The New Journalism

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WhoWhatWhereWhen . . . WHY??

“The original Five W’s can be repurposed to greater effect. For example, instead of asking ‘What happened?,’ a journalist in 2017 might ask, “What kind of God would allow this to happen?,’ ‘What the actual f**k?,’ or ‘What’s the point?’ 

“Similarly, instead of asking, ‘Where did this event take place?,’ you might ask, ‘Where did it all go wrong?’ 

“In lieu of ‘Why did this event take place?,’ try ‘Why do bad things happen to good people?,’ ‘Why do we live in this benighted, fallen world?,’ or simply, ‘Why . . . Why . . . Why?’ 

“These are the questions that people want answered.”

—Luke Burns, writer, “Additions to the Five Journalistic W’s,” The New Yorker, Jan. 31, 2017.

• Editorial Comment: And HOW the heck do we get out of this?

PeezPix by Ted Pease

The Big Tuna












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“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard