A good newspaper is never quite good enough but a lousy newspaper is a joy forever.

Keillor’s quip plays on the asymmetry of satisfaction: competent journalism quickly becomes an expected baseline, so even a “good” paper feels perpetually improvable—there is always another story missed, another bias to correct, another investigation to pursue. By contrast, a “lousy” newspaper provides enduring entertainment precisely because its flaws are conspicuous and repeatable: sensationalism, errors, and shallow coverage become a reliable source of mockery. The line also hints at a civic warning. When readers treat bad news as “joy,” they may reward low standards with attention, while serious reporting—harder, costlier, less gratifying—struggles to be appreciated.