{"id":7934,"date":"2024-09-23T00:02:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T05:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/?p=7934"},"modified":"2025-06-19T19:41:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T00:41:33","slug":"the-rise-of-newspapers-crime-corruption-and-the-virtues-of-a-free-press-an-appreciation-of-terry-pratchetts-the-truth-the-2024-prometheus-hall-of-fame-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/the-rise-of-newspapers-crime-corruption-and-the-virtues-of-a-free-press-an-appreciation-of-terry-pratchetts-the-truth-the-2024-prometheus-hall-of-fame-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"The rise of newspapers, crime, corruption and the virtues of a free press: An Appreciation of Terry Pratchett\u2019s The Truth, the 2024 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Prometheus Blog continues its Appreciation series with an essay-review describing how Terry Pratchett’s The Truth<\/em>, the 2024 inductee into the Prometheus Hall of Fame, fits the focus of the Prometheus Award.<\/p>\n

By Michael Grossberg<\/a><\/p>\n

The truth shall make you free.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And The Truth\u00a0<\/em>shall make you laugh, while sparking a better appreciation of freedom \u2013 especially freedom of the press.<\/p>\n

Terry Pratchett\u2019s comic fantasy, winner of the 2024 Prometheus Hall of Fame award for Best Classic Fiction, tells a smart, sly and ultimately inspirational tale of underdogs seeking the truth against formidable opposition.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderdogs,\u201d though, might be a potentially confusing word to describe this richly diverse tale, the 25th\u00a0<\/sup>novel in the late author\u2019s bestselling Discworld series. After all, Discworld brims with self-aware species of all sorts \u2013 humans, dwarves, vampires, trolls, werewolves, zombies and, in this whimsical story, a grumpy, canny dog eager to talk humans out of believing that he can talk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In The Truth, <\/em>the metaphorical underdogs are a small band of fledgling journalists beginning to discover the powers (and limitations) of the press.<\/p>\n

They learn the ropes \u2013 actually, creating some of the \u201cropes\u201d – by reporting, writing, editing and publishing the first modern newspaper in Discworld\u2019s city of Ankh-Morpork.<\/p>\n

THE LURE OF SENSATIONALISM<\/strong><\/p>\n

The newbie staff face significant obstacles, diversions, and temptations. Yet, the journalists\u2019 dedication to their new vocation helps them overcome myriad challenges to printing and distributing a daily newspaper.<\/p>\n

Among their challenges: the treacherous currents of city politics and turf-challenging objections by the local police authorities, not to mention the fickle tastes of the masses, the corresponding lures of sensationalism and the tricky art of headline writing.<\/p>\n

As if all that weren\u2019t enough, the staff must deal with competition from a rival newspaper with ulterior owners\u2019 motives and a penchant to publish fanciful and frivolous \u201chuman interest\u201d stories about allegedly magical disappearances and vegetables grown into unmentionable shapes.<\/p>\n

WORDS ABOUT DE WORDE<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the center of Pratchett\u2019s witty and twisty tale is William de Worde, a younger son of the city\u2019s nobility who\u2019s been writing a limited-distribution newsletter for a handful of wealthy foreigners curious about the developing city\u2019s business.<\/p>\n

De Worde accidentally discovers the power of the press when he\u2019s struck and bruised on the street by a dwarf-led cart containing the world\u2019s first printing press. Talk about literalizing a metaphor! \u2013 something that Pratchett has\u00a0 lots of fun exploring throughout the novel via his playful use of different metaphors.<\/p>\n

Seizing on the possibilities of his chance encounter with dwarf Gunilla Goodmountain, who has just invented the printing press, de Worde gradually begins to imagine the possibilities of writing a daily publication that might appeal to larger numbers of readers in different ways and might be sold on the streets.<\/p>\n

A NOSE FOR NEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harnessing Gunilla\u2019s industrious team of fast-working metal-typesetting dwarves, de Worde upgrades his elite newspaper step by step into a mass-appeal daily.<\/p>\n

And voila: the Ankh-Morpork Times<\/em>is born!<\/p>\n

Its mast subhead: \u201cThe Truth Shall Make Ye Free,\u201d\u00a0<\/em>although a bad typo initially makes it \u201cThe Truth Shall Make Ye Fret.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Joining the plucky newspaper staff are Sacharissa Cripslock, a practical young lady with a talent for writing catchy headlines; and photographer Otto Chriek, an idealistic reformed vampire who eschews human blood.<\/p>\n

Otto\u2019s poignant eagerness to record the news with flash pictures subjects him to repeated and potentially fatal exposures to bright light. (Fortunately, vampires can be regenerated if other newspaper staffers douse his remains with a few strategic drops of blood.)<\/p>\n

De Worde, meanwhile, has his work cut out for him when his reporting and investigation of an apparent crime impeaching the reputation of one of the city\u2019s most respected elite upsets political, business and religious interests.<\/p>\n

WATCHDOGS AND THE WATCH<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Truth\u00a0<\/em>underscores the historic role of newspapers as watchdogs of authority by centering the plot on De Worde\u2019s risky investigation of an out-of-character crime (initially viewed as murder) by city leader Lord Vetinari.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Watch, Ankh-Morpork\u2019s police\/detective agency, plays a key role in The Truth,\u00a0<\/em>just as it did even more in Pratchett\u2019s\u00a0Night Watch<\/em>, the 2003 Prometheus Best Novel winner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both novels reveal the workings of The Watch with a fan-favorite focus on Commander Vimes, a recurring character in many Discworld novels.<\/p>\n

Both the newspaper reporters and The Watch strive to do their work despite entrenched interests and political pressures that make the fight against crime more difficult, just as it often is in reality.<\/p>\n

Although initial \u201cfacts\u201d imply Vetinari\u2019s guilt, de Worde learns that appearances can be deceiving, that witnesses and authorities can be mistaken or otherwise unreliable.<\/p>\n

An ethical journalist, de Worde inadvertently creates powerful enemies and stiff competition from The Inquirer,\u00a0<\/em>an enemy-funded rival paper more interested in perpetuating popular prejudices and spinning yarns that sell.<\/p>\n

Overall, Pratchett achieves both a satisfying crime\/mystery and an imaginative saga that dramatizes how good journalism can assist in dispelling false rumors and sometimes can even help avert injustice.<\/p>\n

HOW REAL LIFE INFORMS THE TALE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Terry Pratchett (Creative Commons license)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Truth\u00a0<\/em>benefits from Pratchett\u2019s inside knowledge of the daily grind of journalism. Having left school at 17 for a job writing for a local UK newspaper, the late author was familiar with the ups and downs of daily reporting.<\/p>\n

Along with Pratchett\u2019s background in journalism, The Truth\u00a0<\/em>is enriched by Pratchett\u2019s wry wisdom and very British understanding of human folly, stupidity and bureaucracy.<\/p>\n

As most newspaper reporters learn early on, whether on Earth or on Discworld, finding the truth is never automatic or easy \u2013 especially within the political pressures, criminal elements and diverse citizenry of a bustling city.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In reality, truth tends to emerge gradually, one difficult-to-verify fact at a time. Pratchett instinctively grasps the epistemic modesty of the great Austrian economist\/liberal political theorist Friedrich Hayek (The Road to Serfdom, The Constitution of Liberty, The Use of Knowledge in Society)\u00a0<\/em>about the limits of knowledge and the near-impossibility of central government planning in a dynamic modern economy and multifaceted world.<\/p>\n

A LIVE-AND-LET-LIVE PHILOSOPHY\u2028<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of Pratchett\u2019s subtler but most heartfelt themes is his libertarian live-and-let-live philosophy.<\/p>\n

That tolerant perspective is embodied in de Worde, Pratchett\u2019s veritable alter ego. De Worde insists on treating everyone around him with the same respect \u2013 whether highborn or of low caste, and no matter what form they take.<\/p>\n

To De Worde, humans, dwarves, vampires, trolls, zombies and the other motley citizens of Ankh-Morpork deserve basic respect for their dignity and rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.<\/p>\n

WRY LESSONS IN HISTORY
\n<\/strong>
\nLike other Discworld novels, The Truth\u00a0<\/em>offers amusing albeit implicit history lessons illuminating how modern society and its liberal\/libertarian order arose, warts and all.<\/p>\n

Pratchett is most widely known for the tongue-in-cheek style and constant wit of his fantasy series, which helped lift his overall sales to more than 100 million copies worldwide.<\/p>\n

Yet just as important from a libertarian\/classical liberal perspective is how well Pratchett weaves into his inventive Discworld-building a deeper appreciation for progress as it actually has occurred in history (often messily and serendipitously, to be sure, but largely through the diffused discovery process of freer societies.)<\/p>\n

Pratchett grasped how important freedom and free markets have been in spurring such progress, and those truths are reflected in many of his Discworld novels, including The Truth.<\/em><\/p>\n

FOUNDATIONS OF FREEDOM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pratchett\u2019s broadest insights reflect his appreciation for pluralism and the decentralized hustle and bustle of developing societies more open to freedom and innovation.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a key excerpt from the novel that reveals his worldly insight and humor in evoking such themes:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure we can pull together, sir,\u201d William responds when the Patrician (Lord Vetinari) asks him not to upset Commander Vimes \u201cmore than necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Raising his eyebrows at William\u2019s reply, the Patrician responds:<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I do hope not, I really do hope not. Pulling together is the aim of despotism and tyranny. Free men pull in all kinds of directions.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiled. \u201cIt\u2019s the only way to make progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

British writer\/columnist Matt Ridley ((How Innovation Works, and Why It Flourishes in Freedom<\/a>, <\/em>\u00a0The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves), <\/em>one\u00a0of the most brilliant thinkers of the 21st\u00a0century, couldn\u2019t have said it better.<\/p>\n

MODERNITY, TECHNOLOGY AND LIBERTY<\/strong><\/p>\n

In several ways a key novel in the Discworld series, which previously focused more on magic, The Truth\u00a0<\/em>explores technology (the printing press, photography) that helps spur the transformation of a primitive society toward modernity.|<\/p>\n

WhileThe Truth\u00a0<\/em>deliciously skewers the newspaper business for its fallibility, populist biases and other flaws, Pratchett nevertheless plausibly underscores the vital role of a free and independent press in pursuing the truth, no matter the pressures and presumptions of power.<\/p>\n

Pratchett\u2019s<\/em>surprisingly serious defense of truth and liberty is all the more relevant in today\u2019s era of misinformation and manipulation, even by elite media-government interests who wish to suppress free speech and the free press in the name of \u201cthe truth\u201d while failing to look in the mirror at their own biases, distortions and inaccuracies.<\/p>\n

Without undermining its story or humor with preaching, The Truth\u00a0<\/em>reminds us how the rise of newspapers and the associated spread of literacy became bulwarks of liberty and valuable (if imperfect) checks on tyranny and other abuses of State power.<\/p>\n

First published by Harper in 2000, The Truth\u00a0<\/em>has remained one of Pratchett\u2019s enduring bestsellers, its popularity buoyed not only by sly jokes and rich humor but also by its persuasive depiction of the truth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Note: This Appreciation is an edited, updated, tightened and revised version of the Prometheus Blog review of The Truth<\/em><\/a> that appeared earlier this year when Pratchett’s novel was one of four Hall of Fame finalists.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Terry Pratchett in 2012. (Creative Commons license)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Biographical note: <\/strong>Terry Pratchett (1948-2015), a bestselling British sf\/fantasy writer, is best known for the 41 comic-fantasy novels of his Discworld series.<\/p>\n

Pratchett\u2019s fiction has been translated into 43 languages.<\/p>\n

He won his first Prometheus Award for Best Novel in 2003 for Night Watch. <\/em>Check out the Prometheus Blog’s Appreciation of Night Watch<\/em> here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Pratchett also was nominated for Prometheus Awards for Raising Steam<\/em>, a 2015 Best Novel finalist; The Long War<\/em>, co-authored by Stephen Baxter and a 2014 Best Novel nominee; Snuff,\u00a0<\/em>a 2012 Best Novel finalist; and The Truth,\u00a0<\/em>a 2001 Best Novel finalist. All but The Long War,\u00a0<\/em>part of a five-novel parallel-earth series, are Discworld novels.<\/p>\n

* See the video<\/a> of the 44th Prometheus Awards ceremony.<\/p>\n

* The 44th Prometheus awards show, recorded by LFS Webmaster Chris Hibbert, has been posted on the LFS website\u2019s Video page<\/a> and on Youtube.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS:<\/strong><\/p>\n

* Prometheus winners:\u00a0<\/strong>For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees \u2013 including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the enhanced\u00a0Prometheus Awards page<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>on the LFS website, which now includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards\u2019 distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.<\/p>\n

* Read \u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/strong><\/a>an essay in the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/em>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Watch <\/strong>videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies (including the recent 2023 ceremony<\/a> with inspiring and amusing speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Dave Freer<\/a> and Sarah Hoyt)<\/a>, Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog\u2019s\u00a0Video page.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s Facebook page<\/a><\/strong> for comments, updates and links to Prometheus Blog posts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>*\u00a0Join us! <\/em><\/strong>To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, \u00a0join<\/a> the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans.<\/p>\n

Libertarian futurists believe that culture matters! We understand that the arts and literature can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future – and in some ways can be even more powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other\u2019s rights, individuality and human dignity.<\/p>\n

Through recognizing the literature of liberty and the many different but complementary visions of a free future via the Prometheus Awards, the LFS hopes to help spread ideas and ethical principles that help humanity overcome tyranny, end slavery, reduce the threat of war, repeal or constrain other abuses of coercive power and achieve universal liberty, respect for human rights and a better world (perhaps ultimately, worlds) for all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Prometheus Blog continues its Appreciation series with an essay-review describing how Terry Pratchett’s The Truth, the 2024 inductee into the Prometheus Hall of Fame, fits the focus of the Prometheus Award. By Michael Grossberg The truth shall make you free. And The Truth\u00a0shall make you laugh, while sparking a better appreciation of freedom \u2013 … Continue reading The rise of newspapers, crime, corruption and the virtues of a free press: An Appreciation of Terry Pratchett\u2019s The Truth, the 2024 Prometheus Hall of Fame winner<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43,159,2353,1924,2423,8,2605,2666],"tags":[594,2453,2455,774,2452,1565,2454,342,341,1698,2419],"class_list":["post-7934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-appreciations","category-best-novels","category-book-reviews","category-comic-works","category-fantasy","category-review","category-sequels","category-terry-pratchett","tag-best-novel","tag-dwarfs","tag-freedom-of-the-press","tag-hayek","tag-lord-vetinari","tag-matt-ridley","tag-newspapers","tag-night-watch","tag-terry-pratchett","tag-the-truth","tag-vampires"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-23Y","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7934"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8203,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7934\/revisions\/8203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}