This is a first attempt to analyze how an event can be transformed into news story and then, on into a fictionalized narrative.
This is a simplified generic profile, but I welcome any input on corrections and ommissions.
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| How an Unexplained Event Can Evolve into a Myth |
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EVENT: Partial Information from Aftermath, Witnesses, Official Report etc. |
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Media Coverage: Seeks to fill information void with comments from: Witnesss (and their associates) Investigators or Officials Experts |
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Official Investigation: Information is gathered, theories and suspects are considered. |
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Confusing or Mistaken details enter the narrative. |
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Speculative comments begin being repeated, creating a feedback loop of corrupted data. |
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Attempt at Event Reconstruction: Speculative Narrative is created, sometimes with Artwork, Animation, Reenactment. |
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Officials cannot match public's appetite for details. |
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Public circulation of tales mixing fact and fiction. |
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Media dramatization of case continues, may be linked to emotional, cultural or political hot-button issues. |
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Officials may repeat details of Media coverage in reports, making them "official". While trying to squash rumors, may feed them. |
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Public memory fades or just remembers sensationalized elements. |
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Media may tire of case before Official investigation complete. |
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Public "knows" what really happened, but is lied to by the Officals and the Media. |
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Media Response: Accusations of Official Incompetence or Cover-Up. |
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Official Explanation: If it comes, always less dramatic than the Media coverage. |
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Fable, Parable or Myth is born. Fictionalized story, often with large doses of injustice and paranoia. |
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In case this does not format properly or is difficult to view, see the original at:
How an Unexplained Event Can Evolve into a Myth
I put this together after failing to find anything that quite dealt with the concepts I was examining. The closest thing I've read on it it Flat Earth News by Nick Davies. Any reccomendations on further reading are welcome.