Editor's note: Causing “good trouble” through journalismPaul A. Kramer of Vanderbilt University argues for seven story approaches that can help us address social issues, writing in the introduction: “The best works of narrative nonfiction about social issues address a particular social reality, call it into question, draw its critical attention, and convince readers that its existence and continuance are not inevitable.”
The rhetorical reconstruction's conclusion reminds the writer that reporting requires a thoughtful process, warns against excess, and emphasizes the work's value to society.
By Paul A. Kramer
Social change journalism: risks and rewards
Stories that explore social issues are at the heart of good journalism. As society and the problems it entails become more complex, we propose rethinking classic projects that can highlight journalism's primary mission:
To be clear, these seven categories don’t refer to any specific, all-encompassing type of work, but rather to the tasks a story can perform and the goals it can achieve. The richest journalistic works combine these tasks in subtle and complex ways.
For example, a writer might present a new problem to grab the reader's attention while at the same time making it more real and urgent, helping the reader feel solidarity with those most affected.Ideally, no matter which of these tasks a writer tackles, they should blend them together so that the reader can experience them effortlessly as a whole.
A writer's focus on a project may also shift as they report and write. They may begin with the intention of uncovering a problem, re-identifying its causes, or building cohesion, only to discover that the story they're researching requires a different reframing or combination of the two. The writer's research shifts into the drafting process, where, sentence by sentence, they must address their reader's questions. Who among their readers do they most want to reach? There is rarely one big dramatic decision point. There is no clear roadmap for this work, just small incremental choices that build on each other.
Focus on those affected by the problem
Are there limitations to writing non-fiction about society through the lens of social problems? First, of course, the language of “problems” is abstract, and like any abstraction, it runs the risk of sapping and making meaningless the harsh realities of life. It is therefore worth emphasizing that when writing about “social problems”, one is always writing about people: problems that permeate and structure people's experiences, their relationships with each other, the institutions they build and live within. The story is not about the “problem” itself; it is a story about how people experience it, how it is ingrained in their lives, how people think about it, relate to it, live with it, and struggle against it.
Of course, it's also a question of who is to blame for the problem and whose interests, power, profits, and status are enhanced by it. It's a question of the people who planted the seeds of the problem and continued to nurture it. It's also a question of the work they did to legitimize and normalize the problem, part of which was to ensure that it wasn't seen as a problem in the first place. It may not be your goal to upset these people, but they won't be happy if you do, especially if you're doing your job effectively.
An issues-centered approach also has practical limitations. Readers pick up nonfiction for myriad purposes that have little to do with a desire to delve into society's thorniest problems. They want to travel, meet new people, access quick, useful information, learn something new, or even have a good time listening to a writer and experiencing the pleasure of well-crafted words. When social issues exert too strong a gravitational pull, readers lose the other benefits they expect and run away.
But it's worth thinking about the limits of problem-centrism, both politically and ethically. A text that starts too confidently from a comfortable, shrink-wrapped sense of the problem can come across as authoritarian. The world of the text is designed around the problem, and every beat and detail of the story is machined to make it dramatic. Such a text communicates that nothing should be left to chance, or to the reader.
In contrast, the best stories of social change guide the reader's political and moral imagination without specifying a single, fixed destination. They offer rich, infinite surfaces, textures, and moments that can never be reduced to the issues the author wants to highlight. In this way, they offer the reader unpredictable, possibly transformative encounters that involve issues of which the author was previously unaware.
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Paul A. Kramer He is an associate professor at Vanderbilt University where he teaches history and non-fiction writing. He is the author of several academic studies and essays published in major news sites. His book, “The Blood of Government,” has won several awards, including being a finalist in the Social Sciences category of the Philippine National Book Awards.
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