Lesson 4: Storytelling Contrast

U.S presence in the middle east has been around for nearly 2 decades now. As a way to reduce troop causalities, unmanned missions have gained popularity. However, discussed in Jeremy Scahill’s “The Drone Papers”, foreign U.S policy enables the United States to launch a drone assault in a non-war zone.

Scahill’s article is a factual piece that aims to serve public interests. Aimed at a liberal audience, especially those who believe in a liberal press model and free flow of information – the article sheds light on the “hidden” U.S drone intervention policies.

At its very core, it presents the information similar to a blog or a TV series. The colour layout of the website is composed of dark contrasting colourings like red, white and black to evoke a sense of "sinisterism". The episodic layout, the black and white colour scheme directly translates to the story’s main idea, that is; to question the ethics of remote killings, the use of surveillance systems, intrusion on privacy and civilian casualties.

A commercialised brass model tank. War is represented everywhere in everyday media.

On the other hand, “The Making of a Narco Terrorist” by Ginger Thompson outlines unjust realities of “staged terrorism” by the United States.

Expressed through a basic visual medium, using comic illustrations, the author outlines how victims are lured to the U.S and prosecuted for links to terrorism despite the collapse of the authorities “alleged links”.

Writing for activists against the unethical Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) system. The legitimacy of the extradition, persecuting a person in another country, is questioned.

The main difference of these two stories is the method of delivery. The page layout of "The Drone Papers" is composed of facts, highlighted words and dense blocks of text, to deliver the information. On the other hand, “The Making of a Narco Terrorist” digest’s unethical practises of the DEA through blocks of “illustration” and short sentences.

Although there is more information in Scahill’s story, Thompson was able to convey 5 personalised stories, and shed light on the issues raised, with a single webpage.

What this means, as a professional practise, quantity should no longer be the focus but rather, understandability.

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Ginger Thompson, The Making of a Narco-Terrorist, ProPublica, December 15, 2015, Accessed on 27 November 2019. <https://projects.propublica.org/graphics/narco>

Jeremy Scahill, The Drone Papers, Leaked military documents expose the inner workings of Obama’s drone wars, The Intercept. October 15 2015. Accessed on 27 November 2019

<https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/the-assassination-complex/>.