They Said It

     "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." - the late P.J. O'Rourke, journalist.

     "Tooting a horn is not an expression of any great thought I'm aware of." - Hugh McLean, Ottawa justice, who ruled that truckers' honking is not a free speech issue. 

     "There's a lot of paranoia out there." - Dean Cryer, vice president of Panic Room Builders in Los Angeles. Safe rooms equipped with emergency phone lines and independent water supplies can cost in the six figures, even millions. Demand for safe rooms has increased. 

One size does not fit all

     In one of his last columns, Marvin Olasky, now retired, responded to a former student of the World Journalism Institute. He wrote, "Religious publications ... have different standards. Those that are Christ-alone are different than Christian plus some ideology." 

     "The trend in journalism is to emphasize opinion, not reporting. Reporting is costly. Opining is relatively cheap. It can lead to more 'reader engagement' in terms of clicks, likes, shares - and subscriptions. 

     "These days it makes a certain kind of economic and political sense to abandon Biblical objectivity and become known as a liberal or conservative. For me, it's an ethical imperative to challenge readers and viewers, not pander to them. 

     "In 1973 I came to believe in God, purely through his grace. I also believe in 'common grace.' In a polarized society like ours, God can still furnish the providential blessings and restraints - as long as we don't treat opponents as enemies.

     "Follow Jeremiah 29:4-7 and try to bless rather than curse. Emphasize reporting that takes readers to people they might otherwise never meet or see and help us learn from others."