Media Quotes of the Week: From journalists can choose to be despicable or noble, shallow or profound and why a free press is like a sausage

Chinese journalist Yang Jisheng, who was awarded the Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism by the Nieman Fellows at Harvard but not allowed to leave China to collect it in person, in a speech quoted in the New York Times: "I fervently love the profession of journalism. ... This is a profession that is despicable and noble, banal and sacred, shallow and profound, all depending on the conscience, character and values of the individual journalist. The truly professional journalist will choose the noble, sacred, profound and perilous, and remain aloof from the despicable, mundane, shallow and comfortable."

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, after it was announced 100 editorial jobs are to go at the Guardian Media Group: "This is a major blow for the staff of the Guardian and Observer and for journalism as a whole. We will oppose any compulsory redundancies. This news together with the loss of jobs as the Independent newspapers fold presents a very worrying situation for the future of newspapers."

The Times [£] in a leader on council newspapers: "Nine councils, including four London Labour strongholds, are still publishing fortnightly or monthly titles. The law lets them publish four times a year at most. They are calculating accurately and cynically that the government does not want the expense of taking them to court. It is time it made an example of them in the interests of democracy and free speech."

Ian Burrell in the Independent on the relations between the press and the Royals: "There are signs that the public – more than ever drawn to noisy extremes – is a bit bored of a princess who is elegant but reticent and a prince who thinks he deserves the life of a Norfolk squire. They will need to be seen to match the work rate of William’s grandparents if they are to be considered global ambassadors worthy of their publicly funded lifestyles. The Firm’s fortunes, and the quality of its press, will briefly revive in April for the Queen’s 90th birthday. After that, the Royals and their once-faithful chroniclers need to patch up their differences, or be left without a purpose."

Tom Richmond, comment editor of the Yorkshire Post, on why the paper turned down a by-lined piece by David Cameron saying how much he loved Yorkshire and the Humber in support of English Tourism Week: "The Prime Minister’s piece began with the words 'I love Yorkshire & the Humber' and was designed to highlight some of this region’s attractions and why this is the UK’s premier visitor destination...And then the insincere – some would say sham – nature of this media operation became clear. The Herald, Plymouth’s newspaper, published a piece from Mr Cameron which began with the words 'I love Cornwall and Isles of Scilly'. It did not end here. The Newcastle Chronicle carried a piece that started like this: 'I love Northumberland.' And the same in the Lincolnshire Echo: 'I love Lincolnshire'.”

Alastair Campbell in the Observer on the EU debate: "More than in any such debate I can remember, large chunks of the press have totally given up on properly informing the public. The Mail, Sun, Express and Star in particular, and to a lesser extent the Telegraph and, on a bad day, The Times, are becoming propaganda sheets for one side of the argument."

Student journalist Rebecca Pinnington, quoted by the Independent,  after being threatened with being dismissed from University College London for obtaining classified forecasts showing that the university expected to generate increased income from student accommodation: “I felt intimidated, anxious and scared. As a student journalist I felt sad because this was information that was interesting and integral to student life, but it was made very clear that if I were to publish anything more I could lose my degree.”

Sun editor Tony Gallagher ‏@tonygallagher on Twitter: "Disgraceful behaviour from UCL." 

Brian Flynn, who has taken redundancy after 20 years at the Sun, quoted by Press Gazette: “Genuinely supporting a free press is like being a meat eater having to deal with how a sausage is made. You'd prefer not to think about it, and it probably tastes better if you don't, but whether you like it or not you can't have the product without the process."

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