The Whole Story

Posted by Marc Hodak on December 17, 2007 under Scandal | Read the First Comment

Isn’t that what everybody wants?

No.

First of all “The Whole Story” is more boring than the story based on selected facts and biased interpretations. Any time a reader has a choice between a “whole story” and a “good story,” guess which one they’ll buy and which goes into the stack of unread manuscripts?

Second, “The Whole Story” is uneconomical to produce. Most stories are outlined based on facts that have already captured people’s interest (“good story” facts) before they are written up. Once the story is outlined, the story-writers job is to get the interviews and documentary support before a deadline. The worst thing that could happen under deadline pressure is uncovering information that undermines the impact of the story by providing nuance or inconsistent evidence. So, given their limited time and energy under a deadline, how much time will a writer spend chasing down the “other side” of the story, even if contrary evidence is left in their inbox? Especially if that evidence will be met with skepticism by the reader, anyway?

Third, “The Whole Story” is impossible to obtain. Even if a journalist had plenty of resources and time, and they were able to amass all the information into a plausible time line with all of the player’s motives candidly volunteered in a blizzard of interviews, it would not be the whole story. Every historical event or figure has an almost unlimited amount that can be written about them. A historian tracking a recent event, where all the players are still alive, will invariably miss witnesses who have no incentive to volunteer their version, which may offer a valuable perspective. A historian tracking a distant event or figure will invariably miss a welter of material that might have provided key insights. Every time we discover a cache of letters by the relative of some major historical figure, we end up with a new take on the past.

Of course, most people producing words and images for mass consumption aren’t even trying.