tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post3200457395688699779..comments2024-02-05T10:41:31.777-05:00Comments on I Saw Lightning Fall: The WSJ Gets All FlashyLoren Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-56698250999106349712010-12-16T08:51:47.967-05:002010-12-16T08:51:47.967-05:00In all fairness to the WSJ, they didn't ask th...In all fairness to the <i>WSJ</i>, they didn't ask the authors to comment <i>specifically</i> on WikiLeaks; they said, "How will the era of WikiLeaks change the world of spying?" Unfortunately, two of the authors recycled the name, which opens them up to criticism. I viewed the stories as referencing a similar fictional organization that had endangered far more lives (although the jury does seem out on whether or not the first round of leaks put Pakistani informants at risk).Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-91545092984538964142010-12-16T00:31:41.913-05:002010-12-16T00:31:41.913-05:00I finally got around to reading some WikiLeaks, as...I finally got around to reading some WikiLeaks, as well as STRATFOR's excellent analysis. (If you're at all interested in geopolitics, btw, a free weekly e-mail subscription to STRATFOR is a must.) My conclusions bring up an interesting point, regarding fiction and responsibility.<br /><br />Specifically, it seems very clear that the leaks were low enough level to not significantly harm American interests. More to the point, I see no evidence that innocent lives were put at stake. If so, this makes the WSJ's explicit link of their published fiction to nonfiction events problematic, and perhaps dishonest.<br /><br />If the claim had been made in an editorial, the WSJ could apologize--many news sources print corrections and apologies. Yet it wasn't, and fiction gives them insulation from the need to apologize. <br /><br />The question: what truth-requirements are placed on stories printed in a newspaper? How important is context?Chestertonian Ramblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01550643992523840950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-71201316962388747452010-12-07T08:27:40.430-05:002010-12-07T08:27:40.430-05:00Ben,
I guess the stories do all have a similar pe...Ben,<br /><br />I guess the stories do all have a similar perspective, although I didn't think they were particularly overweening. The WSJ readers' reactions seem to have largely been, "Why the heck is this in my paper?!" Which is a shame, because I loved the that the editorial staff dipped their toes in this particular pond.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-5043529570847687722010-12-07T08:26:02.290-05:002010-12-07T08:26:02.290-05:00CR,
Yeah, Carr's was good, too. A bit dark, t...CR,<br /><br />Yeah, Carr's was good, too. A bit dark, though. Guess I was in a lighter mood when I read them on the plane.<br /><br />Berenson's piece was odd, especially since the paper led with it on the front of the entertainment section. I read the "ending" twice, thinking I'd missed something. Nope, just a nice fragment without a conclusion.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-23267718866958650542010-12-06T23:28:58.196-05:002010-12-06T23:28:58.196-05:00Siler/Carr's worked for me as well, at least a...Siler/Carr's worked for me as well, at least as a solid flash story rather than thinly disguised polemic.<br /><br />From what I can see though, all three pieces are adopting a single side in the matter being discussed, which made the whole thing appear about as balanced and convincing as <i>The Green Zone</i>. (How different if Finder's protag had instead been chasing the people who leaked the information in the first place?)<br /><br />In the end, how this affects flash fiction openings with WSJ and others will depend more on the WSJ audience's reaction to the pieces, and that, it would seem, is anybody's guess.Ben Mannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03237990156034508963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-6932786134369463482010-12-06T14:09:27.048-05:002010-12-06T14:09:27.048-05:00I really liked Carr's, myself.
Also, is it ju...I really liked Carr's, myself.<br /><br />Also, is it just me, or is the only one that isn't a full story (Benerson's) also the one that's least well written? I wonder if there's something in the nature of Flash Fiction that makes a reader use what little space he has well, as opposed to novels where one can resort to cliched phrases in the hope that your overall plot will engage the reader.Chestertonian Ramblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01550643992523840950noreply@blogger.com