Seymour Hersh

"Those who expose wrongdoing are often persecuted by the institutions they challenge"

"The pattern of power is to deny, delay, and ultimately forget"

"Journalism that does not challenge power is merely propaganda"

"Every citizen has a stake in understanding what their government does"

"Complacency is the natural enemy of a functioning democracy"

"Power will always choose self-interest over public interest when given the choice"

"The documents always tell the truth if you're willing to look"

"Institutional protection of wrongdoing is a form of corruption"

"The people have a right to know the true cost of war"

"Speaking truth to power requires accepting the consequences"

"Systems of control depend on compartmentalization and secrecy"

"History is replete with examples of covered-up crimes becoming public"

"The pursuit of accountability is never comfortable or popular"

"Those in power fear the exposure of their own hypocrisy most"

"Democracy requires an informed public and a transparent government"

"The machinery of war grinds on regardless of public knowledge or consent"

"Courage means continuing when institutions mobilize against you"

"Power corrupts most when operating without scrutiny"

"The cost of secrecy is always borne by the powerless"

"Truth-telling institutions are essential to human freedom"

"Those who benefit from injustice will always defend it"

"The public record is the only check on official mendacity"

"Institutional inertia protects wrongdoing more effectively than any conspiracy"

"The public rarely knows what it needs until journalists expose what powerful institutions have hidden."

"Investigative reporting requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to challenge authority."

"The most important stories are often the ones governments don't want told."

"A free press is the only real check on power."

"What you don't know can be more dangerous than what you do know."

"The truth has a way of emerging, regardless of how long it's buried."

"Accountability requires speaking truth to power, no matter the cost."