is consumed and understood within society. Written in an era before digital media but ever more relevant today, the statement draws attention to the inherent difference between raw events, what actually happens in the world, and the material produced by newspapers, which are filtered, selected, and shaped by their publishers, editors, and reporters.

The public often implicitly trusts newspapers to provide an objective record of reality. However, newspapers are not neutral conveyors; they make countless decisions regarding which stories to tell, the language to use, and which facts to emphasize or omit. What gets published is the result of conscious or unconscious biases, commercial incentives, deadlines, cultural assumptions, and editorial philosophies. As a result, the content readers encounter is always a mediated version of reality rather than a direct presentation of facts.

The confusion Liebling refers to is not merely a lack of media literacy. It is a broader social habit: people tend to accept printed words, especially those presented with the institutional gravitas of a newspaper, as equivalent to the truth. This shapes worldviews, often in ways that align with the interests or perspectives of the news organizations. Events may be sensationalized or downplayed, interpretations presented as fact, or complex realities collapsed into easy narratives. The distinction between “news” as published content and “news” as the sum of actual occurrences becomes blurred.

Consequently, accepting newspaper stories at face value can lead to a limited or distorted understanding of events. The danger lies in mistaking a constructed narrative for unfiltered reality, which can deepen societal divisions and hinder critical thinking. Liebling’s insight acts as a reminder to approach all reporting with skepticism and to remember that news, as presented, is always an interpretation rather than a definitive account of the world.