n.
A brief statement, as by a politician, taken from an audiotape or videotape and broadcast especially during a news report: “The box has been spitting forth maddening nine-second sound bites” (Mary McGrory).
sound bite
| Dictionary: sound bite |
n.
| Idioms: sound bite |
A short, striking, quotable statement well suited to a television news program. For example, He's extremely good at sound bites, but a really substantive speech is beyond him. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1980, originated in political campaigns in which candidates tried to get across a particular message or get publicity by having it picked up in newscasts.
| Word Origin: sound bite |
Origin: 1973
How long is a sound bite, "a brief broadcast appearance in which an expert or politician or citizen comments on an issue of the day"? In a paid political advertisement, it could be as long as thirty seconds, as in a 1987 Newsweek comment on presidential candidate Gary Hart: "Hart's refusal to reduce himself to a 30-second sound bite is an admirable--and difficult-- stance in an age of media politics." But in TV news, fifteen seconds is more like it, as in a newspaper article from September 1988: "During the debate, the candidates want to accomplish at least two major goals--avoid major mistakes and provide some quotable comments, particularly those that can be used for a 15-second sound bite for television news shows." Even that is longer than ordinary citizens ordinarily get. Time magazine commented in 1985, "TV's formula these days is perhaps 100 words from the reporter, and a 'sound bite' of 15 or 20 words from the speaker."
In comparison, the fifteen minutes of fame that artist Andy Warhol said comes to everyone seems an eternity. We would say more but--our time is up, so on to the next word.
| Wikipedia: Sound bite |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2006) |
 |
This article contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (December 2008) |
Before the actual term "sound bite" had been coined, Mark Twain described the concept as "a minimum of sound to a maximum of sense." It is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that deftly captures the essence of what the speaker is trying to say. Such key moments in dialogue (or monologue) stand out better in the audience's memory and thus become the "taste" that best represents the entire "meal" of the larger message or conversation. Sound bites are a natural consequence of people placing ever greater emphasis on summarizing ever-increasing amounts of information in their lives.
In film and broadcasting, a sound bite is a very short piece of a speech taken from a longer speech or an interview in which someone with authority or the average "man on the street" says something which is considered by those who edit the speech or interview to be the most important point.
It can be an extract of a music album.
As the context of what is being said is missing, the insertion of sound bites into news broadcasts or documentaries is open to manipulation and thus requires a very high degree of journalistic ethics. According to the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, journalists should "make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context." [1]
Politicians of the new generation are carefully coached by their spin doctors to produce on-demand sound bites which are clear and to the point.
The term is sometimes written incorrectly (or ironically) as "sound byte".[citation needed] It is also the name of a book by Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos.
Contents |
Historical sound bites
|
|
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008) |
Classic examples of sound bites include Ronald Reagan's demand that "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" in reference to the increasing social pressure to remove the Berlin Wall. In this context, the well-delivered sound bite serves as a cultural icon that others are not likely to know about.
More sound bites include:
- "The only thing we have to fear is - fear itself." (the most famous phrase in Franklin D. Roosevelt's first Inaugural Address in 1933)
- "Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy....." (the opening phrase of Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech declaring war on Japan the day after Pearl Harbor had been attacked)
- "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." (the most famous phrase in John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address in 1961)
- "Ich bin ein Berliner" John F. Kennedy at 26. June 1963.
- "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." Neil Armstrong from the Apollo 11 mission
- "Houston, we've had a problem." (said by James A. Lovell in the Apollo XIII mission)
- "Read my lips: no new taxes", delivered by United States presidential candidate George H. W. Bush
- "Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy." said by Lloyd Bentsen as a retort to Dan Quayle's comparison of himself to Jack Kennedy in terms of political experience
- "I feel the hand of history upon our shoulders" — Tony Blair following the 1998 Good Friday agreement. Blair had just commented that "A day like today, it's not a day for soundbites: we can leave those at home". [2]
See also
References
- ^ The Center for Public Integrity-Journalistic Ethics
- ^ "Ten most embarrassing political moments". BBC News. 2003-11-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/3242648.stm. Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
External links
 |
Look up sound bite in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Soundbite |
Français (French)
n. - extrait d'une interview enregistrée, slogan/phrase d'un discours (répété dans les médias)
Deutsch (German)
n. - Kurzausschnitt aus einem aufgenommenen Interview
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σύντομη δήλωση στα ΜΜΕ
Italiano (Italian)
battuta ad effetto, poche note
Português (Portuguese)
n. - declaração (f) breve gravada para apresentação em um noticiário de TV (TV)
Русский (Russian)
отрывок из речи политического деятеля, передаваемый в новостях
Español (Spanish)
n. - extracto de una entrevista grabada escogida por su causticidad
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ljudklipp
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
采访中抽出的短句, 插在新闻简要广播中播出的一个短文
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 採訪中抽出的短句, 插在新聞簡要廣播中播出的一個短文
한국어 (Korean)
n. - (정치가 등의 발언 따위를) 방송용으로 발췌한 명료한 말, (뉴스 프로그램에서) 사건을 단적으로 전하는 영상
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 音の交わり, 音の交信, 音の行き来
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - קטע קצר וקולע מראיון מוקלט
If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.
To select your translation preferences click here.
Learn More
 | Sirtis, Marina (Quotes By) |
| sound (Idiom) |
| sound blast (technology) |
Help us answer these
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
|
| Word Origin. America in So Many Words, by David K.Barnhart and Allan A. Metcalf. Copyright © 1997 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sound bite". Read more |
 |
| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
Related answers
- Why red ant's bite is so hurting and why the bite makes bloated?
- Can a spider bite cause an irritation other than actual site of bite?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- What is a sound bite?
- What is the defeintion of Sound bite?
- Why do apples make a crunching sound when you bite into them?
Mentioned in
- Sirtis, Marina (Quotes By)
- sound (Idiom)
- sound blast (technology)
- The F-Word: A Video about Feminism (1994 Film)
- bite (Idiom)
- bemoan
- so (Idiom)
- Raw Tracks (1999 Album by Raven)
- Off the Beaten Track (1986 Album by African Head Charge)
- To Russia With Love (2002 Album by Surferosa)
- Oppenheimer, incidental music (Classical Work)
- The Post Nearly Man (1998 Album by Mark E Smith)
- snap
- 99% (1990 Album by Meat Beat Manifesto)
|
