Getting history right
I have been pondering the importance of getting history right – making sure the facts are truly facts.
In academia, we send out our research to peer review in the hopes of getting published. These readers can determine if the methodology is strong or if the right literature is cited. What they can typically not determine is if the story is complete.
That is why I was so pleased to get the following email from Irene Nolan, formerly of the Louisville Courier Journal. (I interviewed her a few years ago for my article about Carol Sutton, a former women’s page editor and the first female managing editor of a major metro daily, who is pictured above.) Irene wrote:
“In the last almost 25 years since everything the events that unfolded in Louisville, I have spoken to many reporters — about the Binghams, the sale, Gannett. This is the first time that I felt like a reporter really understood what I was saying. I think Carol would have approved of the way you portrayed her life and career.”
It was great to know that my version of history was correct.
