What does the quote mean The job of a journalist is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable?

Answer 1

The quote can be traced to satirist Finley Peter Dunne, who wrote a popular column in the voice of an opinionated Irish-American bartender named "Mr. Dooley." According to Mr. Dooley,Th newspaper does ivrything f'r us. It runs th' polis foorce an' th' banks, commands th' milishy, controls th' ligislachure, baptizes th' young, marries th' foolish, comforts th' afflicted, afflicts th' comfortable, buries th' dead an' roasts thim aftherward.

While many journalists repeat the quote as a badge of honor, Mr. Dooley seems to have been criticizing the press for overstepping its proper bounds.

This quote is also often attributed to social activist Mary "Mother" Jones, who claimed it as her purpose, and various religious leaders have done the same. But the quote's appearance in the popular film Inherit the Wind, where it is spoken by a newsman, seems to have linked it most closely to journalism.

Answer 2

This quote suggests that the role of a journalist is to bring attention to social injustices and hold those in power accountable, even if it means making them uncomfortable. Journalists should provide a voice for the disadvantaged and challenge the status quo to promote positive change in society.

Answer 3

On face value, I'd say it means that journalists should strive to uncover and highlight what affects the "afflicted" (those suffering under oppression or society's problems), while the journalism itself often "afflicts" those who do not suffer, who are quite comfortable with the status quo. When a story about someone downtrodden makes the newspapers, it often highlights some aspect of society's ills-- from racism, joblessness, poverty, crime, illness, disability, etc. When reporters do stories about the elite, it often highlights the disparity of wealth, of privilege, of excess---while most citizens suffer.