Chapter 11: What Counts as a (News/His) Story?: Whose (News/His) Story?

While it has been commonplace for social studies and other educators and researchers to complain about media treatment, and I have done my share, I have come to consider that we have more in common than might be apparent. In this essay, my intent is to explore two key issues that I see as germane both to the news media and to history and its teaching as well as the tensions between them. One is “What counts as a story as in news story and history?” The second, “Whose news/his story?” probes questions of access or whose/which story gets told. A third might well examine the impact of consolidation in its various forms, but that is a story for another time. I end with some reflections on these issues in terms of improving communication with the press and, consequently, the general public.