sound bite

A short statement that is remarkable in some way, typically one that has been recorded, often excerpted from a longer speech, interview, press conference, etc., especially as used during a news report or something similar. The soundbite used in the news report was taken completely out of context, creating an implication of criminal intent that is completely absence when the full recording is heard. I interviewed him for two hours but didn't get any soundbites—everything he says is so boring.

A short, striking, quotable statement well suited to a television news program. For example, He's extremely good at sound bites, but a really substantive speech is beyond him. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1980, originated in political campaigns in which candidates tried to get across a particular message or get publicity by having it picked up in newscasts.

A brief, catchy excerpt from a speech or interview made on television or the radio that is widely repeated on news programs. Although there have been many such oft-quoted statements, the term dates only from about 1980. Sound bites are used particularly often during election campaigns, in which candidates try to get across a single message or obtain publicity through its repetition. Sometimes the term is used disparagingly, suggesting that the speaker had nothing more substantive to say.