Radical Transparency

(in case the other blogs need a friend)

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journalism

October 06, 2008

Headlines with Chinese Characteristics

When my family visited me in Beijing a few years ago, they fell in love with China Daily.

They read it every day and laughed hysterically every time.  Real life comedy.  Uncomfortably real.  But funny.

Maybe Seinfeld is to The Office as The Onion is to China Daily. 

Well.  Not quite.  But if China Daily wasn't being serious, then yes.  And, after seeing the top of page headline on the website just now, I find it extremely unlikely that no one in that news and translation room isn't joking.

Americans Cut Back On Life After Bailout

I love it.
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September 21, 2008

Lies, Storytelling, and Writing as a Business

I'm reading East of Eden, and I was about to make a post about Steinbeck's incredible talent for introducing characters and how excited I am that I have 500 more pages in this beast and have only just met Samuel Hamilton, who is, already, after nothing but one of those amazing introductions, well on his way toward becoming one of my favorite characters of all time.

But then I read this, smack in the middle of another Steinbeck character introduction, and I had to change course:

I think the difference between a lie and a story is that a story utilizes the trappings and appearance of truth for the interest of the listener as well as of the teller.  A story has in it neither gain or loss.  But a lie is a device for profit or escape.  I suppose if that definition is strictly held to, then a writer of stories is a liar - if he is financially fortunate.

Think of the implications for journalism.  Think of the big newspapers, the big news organizations, and why they publish what they publish and with what extra emphases or embellishments. 

Think of selling out, of playing for the love, of the difference between an amazing debut album from a totally unknown band and the second, big label sponsored album that follows it up.

Think of Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope.  Dreams is real and heartfelt and shows that Barack Obama is an exceptionally thoughtful and compassionate person.  Audacity, on the other hand, feels political and written, in part at least, in search of support: votes, money, big name stumping, etc.

And think of Steinbeck.  He wrote East of Eden in 1952.  He had already published quite a bit before that.  Of Mice and Men came out in 1937, The Grapes of Wrath in 1939.  He was already critically acclaimed, and I wonder how financially fortunate that had made him.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but, regardless, I think it's important to explore stories, lies, exaggeration, and the motivations for them all.  Accurately cataloged details don't always communicate truth as well as re-crafted narrative, but put those re-crafting tools in the wrong hands, and beware.
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