Journalism and reporting takes on many shades of yellow. Even when telling stories around the campfire, some can spin better yarns than others. The competition to create a darker and darker story seems endless. Many think they are ‘telling the truth’ when it is usually they are simply telling their versions or ‘side of the story’. Imagine an investigator trying to solve a crime, or an arbitrator attempting to get the ‘facts’ straight. What a puzzle!
First Rule of Investigation
I know one investigator who says the first rule of investigation is that everybody lies. Indeed it is so. The words we use and their personally attached interpretations, meanings and anchors often seriously complicate our ability to lift the fog of our misunderstandings.
Let’s examine one of my favorite misinterpretation quagmires which got my attention some time ago.
So a little background first. A long time ago there were crusaders. Crusaders sure sound like good guys, but are they? Depends on what the cause is and what you believe is the right way to handle it. Near the crusaders were reformers who were surely trying to bring knowledge to those they perceived were in need of enlightenment.
Who is the Good Guy?