Suggestion For Closet Storytellers

 

Journalism should come out of the closet.

 

No, not that one.

 

The secret of most journalists is that they are closet writers and storytellers. Although hiding in the personas of just-the-facts reporters, they exert a very strong influence over public discourse, turning what should be a recital of facts into a compelling drama.

 

Take the current Swine Flu situation, or, if you prefer, the H1N1 virus situation. After almost a week of conflicting but widely and wildly trumpeted stories in all media, this paragraph in a GlobalPost report by Christine Gorman sums up what is known quite nicely:

 

“The WHO had received notice of 114 cases of human swine flu from seven countries. Officially, eight people have died — seven in Mexico and one in the U.S. The death in the U.S., reported Wednesday, was of a 23-month-old child in Texas.”

 

Other than adding that the toddler who died was visiting from Mexico, those few facts from the World Health Organization cover most of what’s known.

 

But while those are the confirmed facts, they don’t make much of a story. Stories have beginnings that introduce the characters, middle parts that show the characters in conflict, and endings that wrap up all loose threads.

 

Saying eight persons have died from an apparently new variety of a disease that kills 36,000 Americans annually doesn’t generate much drama, so the first question aimed at President Obama at his Wednesday new conference was, according to a Huffington Post transcript:

 

“With the flu outbreak spreading and worsening, can you talk about whether you think it's time to close the border with Mexico and whether -- under what conditions you might consider quarantining, when that might be appropriate?”

 

Ignore that our record on closing the border with Mexico for any reason isn’t stellar. The question isn’t asking for facts, it’s suggesting a plot development and asking for a episode synopsis.

 

That’s necessary for storytelling, and generally follows the plot outline of the 1918 flu epidemic, which is boy meets girl/boy infects girl/boy and girl die. Closing borders and establishing quarantines are dramatic events, and both stories and storytellers need drama.

 

Which is why the core of the common-sense answer from No Drama Obama probably frustrated the storytellers: “But the most important thing right now that public health officials have indicated is that we treat this the same way that we would treat other flu outbreaks, just understanding that, because this is a new strain, we don't yet know how it will respond.”

 

President Obama also noted that a border closing would be “akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out, because we already have cases here in the United States,” and reminded us all to wash our hands, cover our coughs stay home when we’re sick.

 

Good, solid advice, but certainly not as dramatic as repeated use of “pandemic.” Or photos of folks wearing masks, which may not provide much protection but make great visuals. Or governors declaring states of emergency, even if the emergency they have in mind is that their name has been missing for three news cycles.

 

It will be a while before this all shakes out, but until then, here’s a  suggestion that will allow news consumers to know when they’re about to read reporting or storytelling. It’s a simple style change, really. Here’s an example, for a reporting story from the nation’s capitol:

 

WASHINGTON – President Obama etc.

 

The other is for story-telling:

 

ONCE UPON A TIME IN WASHINGTON – President Obama etc.

 

###

Back To Top