Tracey Scott Wilson, a playwright who has long been attuned to the complexities of truth in media, recognized the challenges of distinguishing fact from falsehood over twenty years ago. Growing up, her father instilled in her the habit of watching the news nightly and engaging in discussions about it with her siblings. This upbringing positioned her well to observe the shift in news reporting, particularly how networks like Fox News began to deviate from impartial journalism to pursue specific agendas in the early 2000s.
For over twenty years, a compelling narrative had been brewing in Wilson’s mind. In 1981, Janet Cooke, a promising young Black reporter at The Washington Post, became notorious after being unmasked as a fraud. Cooke had recently won a Pulitzer Prize for a fabricated story about an eight-year-old drug addict, leading to her discrediting and the forced return of her award just two days after she received it.
This scandal inspired Wilson’s acclaimed play, “The Story,” which premiered at the Public Theater in New York in 2003 and is now being revived at the National Theatre in London. Wilson, who has a warm and approachable demeanor, is thrilled that her play is being re-staged at a time when the concept of truth and the media’s role in shaping it are under intense scrutiny. She recalls how her father’s reflections on the Cooke incident have remained with her. “He expressed disappointment that she was recognized for writing something so disparaging about the Black community, and when the truth came out, it became an entirely different issue,” she shares.
Years later, while working at a student magazine at the University of Minnesota, Wilson revisited Cooke’s story. “I had access to LexisNexis, and I often found myself bored at work, so I began searching for stories. One day, I wondered what had happened to Janet Cooke and ended up going down a fascinating rabbit hole,” she recounts. “I realized she was a compelling character.”
The main character in Wilson’s play, Yvonne, mirrors this complexity. A junior reporter with an impressive educational background that includes Ivy League and Sorbonne credentials, she works in a department focused on presenting positive narratives about the local Black community to counteract negative portrayals. However, this limited scope does not align with Yvonne’s aspirations, prompting her to seek a story that would elevate her to the national news desk, often perceived as dominated by white male figures.
Interestingly, the original run of “The Story” coincided with another journalistic scandal involving Jayson Blair, a Black reporter who confessed to fabricating and plagiarizing stories during his time at The New York Times. Blair’s case also involved themes of race and class, similar to those explored in Wilson’s narrative, where Yvonne’s middle-class background creates tension and resentment within her community. Through Yvonne’s journey, Wilson invites a discussion about the boundaries of authenticity and representation within the Black community.
“I was fascinated by the theme of authenticity,” Wilson explains, noting that this topic has become increasingly relevant in contemporary discussions about class, race, sexuality, and who gets to speak on behalf of certain groups. The play also delves into the ambition of women, particularly through the character of Yvonne, who embodies the relentless pursuit of success, especially after several revisions to the script. “I wanted to include Pat, a senior editor and Black woman, in this dialogue. Both Pat and Yvonne are reflections of each other, continuously facing repercussions for their ambitions,” she elaborates.
Initially, there was an attempt to bring “The Story” to London shortly after its New York debut when Wilson was invited to participate in a reading at the Soho Theatre. “It was my first trip abroad, and I was thrilled. They hosted me for a week, but I hardly remember the reading due to all the sightseeing I did,” she recalls. Unfortunately, the production did not move forward, and Wilson returned home, feeling disheartened but eventually moving on. While her play saw some performances in the U.S., she did not expect it to be staged again.
It was only last year that the National Theatre contacted her, leading to a realization that her earlier trip to London had been significant. Clint Dyer, the director of this new production, had attended the Soho Theatre reading as a young actor and later expressed his admiration for the play, stating that he had continuously recommended it in subsequent theater projects.
Ironically, Wilson herself aspired to be a journalist and began her college journey majoring in the field. However, a professor at Rutgers University advised her to switch subjects, claiming she struggled with objectivity. “He told me, ‘You just can’t be objective,’” she recalls, leading her to pursue English instead. She later discovered her talent for playwriting, reflecting on how the principles of journalism she learned have become less relevant in today’s media landscape. “If I had continued with journalism, I could have been a star!” she jokes.
Set in 2003, “The Story” resonates powerfully in the current climate, where debates about narrative control are increasingly prominent, highlighted by recent controversies, including racial scapegoating following the passing of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday. For Wilson, the concern extends beyond how news is produced to how it is consumed. “I remember when my basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers, lost; I avoided reading about it because it upset me. But now, this avoidance applies to every aspect of news consumption,” she reflects.
