"The reporter is the daily prisoner of clocked facts. On all working days, he is expected to do his best in one swift swipe at each story"

Jim Bishop's quote succinctly records the essence and pressures of a journalist's daily grind, where time is both foe and guide. The expression "daily detainee of clocked facts" vividly highlights the restraints reporters face. They are bound by the ruthless ticking of the clock, which dictates the speed of their work and needs them to run under stringent due dates. This metaphor suggests that journalists are restricted by time, which shapes their ability to collect, verify, and share information.

The idea of being a "detainee" recommends the absence of liberty reporters have in the pursuit of their expert tasks. Every day, they should race against time to assemble facts into meaningful stories, frequently compromising depth for immediacy. Bishop depicts the reporter's role as a relentless cycle, highlighting the continuous nature of news reporting and the requirement for a timely reaction to unfolding occasions.

The phrase "one swift swipe at each story" recommends that journalists need to rapidly deal with stories, often without the high-end of revisiting or fine-tuning their work. This swift technique underscores the hectic nature of journalism, where decisions need to be made rapidly, and stories provided expediently. It talks to the need for efficiency and decisiveness, traits that are vital in newsrooms where stories evolve by the minute.

However, this rapid speed likewise indicates a possible compromise on the quality and thoroughness of reporting. The need to quickly deal with each story might cause oversights or mistakes, posing ethical issues for reporters who make every effort to stabilize speed with accuracy.

In essence, Bishop's quote encapsulates the dynamic and challenging environment of journalism. It highlights the consistent balancing act in between precision and speed, and the determination needed to fulfill journalistic tasks under the constraints of time. In spite of the pressures, journalists remain committed to their role as purveyors of information, dedicated to delivering news in a world that never stops turning.