By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
Over the past century or so, journalism has changed. In fact, it has come full circle. From Nelly Bly and the war mongering of William Randolph Hearst to the staid, serious reportage of Watergate, the process of disseminating news has again regressed to sensationalism, celebrity worship and worse. The reasons for this aren't too important — TV and the Internet are blamed — but the public is paying the price in less accurate coverage of important, life-altering events, superficial investigations, managed news and improper editorializing.
"The Story" is a play, new to Chicago, that opened on Tuesday at the Goodman Theater in the Loop and will run until April 10. It tells two parallel stories about newspapering in our time. The first deals with the stretching of the truth and is based loosely on the sad tale of Janet Cooke, a talented African-American reporter for the Washington Post who won a Pulitzer Prize for a story which, it developed, was made entirely of her own fictional ramblings. The prize was rescinded and the Post was chastised for its lack of journalistic integrity. Obviously, Cooke was fired. The issue raised was whether a story that was pure fiction but reflected a community problem (that of an eight-year-old heroin addict) should be told in a newspaper.
After all, it was argued, people read newspapers and depend on them to purvey the truth at all costs. The first amendment to the Constitution gives journalists the right and the responsibility to do it that way. The recent disgraceful retirement of newsman Dan Rather is another example of news being tainted by political opinion. People read papers to get the true story — fiction belongs in the bookstores of the nation.
The second element of "The Story" relates to the difficulties of minority groups trying to enter the mainstream of previously lily white enterprises — in this case, newspaper reporting. Yvonne (beautifully played by Lizzy Cooper Davis) is a bright, well educated and talented African American woman who gets a job with a major metropolitan newspaper. She is assigned to that section of the paper which euphemistically deals with "minority issues." She becomes bored with her news beat — mainly community events — and aspires to enter the mainstream of the paper's reporting.
An idealistic white teacher is gunned down on the streets of the city's ghetto. Yvonne, without proper authority, investigates the crime and in the course of her work, encounters a girl gang banger (Monet Butler). Yvonne's reporting has been criticized by her editor (Jacqueline Williams) for sloppy workmanship. Having fought her way to her present editorial position as the first black hired by the paper only 10 years earlier, the editor, Pat, wants to maintain the highest journalistic standards for her section of the paper. The struggle to advance creates the need for Yvonne to fudge the truth about the crime and her reporting of it. Here, we can define the difference between a good story and a true one.
Written by Tracey Scott Williams and directed by the Goodman's Chuck Smith, the play could have been a mushy response skirting the vague problems of present day news gathering. Instead, it comes across as a strong statement on both of the parallel issues. Supporting cast members create an ensemble that seems to belong in their respective jobs. Kevin McKillip as Jeff, Yvonne's white boyfriend and mentor, meets the challenge of a difficult role with ease. Patrick Sims as Neil, the other black reporter, also creates a role as an investigative reporter who ultimately uncovers Yvonne's lies. His dilemma rests with the discrediting of a fellow African-American at the cost of their hard-won prestige. The play certainly deserves a wide audience of people who grew up with newspapers and are now confused by what they have become.
The Goodman, at 170 N. Dearborn St., performs "The Story" Wednesday through Sunday evenings — with a Sunday matinee. Tickets are available through the Goodman box office or by calling (312) 443-3800. They are also available on line at goodmantheater.org. Ticket prices are scaled between $20 and $60. |
