Raphael See Wrote:

   Ooorgh! That's the one thing I've been dreading about this fanfic:
how to balance the objectivity of journalism with the maniacal vendetta
that everyone in the Ranmaverse has against Ranma. I tried to get a good
balance, but it apparently isn't enough. Unfortunately, I can't think of
anything I can do about it since Noriko's blind fury is rather central to
the plot.

See?  She's a Kuno in disguise! ^_^

   Okay, I guess I'll have to tell you the whole story now to see if you
can suggest a different (more journalistic) way of doing it.

SPOILER!







   My plan was: have Noriko in her rashness print something truly evil
against Ranma, only to find out the truth after the fact. She would, of
course, be devastated by the un-journalistic behaviour she had just
exhibited, which would only be compounded when Mr. Watanabe calls Noriko
onto the carpet to answer for her crimes. Of course, Mr. Watanabe also
has to inform her that Principal Kuno *loved* the anti-Ranma story, and
has decided to continue to fund the paper after all. This would leave
Noriko with an ethical dilemma of whether to print the truth and almost
certainly lose the paper or to save the paper and allow the truth to be
supressed (don't worry; she makes the right decision, with some help, of
course).

Relax, Raphael - this DOES work.  One just has to make a point of
illustrating it as improper behaviour for someone in her position.  It is a
GOOD idea, and Zen will be very happy to see you finish it.

   Unfortunately, the entire story-arc here is based on the assumption
that Noriko loses her head and acts quite un-journalisticly, which is the
main problem people who have actually been involved in journalism have
with this story (as you can easily tell, I've never been involved in any
sort of journalistic publication whatsoever).

Don't worry about it too much.  As a *high school* paper, while yes, the
staff is going to try to maintain prefessional level integrity, they are
still just teenagers, subject to all of the pressures that that implies,
and will tend to be more easily seduced by the dark side of the force as it
were...

   This was the reason I was so hesitant to cast Noriko as an
editor-in-chief in the first place, since a newbie reporter could use the
excuse of ignorance for her actions, while an editor-in-chief would no
doubt be well aware of the wrongness of her actions. Maybe I could not
make her an editor? Good grief, that would require a lot of re-writing!
Any ideas?

Yes. LEAVE NORIKO THE EDITOR.  Her position is what makes her story tragic,
it is the force that provides the angst that drives the story.  It gives it
its impact.  This is good.  What you might do instead of any massive
rewrites (like Zen said, your premise is FINE! ^_^) is rather to have some
of her staff question her about what she is doing.

They will express concern, because she is no longer behaving like the
competent and ethical editor they have come to know and respect

She will be furious - the "mutinous" attitudes of some of her staff will
serve to intensify her loathing of Ranma, and she will become more
vindictive and careless - until she learns her lesson.

It will also give you a hook - a little conflict within the organization of
the paper itself that will enable you to bring out these issues in the
dialogue.

Your idea about the article she writes, and the Principal's reaction to it
- the truth and kill the paper, or lie and save the paper dilemma - is, in
Zen's opinion, inspired.  RUN WITH IT.

   Well, I had that in store, but only after the fact. If the bomb is
defused before its explosion, then much of the story is immediately
removed. Or, I suppose I could ditch my original idea and try to come up
with a more plausible one.

No no no no no.  Your idea is sound.  The WHOLE POINT is that Noriko is not
acting like a proper editor.  She is letting her biases get in the way of
her judgement.  In fact, it might be *particularly* effective if it is
Gosunkugi that is the one to point this out to her, but it can be anyone.

   Well, I tried to establish that Noriko already had a bias against
martial artists and violence and nonesuch, being human and having the
same prejudices and biases humans have (except, I suppose, good
journalists...there I go again). I guess I let the bias get
too out of hand. I also tried to establish that Noriko is a very *young*
editor-in-chief; while she certainly has the raw talent and ability to
head a paper, she doesn't have all of the discernment and experience to
sort feelings from facts (then again, if she didn't have enough
experience, how did she ever get the position?...aaarrrghh. Got me again.
Maybe this story won't work at all, no matter what I do with it.).

Zen says:  Quit second guessing yourself.  Please remember this.

The comments that have been made here are descriptions of how Noriko SHOULD
be behaving.  She is MISBEHAVING.  If she were NOT, there would be no
story.

GO FOR IT.  WRITE.  NOW!  ^_^

   Actually, if you look at it, there isn't much else you can blame the
paper situation on, other than Principal Kuno's pig-headedness. If Ranma
wasn't at Furinkan, none of the disasters and property damage would ever
transpire. Akane would continue to beat up the boys at school without
breaking walls, Ryoga would never show up, Shampoo would never show up,
Miss Hinako wouldn't need to come to Furinkan, etc. It really is (in an
indirect way) Ranma's fault, although he certainly didn't mean for any of
that to happen.

Certainly Ranma is a chaos magnet, but there is no telling who might have
taken his place.  Look what happened in Tomobiki Cho... ^_^

Kunou Kouchou doesn't like Ranma.  He is an ass.
Noriko-san doesn't like Ranma.  She is behaving like an ass.
One will grow up, the other will... not.

Good basis for a neat story if you ask Zen.

   So, in conclusion, I see and understand every complaint you have
against the story so far. You're right: Noriko is being very bull-headed
and un-journalistic, and the "Informer" isn't much like what a real
school newspaper should be. Unfortunately, the story depends on these
aspects for it to work, leaving me without many options. Any ideas?

But that aspect DOES work dammit!

    And by the way, I'm not bitter or mad. I'm *glad* you pointed out
these things to me, otherwise I might have cranked out a real stinker of
a story, with little regard to fact or reality. Thanks for the comments;
I just wish I could do something about them! Look for the next
installment...well, maybe not for a long time now.

The reality is that not all editors of high school papers can be objective
all of the time.  Case in point.  This *is* the story.  Go with it.


Zen the Heretic-
(Throwing in his two cents worth... hard!) ^_^