"The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it"
About this Quote
Murrow’s line lands like a cool splash on the face of techno-optimism: speed is not wisdom, and bandwidth is not meaning. Written by a journalist whose career spanned the rise of radio and television, it reads as both forecast and warning. New tools will always arrive with the same sales pitch - connection, clarity, progress - yet Murrow insists the bottleneck is stubbornly human. The “newest computer” doesn’t solve communication; it accelerates it, which is often worse. It can “compound” the oldest problem: misunderstanding, manipulation, ego, fear, the desire to belong, the urge to win.
The intent is not anti-technology so much as anti-hype. Murrow is stripping the machine of its magical aura and returning responsibility to the communicator. That final turn - “what to say and how to say it” - is deceptively plain, a craftsman’s credo disguised as common sense. He’s talking about ethics as much as style: accuracy, restraint, proportion, the discipline to choose signal over noise.
The subtext carries Murrow’s broader anxieties about mass media. In his era, television could bring the world into living rooms, but it could also turn public life into spectacle and sell certainty at a discount. Swap “computer” for “platform” and the quote becomes painfully current: technology scales our instincts faster than it improves our judgment. The hard part remains unchanged and unglamorous - having something worth saying, and saying it in a way that doesn’t betray the truth or the audience.
The intent is not anti-technology so much as anti-hype. Murrow is stripping the machine of its magical aura and returning responsibility to the communicator. That final turn - “what to say and how to say it” - is deceptively plain, a craftsman’s credo disguised as common sense. He’s talking about ethics as much as style: accuracy, restraint, proportion, the discipline to choose signal over noise.
The subtext carries Murrow’s broader anxieties about mass media. In his era, television could bring the world into living rooms, but it could also turn public life into spectacle and sell certainty at a discount. Swap “computer” for “platform” and the quote becomes painfully current: technology scales our instincts faster than it improves our judgment. The hard part remains unchanged and unglamorous - having something worth saying, and saying it in a way that doesn’t betray the truth or the audience.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|
More Quotes by Edward
Add to List
