In the early 1960s, Otto Friedrich's essay in Harper's Magazine examined the complexities of establishing facts in journalism, specifically in newspapers. Titled "There Are 00 Trees in Russia," he discussed the importance of selecting and presenting facts accurately and interestingly. Despite the pressures of public perception, Friedrich noted the elusive nature of facts and the editorial tendency to seek documentation appearances, leading to strategies like using placeholders in reporting. His insights reveal the intricate relationship between journalism, facts, and public biases born from the socio-political context of the time.
Wrote Friedrich, "Journalism involves an effort to discover, select, and assemble certain facts, in a way that will be not only reasonably true but reasonably interesting."
"As a rule," continues Friedrich, facts are not scattered around so indiscriminately, like sequins ornamenting some drab material..." Sometimes, an "inundation of minutiae" reflects the notion that a "kn..."
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