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The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.
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“The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press.”

Ida B. Wells

Source
Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases
Date
1892
Meaning

Meaning of “The people must know before they can act,…”

Wells argues that public action against injustice depends on reliable information and therefore places special importance on journalism that investigates and publishes suppressed facts.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases (1892), “SELF-HELP,” represented by Project Gutenberg #14975. Wells writes “The people must know before they can act, and there is no educator to compare with the press” while explaining why Black newspapers needed resources to investigate and publish suppressed facts about lynching. This is historical anti-lynching journalism and civic argument, not a general empirical rule about media effects.

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CommunicationCourage Quotes About Acting Despite FearShortThought-Provoking Quotes That Invite ReflectionTruthWritingJusticePolitics
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Source details

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Source details

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Meaning & context

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Source details

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