Polly Toynbee and journalism

A letter to The Guardian:

Polly Toynbee writes (24 February) that journalists “précis a muddled reality into a narrative of right and wrong”.

However, the very best of journalists manage to combine a clear sense of morality with an understanding of the muddled and complex nature of reality – presenting a fully rounded picture to their audiences. Even those recounting horrors such as William L Shirer recounting the horrors of the 1930s and 1940s managed more than trite simplicities in explaining who did what and why.

The pressures and constraints of journalism often do call for shorter and simpler versions of the truth, but when the very best can manage to survive those pressures and avoid reducing stories to cartoon caricatures of heroes and devils, then so too should other journalists aspire to similar standards.

Yours etc.