“A Lie Can Run Around the World Before the Truth Has Got Its Boots on”: Exploring the Portrayal of Journalism in Terry Pratchett’s Fantasy Novel ‘The Truth’

Abstract

The image of the journalist in popular culture has increasingly added value to metajournalistic discourse. These portrayals have the power to influence the audience’s perception of real-world journalists and the industry. However, most research analyzes portrayals in film and television. Using Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel “The Truth,” this study explored how journalism, the media industry, and the journalist are portrayed in fantasy literature. Through a textual analysis of the novel, it was found that the work was a celebratory portrayal of journalism that shared a variety of themes found in film and television portrayals. Though its ethics were challenged throughout the novel, the Ankh-Morpork Times was devoted to the truth, served the watchdog role, and practiced social responsibility. Additionally, the novel’s historical rendition of the penny press highlighted the competitiveness of the media industry, how the public interest was challenged by political and corporate influence, and offered a portrayal of naïve news consumers. Lastly, it was found that William de Worde portrayed an ethical journalist and followed the common investigative journalist trope, but his character strayed from the usual editor, publisher, and male reporter tropes found in film and television. This study also suggests the possibility of looking at negative portrayals of journalism in fiction as a series of critical incidents in which journalism has difficulty fully repairing its paradigm.

1. “The Truth”

Fantasy author Terry Pratchett’s “The Truth” is a fictional literary take on the image of the journalist in popular culture. Portrayals of journalists in popular culture can influence audience perceptions of journalism in the real world (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). There has been an increase in research suggesting that these portrayals are valuable additions to metajournalistic discourse (Carlson, 2016; De Wulf Helskens et al., 2024; Ferrucci, 2018; Painter, 2019). Most image of the journalist in popular culture research analyzes film and television (see De Wulf Helskens et al., 2024; De Wulf Helskens, 2025a, 2025b; Ferrucci & Painter, 2018; Painter & Ferrucci, 2012, 2015, 2017; Peters, 2015), but research on these portrayals in other entertainment mediums, such as fictional literature, is not as developed (Ehrlich, 1997, 2019; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Good, 1986; Levine, 1992; Painter, 2019). Expanded representations of journalists in different mediums can help understand popular culture’s greater influence on the perception of journalism through various social, historical, and cultural contexts, and how these texts are produced and consumed (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Painter, 2019).

This study analyzes the image of the journalist in popular culture as presented in a fantasy or science fiction novel. Both genres of speculative fiction have very loyal fans, reflect social change, illustrate social relations and exploitations, push the boundaries of social structures and systems, and increase emotions and knowledge through renditions of society (Bacon-Smith, 2000; Esberk, 2014; Huntington, 1975; Kotasek, 2015; Menadue & Cheer, 2017; Menadue & Jacups, 2018; Shaftel, 1953; Stephan, 2016; Timmerman, 1983; Zipes, 2009). Pratchett is internationally renowned and was a trained journalist before turning into a successful fiction author (Rana, 2018). His professional journalism experience helped develop “The Truth,” and the characters and setting provide historical context to journalistic practice, industry competition, and the influence of power (Pratchett, 2023). Journalists have contributed to the development, creation, and production of the image of the journalist in popular culture before, such as in The Front Page and The Wire (Ehrlich, 2006; Ferrucci, 2018; Ferrucci & Painter, 2018; Good, 2007). Additionally, journalism takes part in paradigm repair when negative portrayals may damage its reputation (Ehrlich, 2005; Painter, 2019). Paradigm repair attempts to restore faith in a paradigm by isolating people or organizations that stray from the rest of the institution while maintaining its core values (Berkowitz, 2000). Popular culture has consistently challenged journalism ethics and contributed to the mythology of the press, which describes an institution and provides historical legitimacy for current practices and ideas (Nerone, 1987). Pratchett explores the development of journalistic practice in “The Truth” by mimicking the emergence of the market-driven penny press, which challenged the norms of journalism through sensationalistic content and changed the way newspapers were distributed and understood by offering an affordable alternative to news (Friedman, 2005; Singer, 2013; Thompson, 2004).

Through a textual analysis of “The Truth,” this study explored the image of the journalist in popular culture in fantasy literature, adding to the value of fictional journalist portrayals in metajournalistic discourse and expanding scholarship by including a comprehensive study on less-researched entertainment mediums. Additionally, this study looks at negative portrayals of journalism in fiction as a possible series of critical incidents in which journalism has difficulty fully repairing its paradigm.

2. Literature Review

In “The Truth,” reporter, editor, and publisher William de Worde is considered an ethical journalist and the plot revolves around the development of the first newspaper in the city of Ankh-Morpork, the Ankh-Morpork Times (Pratchett, 2023). “The Truth” is part of Pratchett’s Discworld series, which consists of 41 novels that have eclipsed 100 million copies sold worldwide, and has been one of the ongoing major contributions to fantasy fiction for over 40 years (Luthi, 2014; Pratchett, 2023; Rana, 2018). Pratchett and Simpson (2010) explained that his writing borrows from folklore and mythology and derives from society’s past and present stories that shape and multiply narratives in all media. Considering Pratchett’s established place in literature and the popularity of his catalog, as well as being a former journalist, “The Truth” has the potential to influence a segmented audience’s perception of journalism.

2.1. Metajournalistic Discourse and Paradigm Repair

Journalism is a cultural practice and social institution that continually constructs meaning about its role, identity, and relationship with society through inside and outside views of the industry (Carlson, 2016; Ferrucci, 2018; Hanitzsch & Vos, 2017). Discourses are shared utterances of cultural understandings that help construct meaning and shape or constrain boundaries, and can be inspired by external actors or take place within practitioner circles to generate meaning about their work (Carlson, 2016; Zelizer, 1993). Metajournalistic discourse helps explain how meanings develop and serves as a way to evaluate news text, practice, and audience reception (Carlson, 2016). Carlson (2016) conceptualized metajournalistic discourse as “public expressions evaluating news texts, the practices that produce them, or the conditions of their reception” (p. 350). Journalistic discourse is not exclusive to one group, and is gathered and generated by non-journalists to develop shared understandings that define what news is and how it is contextually interconnected and relatable (Carlson, 2016, 2020). Carlson (2016) offered three key components to expand on the theory: actors, sites/audiences, and topics. First, metajournalistic discourse is derived from both journalistic and non-journalistic actors, which can include creators and producers of fictional content. Second, it occurs in both journalistic and non-journalistic sites, which includes entertainment such as fictional literature. Third, its topics have reactive origins, which offers both restorative or celebratory responses to incidents involving journalism, such as the perception of a fictional portrayal of a practitioner or the industry. Metajournalistic discourse provides scholars with a conduit to understand how journalists view themselves and how society views and defines the roles and norms of the journalism industry (Carlson, 2016; De Wulf Helskens, 2025b; Ferrucci, 2018, 2022).

Journalists have an occupational identity to report the news that genuinely serves the public while remaining independent, ethical, and devoted to the truth and citizens (Borden, 2007; Demers, 1989; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2001; Schudson, 1988; Siebert et al., 1963; Ward, 2019; Zelizer, 2013). In addition, Zelizer (1993) argued that journalism is an interpretative community united through shared discourse and collective interpretations of key events, some which can be considered critical incidents. Critical incidents are moments that serve as a challenge, negotiation, and reflection of a field’s boundaries in order to assess its significance and protect the well-being of its community (Zelizer, 1992). Critical incidents are generally followed by paradigm repair. The social relationships present in journalism allow for open barriers as various internal and external actors compete to construct, reiterate, and challenge the interpretative community and practice of journalism (Carlson, 2016). Paradigm repair is a form of restorative discourse as it describes how journalistic self-criticism protects itself rather than confronting its deficits and inconsistencies (Carlson, 2016).

Popular culture tends to consistently critique or establish journalism’s core values, such as objectivity or its watchdog function. Journalism has crossed into the entertainment realm before to address concerns of its image through public commentary and becoming involved in the production process (see De Wulf Helskens et al., 2024; De Wulf Helskens, 2025b; Ehrlich, 1997, 2005; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Ferrucci & Painter, 2018; Painter, 2019; Vaughn & Evensen, 1991). De Wulf Helskens (2025b) conducted in-depth interviews with journalists about popular culture portrayals of their profession and paradigm repair frequently surfaced in the group’s interpretation as they distanced themselves from the negative practices and behaviors of the representation, even though some participants also admitted that popular culture does offer a deeper more accurate understanding of the industry. Entertainment is a different industry with different norms and ethical standards, though (Painter, 2019). Ferrucci (2018) argued that the inclusion of former journalists in the creation of fictional content furthers the struggle over discourse, especially if representation is negative or it appears there could be manipulation of how the image is presented. However, these fictional representations also have the ability to perform paradigm repair for journalism (Ehrlich, 2005), which shows how journalism and entertainment cross each other’s boundaries to reach audiences, sometimes collaboratively.

Yet, Peters (2015) found that audiences lack adequate media literacy to critically engage with fictional portrayals of journalists in popular culture. Additionally, many people never interact with journalists in the real-world, so these popular culture portrayals have a strong ability to shape the public image of journalism (De Wulf Helskens et al., 2024; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015).

2.2. Ethics and the Free Press Myth

Responsible journalism is based on ethical principles and practice, which consist of a common purpose, moral ideal, and standard of excellence (Belsey, 2002; Borden, 2007;; Ward, 2019). Maintaining journalism’s key principles—such as fairness, objectivity, and maintaining public trust—is vital to remaining ethical, but other factors—such as moral emotions, motives, and intentions—complete one’s professional character, which should stand firm over consequence (Klaidman & Beauchamp, 1987; Quinn, 2007, 2018). This is achieved through skillful analysis, strategic imagination, competitive intensity, and moral justification to collectively serve the public by doing one’s role-related work well (Borden, 2007; Klaidman & Beauchamp, 1987; MacIntyre, 2007).

Historical violations, such as the deception and sensationalism that was exhibited as early as the penny press, remain persistent and undercut ethics (Zelizer, 2013). The contribution of the penny press was to establish a trajectory for newspapers by accelerating information through different reporting measures, such as aggressive local reporting, editorial independence, and a competition to gain the support of business and government (Nerone, 1987; Singer, 2013; Stovall, 2013). Newspapers became business-minded and sought commercial success and mass readership, which challenged ethics and created internal and external tension through extreme competition to boost profits (Benson, 2006; Borden, 2007; Schudson, 2011).

The time period of “The Truth” aligns with the development of the penny press, as de Worde started the Times with the help of amateur correspondents and access to new technology (Schudson, 2011). These types of journalist portrayals in popular culture have the ability to serve as a complementary influence of the perceived credibility and trust of real-life journalists, including the cultivation of legends and myths (De Wulf Helskens et al., 2024; Ferrucci & Painter, 2018; Painter, 2019). Zynda (1979) explained that the portrait of the press in fiction is more complex than its real-world mythic image. Popular culture analyzes journalism’s failures instead of contrasting its normative ideals, creating an unsure connection between the press and wider culture, and myth is vital to understanding this relationship (Ehrlich, 1997, 2005; Zynda, 1979). Myth is a sacred, societal story that offers model figures and forms of human life and serves as a representation of shared values and core beliefs that allow people to engage with and appreciate complex emotions (Lule, 2001; Ehrlich, 2005). The free press myth posits that a privately owned market-driven press is necessary for democracy to function and survive, but obscures our understanding of democracy at the same time, and is reinforced through positive and negative portrayals offered in popular culture (Bennett, 2003; De Wulf Helskens, 2025b; Ehrlich, 2005; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). The free press myth in Western journalism represents the belief that freedom and democracy exist, which aligns with the normative role of social responsibility (Ehrlich, 2005; McChesney& Scott, 2004). Social responsibility serves as a framework set in the social domain where media practices and ethics can be assessed, and, as the media environment shifts, journalists can choose to serve the public interest as a trustworthy source of information through moral good (Christians et al., 1993;; Nerone, 1995; Singer, 2013). Ferrucci and Painter (2018) applied social responsibility as a framework while analyzing the representation of female journalists on House of Cards and argued the creators should have foreseen the negative consequences of the portrayal. Painter (2019) later argued that entertainers must hold themselves to a higher standard and programming should follow a positive ethical code that helps responsibly inform citizens.

Popular culture reinforces professional authority and reproduces the free press myth, both preserving and changing social order (Papke, 1999; Turow, 1989; Ehrlich, 2005; Lule, 2001). Hanitzsch and Vos (2017) add that “popular representations of journalists in literature and films continue to reproduce and contest public images of news people” (p. 121). Considering portrayals of journalism in popular culture have remained constant, it is also argued these representations have a cultivating effect on audience perception (Ferrucci, 2018). With television, for example, viewers can believe the depictions they consume over time, especially with things they have little experience with (Gerber, 1999). Ferrucci and Painter (2018) explained that since the viewing public has little experience and knowledge of the journalism industry, popular culture portrayals may contribute to how audiences understand real-world journalism. Lasting and consistent impressions about the media remain defined in public memory, even as real-world journalism experiences dramatic change (Ehrlich, 2019; Ghiglione & Saltzman, 2005). This study analyzes and further develops how contemporary fiction novels may have a similar influence.

2.3. The Image of the Journalist in Popular Culture

Popular culture has had a long fascination with journalism, but also specifically focuses on the journalist to shape people’s impressions, expectations, and apprehensions of the media, producing a universal mythical character who tends to be self-reliant while combatting an unjust world (Vaughn & Evensen, 1991; Ghiglione & Saltzman, 2005; McNair, 2011; Ehrlich, 2019). Journalism also has the ability to shape ideas, values, metaphors, and myths throughout global communities, and some of these judgments can be found in the popular culture realm (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Herrscher, 2002). The boundaries of media have shifted and its processes are embedded in different social conditions, including journalism and entertainment, as popular culture has become a mediator to explain social realities to audiences who may lack concrete knowledge of a specific institution (Brienza & Revers, 2016; Reese & Shoemaker, 2016; Waisbord, 2016; Zynda, 1979). Ghiglione and Saltzman (2005) explained that some audiences are suspicious about the media and have contradictory feelings about the free press because of what happens in film and television. The image of the journalist in popular culture shows positive and negative representations of media through a clash of heroic defenders of democracy or selfish unethical villains (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). Journalist heroes are self-made, independent, unselfish, honorable, self-confident, resourceful, overly witty, and seek justice and fairness (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). There are official heroes, who represent a belief in collective action, and outlaw heroes, who represent autonomy and freedom from predicaments (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). Villains are vain and conceited sneaks who use the news to serve their own social, economic, political, or personal ends (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). Zynda (1979) explained that films, specifically, portray four aspects of the press: the character of the reporter, the nature of the organization, the social role of the press, and the character of the society in which the press functions. Additionally, Ehrlich (1997) analyzed around 150 movies in which journalism is central to the plot and found that the content consistently contained the semantic elements of the reporter, editor, source, and love interest. The standard characters depicted in popular culture portrayals include anonymous reporters, editors, investigative reporters, newsroom families, and publishers, but steady tropes are even found within the gender of the character (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Ghiglione & Saltzman, 2005).

Journalist characters usually fall within a specific production pattern, which focuses on historical renditions of the press, professional conduct such as objectivity, the battle between public interest and corporate or private interest, and seeking the truth (Ehrlich, 1997; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). Though there are cases where the reporter is credible and rewarded for ideal practice, popular culture has commonly critiqued journalism by showing journalists as shallow, vain and cynical violators of standard practice with murky morals who are placed into intense ethical choices riddled with unpredictable outcomes, which has been displayed in fantasy and sci-fi content (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Knight, 2009). Fantasy consists of stories with fictional action and prominent supernatural content, offering audiences a world of wonder estranged from their own while still creating a pragmatic insight into a parallel reality (Laetz & Johnston, 2008; Stephan, 2016; Timmerman, 1983). Sci-fi embodies cognitive dissonance and presents an imagined sense of the future based on problems faced in the present (Huntington, 1975; Menadue & Jacups, 2018). Both genres continue to gain mainstream success with very loyal fans and communities worldwide (Bacon-Smith, 2000; Menadue & Jacups, 2018; Stephan, 2016; Wee, 2017; Wu & Zhang, 2025; Zipes, 2009). The relationships formed in these communities create “intellectual, emotional, and social commitments and movements” (Hirsjärvi, 2010, p. 133). Popular culture fandom is connected to positive psychological, social, and cultural outcomes, and formulates personal connections and identifications through active participation and reception of texts (Cohen et al., 2017; Fiske, 2002; Lewis, 2002). Folklore, which is traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, is not only present in fantasy and sci-fi, but Levine (1992) argued that popular culture functions similarly to folk culture and can be used to reconstruct attitudes, values, and reactions. This is especially relevant with fantasy and sci-fi, as popular culture may seem like a form of escapism from the real world, but it is rather attached to “the fundamental forms of communication and expression people engage in and depend on” (Levine, 1992, p. 1375). Ehrlich (2019) added that speculative fiction, specifically, has long presented its own take on the media’s future, found through utopian and dystopian visions, and Painter (2019) suggested that “future scholarship needs to focus on representations of journalists in popular culture mediums other than film” (p. 17).

Pratchett’s Discworld series introduces a consensus of reality and mirrors popular culture while offering a critical reflection of fantasy and storytelling (Luthi, 2014), and serves as a “sophisticated vehicle of social and political commentary” (Rana, 2018, p. 2). The character and plot tropes mentioned earlier were formed primarily through research of film and television portrayals, but these depictions and themes can also be found in novels, many of which are written by former journalists (Ehrlich, 2005, 2019; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Painter, 2019). Literary depictions are less-developed in research, but, as Levine (1992) argued, not everything mass-produced is popular and not everything popular is mass-produced. Audiences distinguish between what they find meaningful, appealing, and functional (Levine, 1992), and audience perceptions can be shaped in different genres and mediums, especially in an age where streaming platforms offer access to a plethora of content (Knauf, 2026).

Due to the global popularity of fantasy and its loyal fanbase and the success of Pratchett’s Discworld series, the following research questions are posed to address the image of the journalist in popular culture within contemporary fiction novels and offer a comparison to the familiar tropes found in film and television portrayals:

RQ1: 

How is journalism portrayed in “The Truth”?

RQ2: 

How is the media industry portrayed in “The Truth”?

RQ3: 

How is William de Worde depicted as a journalist in “The Truth”?

3. Method

A textual analysis of “The Truth” was conducted by the researcher, who is a former journalist. Their industry experience helped analyze specific and deeper aspects of journalism, industry, and practice within the novel’s plot. Textual analysis aims to extract deeper meanings of content than what appears on the surface, examining the concepts and the inter-relationships among them (Berger, 1998; Carley, 1994). The narrative character of media content deserves an interpretation and textual analysis can offer creative ways to improve audiences’ understanding of popular media (Fursich, 2009; Phillipov, 2013). Most research on fictitious portrayals of journalists within the popular culture realm involves textual analysis (see Ferrucci & Painter, 2018; Painter & Ferrucci, 2012, 2017, 2019), as the method can bring out a wide range of potential meanings within the content (Larsen, 1991). Texts contain a portion of the author’s mental model, and textual analysis techniques can help extract samples of time and context (Carley, 1994). Literary theory places emphasis on the interaction between reader and text, which helps understand the complex process of popular culture, and literary studies stress that every cultural practice or product can be analyzed and interpreted beyond the written material (Fursich, 2009; Levine, 1992).

The researcher used the 2023 paperback version of “The Truth,” which is 448 pages. The original edition was published in 2000. The researcher read through the novel three times during the analysis, which helped identify recurrent themes and associate specific text passages with each theme (Kuckartz, 2014). The researcher actively analyzed the plot, characters, settings, writing style, and literary devices, such as patterns, symbols, and imagery (Ferrara, 1974; Schirova, 2006). Using Emerson et al. (2011), the researcher followed the three-step procedure of qualitative analysis, first taking notes on how journalism was portrayed in the novel, next employing a more-focused reading of passages that were directly related to journalism, and lastly revisiting the notes during the third reading to solidify the themes (Ferrucci & Painter, 2018).

4. Findings

“The Truth” followed a narrative arc surrounding de Worde’s evolution into the newspaper industry as a reporter, editor, and publisher. Most scenes involved de Worde working as a journalist or having trouble separating his work and personal life, which is a common theme in popular culture portrayals of journalists (Ehrlich, 1997). Sub-plots involving political and economic elites are intertwined with de Worde’s navigation of the industry, which included competition, gaining readership, and technological obstacles, which also are common themes in fictional depictions of journalism (Ehrlich, 1997). The analysis found that the novel shared similar themes with film and television portrayals, primarily the representation of a newsroom family, the public interest versus corporate and private interest, conflicts involving objectivity and ethics, and the myth of the free press and social responsibility. However, the analysis also found that de Worde did not completely align with the common character tropes found in film and television.

4.1. A Tight-Knit Normative Newsroom

Many scenes in “The Truth” take place in the Times newsroom. Various characters perform the roles of press operators, reporters, copy editors, photographers, and interns under de Worde’s leadership as editor. Though the plot consists of obstacles such as acquiring and maintaining readership, technological issues, and challenging ethical dilemmas, this newsroom family was ready to do anything for the paper (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015), including fulfilling their normative roles under the leadership of de Worde. The editor’s devotion to truth was the final guidance for the rest of the newsroom, which was a trait established early in the novel:

William always told himself, he was no good at making things up; anything that wasn’t the truth simply unraveled for him. Even little white lies, like “I shall definitely have the money by the end of the week,” always ended in trouble. That was “telling stories,” a sin in the de Worde compendium that was worse than lying; it was trying to make lies interesting. So William de Worde told the truth, out of cosmic self-defense. He’d found a hard truth less hard than an easy lie (Pratchett, 2023, p. 51).

The above excerpt relates to journalism’s normative principles (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2001) and social responsibility function (Christians et al., 1993), which steered the Times coverage of a political scandal that became the central focus of the novel. Guided by de Worde’s dedication to the truth, the paper served the role as a watchdog to guard against the abuse of power, offering neutral viewpoints (Benson, 2006; Schudson, 2001). The watchdog role was hidden in a clever overarching theme offered by Pratchett as the main scandal in the novel involved the City Watch and Lord Vetinari’s terrier as the main source that could break the case wide open. The Times provided an independent voice that served the public when it came to verifying information and producing a final product (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015, Siebert et al., 1963; Ward, 2019). However, the competitive nature of the business-minded papers to emerge during the time created tension and challenged the ethics of the staff, and it was not until the end of the novel that they were able to earn and maintain the public trust (Benson, 2006; Borden, 2007; Klaidman & Beauchamp, 1987; Schudson, 2011). The plight for public trust was difficult to achieve, which highlighted the differing expectations and perceptions of journalism between practitioners and news consumers (Hanitzsch & Vos, 2017;), as readers gravitated toward sensationalistic content produced in order to gain commercial success, similar to the time of the penny press in real life and a consistent trope in past fictional portrayals (Nerone, 1987; Schudson, 2011; Zelizer, 2013; Zynda, 1979). When de Worde first discovers the new existence of the Ankh-Morpork Inquirer, he noticed the headline “WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO COBRA,” which prompts an immediate interrogation of the seller, who responds, “Don’t ask me, guv, I get a penny for every one I sell, that’s all I know” (Pratchett, 2023, p. 171). This scene sets the historical context of the penny press, and historical renditions of the press are common in popular culture (Ehrlich, 1997; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). Yet, how Ankh-Morpork citizens perceived the coverage and how de Worde valued journalism’s social role differed. At one point in the novel, de Worde is hurrying inside to escape a hail storm, which spurs a thought about his audience as Pratchett (2023) wrote, “Part of him was beginning to understand that his readers might have a very relaxed attitude about the guilt of politicians, but were red-hot on things like the size of weather” (p. 357). The perception of what consumers thought the newspaper’s role should be was different than what the Times staff believed. This also captured the industry’s transition during the penny press.

4.2. The Public Interest vs. Everything

Popular culture commonly addresses the social role of the press, as well as the character of the society in which the press functions (Zynda, 1979). As the Times began to build readership by offering an affordable alternative to news (Singer, 2013), a competitor with more money and better technology quickly emerged. While discussing the morning’s newspaper with other residents of his building over breakfast, de Worde realizes the audience is interested more in the offerings of his competitor, the Inquirer.

“I am frankly amazed,” said Mr. Cartwright. “It beats me how they find this stuff out.”

“It certainly makes you wonder what’s going on that we aren’t told,” said Mr. Windling.

William listened for a while, until he couldn’t wait any longer. “Something interesting in the paper?” he asked innocently.

“A woman in Kicklebury Street says her husband has been kidnapped by elves,” said Mr. Mackleduff, holding up the Inquirer. The heading was very clear on the subject:

ELVES STOLE MY HUSBAND!

“That’s made up!” said William. “Can’t be,” said Mackleduff. “There’s the lady’s name and address, right there. They wouldn’t put that in the paper if they were telling lies, would they?”

William looked at the name and address. “I know this lady,” he said.

“There you are, then!”

“She was the one last month who said her husband had been carried off by a big silver dish that came out of the sky,” said William, who had a good memory for this sort of thing.

(Pratchett, 2023, pp. 225–226)

Pratchett leans into the competitive, aggressive, and market-driven nature of media during the development of the penny press (Nerone, 1987; Singer, 2013; Stovall, 2013). The Inquirer was providing sensationalistic content that readers tended to gravitate toward (Zelizer, 2013), which is a common theme in popular culture renditions of the press (Zynda, 1979). However, the emergence of the penny press, similar to the Times and Inquirer, highlighted editorial independence and aligned with the free press myth, which represented the existence of freedom and democracy, and social responsibility, which aligns with de Worde’s plight to serve the public as a trustworthy source of information through moral good (Christians et al., 1993; Ehrlich, 2005; Nerone, 1995; Singer, 2013). The Inquirer not only challenged responsible reporting and shifted the market, but earned the backing of politicians and social elites (Singer, 2013) in Ankh-Morpork.

A common theme throughout the story was the powerful influences over the media industry (Ehrlich, 1997), which de Worde successfully combatted, much to the chagrin of the City Watch. In an exchange between an officer, Carrot, and the commander of the City Watch, Vimes, the two discuss the possibility of preventing the news from sharing potentially damaging information. Vimes believes that his authority as commander of the police allows him to ban de Worde from writing and sharing news, which prompts Carrot to explain, “But I’m not sure you can stop him writing down that you stopped him writing things down” (Pratchett, 2023, p. 291). The exchange shows how the emergence of the newspaper shifted the power structure of Ankh-Morpork, challenging how information was communicated to the public. Despite the efforts of the City Watch to prevent the Times from sharing news, the paper remained devoted to the public interest. Vimes eventually validates the press’ role when the powerful Lord Downey asked him about de Worde, “Well, he can’t just write down anything, can he? Supposing he writes down something we don’t want him to write down?” (Pratchett, 2023, p. 377). In which Vimes responded, “There’s no law against it” (Pratchett, 2023, p. 377).

De Worde’s biggest obstacle remained political or private interest. When de Worde drafted his first news feed for distribution, it was questioned by Vetinari, who he used to write a newsletter for, along with other social elites. In an exchange between the Patrician and de Worde, the lord claimed that knowledge was a privilege for political and private elites before asking the journalist, “But you are selling this to anyone in the street, is that correct?” (Pratchett, 2023, p. 87). Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and serving the public were commonly implied in the novel as the City Watch, politicians, and social elites continuously questioned de Worde’s actions. A similar skepticism came from news consumers.

Pratchett captured the industry by also portraying the audience. Readers would fluctuate in trust in what was said in the news, usually believing sensationalistic content while remaining unconvinced about political justice. In one scene, a citizen of Ankh-Morpork shouted their perception of reporters bluntly, “You can’t trust people who write in newspapers!” (Pratchett, 2023, p. 285). This also aligns with another theme in popular culture renditions of the press, as news consumers are typically portrayed as naïve, impulsive, and dependent (Ehrlich, 1997). Considering how the audience is portrayed, Pratchett briefly alluded to gatekeeping, as found in a scene when de Worde and staff member Sacharissa Cripslock argued over what should and should not be printed. The editor said:

“Someone has to care about the big truth. … If we don’t make an effort all they’ll get is silly stories about talking dogs and Elves Ate My Gerbil, so don’t give me lectures on what’s important and what’s not, understand?”.

(Pratchett, 2023, p. 264)

Sacharissa argued that the silly stories are what brings in advertising revenue so the paper can survive, similar to how the Inquirer was operating. Though the above excerpt can be an example of gatekeeping, it also serves as a moment when de Worde’s ethics were challenged, as he had to manage a way to keep providing the truth while keeping the Times afloat. Throughout the novel, de Worde played multiple roles.

4.3. An Ethical Journalist

Popular culture commonly addresses the character of the reporter (Ehrlich, 1997; Zynda, 1979). De Worde was the publisher, editor, and a reporter at the Times. He can be considered an official journalist hero, as he was self-made, independent, honorable, resourceful, and sought justice and fairness (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). De Worde’s character fit the mold of the investigative reporter in popular culture, as he stayed loyal to the staff at the Times, showed great courage even when threatened, and worked tirelessly to aid the public (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015). However, he did not fit the common mold of the gruff and sharp-tongued editor or money-mad, power-hungry publisher, nor did he completely fit common portrayals of male reporters, who tend to be wise-cracking womanizers battling some sort of addiction (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Ghiglione & Saltzman, 2005). However, there have also been portrayals of hard-working, ethical, and diligent male reporters (Ghiglione & Saltzman, 2005), which de Worde can be considered.

De Worde’s professional character included staying objective, even when faced with intense competition and influence, and gaining and maintaining public trust through skillful, imaginative, and moral reporting (Borden, 2007; Klaidman & Beauchamp, 1987; MacIntyre, 2007; Quinn, 2018). There were actions de Worde took throughout the novel that may have challenged his ethical nature, such as tempting bribes, guaranteed access to information, paying informants, and even attempting a coup to use the press at the Inquirer after his machine had been destroyed. Ultimately, his morals guided his motives and intentions (Klaidman & Beauchamp, 1987; Quinn, 2018). For example, when he began uncovering the truth about the scandal late in the novel, he was tempted to rush out a story without verifying the information, even so much to draft an article to run immediately. Yet, his morals promoted character over consequence (Quinn, 2007), and he was able to get the information needed through patience and good reporting. He fulfilled the watchdog role and was devoted to the truth and serving the public interest (Benson, 2006; Christians et al., 1993; Nerone, 1995; Schudson, 2001). This verified Pratchett’s claim that de Worde was an ethical journalist.

The novel provided examples of style and practice in de Worde’s reporting, but it was his ethics that became a primary focus, especially considering the main perpetrator in the political scandal was his father, a social elite, creating a conflict of interest. However, when the final story was drafted, it was the truth, even when de Worde had to confront his father about his involvement in the scandal.

“As your father I order you to cease this… this…”

“You used to order me to tell the truth,” said William.

Lord de Worde drew himself up. “Oh, William, William! Don’t be so naive.”

William shut his notebook. The words came easier now. He’d leapt from the building and found that he could fly.

“And which one is this?” he said. “The truth that is so precious it must be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies? The truth that is stranger than fiction? Or the truth that is still putting on its boots when a lie is running around the world?” he went on, stepping forward. “That’s your little phrase, isn’t it?”.

(Pratchett, 2023, p. 60)

Different obstacles challenged de Worde’s ethics, but ultimately he stayed true to his normative role by serving the public as a trustworthy source (Christians et al., 1993). De Worde explained to Vetinari, the Patrician who was wrongfully at the center of the scandal, that the press should be free to print what they like because it was in the public interest. Though in agreement, Vetinari challenged what the public was interested in at the end while inspecting a copy of the Times in the newsroom:

“These stories about man-eating goldfish and people’s husbands disappearing in big silver dishes?”

“No, sir. That’s what people are interested in. We do the other stuff, sir.” “Amusingly shaped vegetables?”

“Well, a bit of that, sir. Sacharissa calls them human interest stories.”

“About vegetables and animals?”

“Yes, sir. But at least they’re real vegetables and animals.”

“So… we have what the people are interested in, and human interest stories, which is what humans are interested in, and the public interest, which no one is interested in.”

“Except the public, sir,” said William, trying to keep up.

“Which isn’t the same as people and humans?”

“I think it’s more complicated than that, sir.”

(Pratchett, 2023, p. 381)

5. Discussion

“The Truth” provided a variety of themes while depicting journalism, the media industry, and the journalist through a historical lens that mimicked the development of the penny press. To help answer RQ1, which asked how journalism was portrayed, the analysis found that dynamics of the Times staff contributed to the newsroom family trope and the paper fulfilled the normative principles and social responsibility function of journalism (Christians et al., 1993; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2001). The Times was devoted to the truth, served the watchdog role, and offered neutral viewpoints as it served the public as a trustworthy source. To help answer RQ2, which asked how the media industry was portrayed, the analysis found that the influence of political and economic elites, stark competition, and a naïve audience (Ehrlich, 1997) were main themes in the story, especially in the historical context of the penny press. To help answer RQ3, which asked how de Worde was depicted as a journalist, the analysis found that de Worde’s practice as a journalist aligned with guiding ethical principles and normative roles, but he did not fit the usual editor, publisher, or male reporter tropes (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Ghiglione & Saltzman, 2005). He best closely resembled a popular culture portrayal of an investigative reporter (Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015).

Most images of the journalist in popular culture analyses are on film and television. Though novels have been analyzed and referenced before, research on the medium, especially in contemporary speculative fiction, is less-developed (Ehrlich, 1997, 2019; Ehrlich & Saltzman, 2015; Good, 1986; Levine, 1992; Painter, 2019). Though Pratchett’s literary work can be thematically compared to renditions of the press in film, literature and film are two different industries through scale, collaborative labor, production, and market orientation (Caves, 2000; Hesmondhalgh, 2019). Films are designed to reach larger audiences and novels are geared more toward segmented audiences (Caves, 2000; Hesmondhalgh, 2019), but the latter can still shape the perception of a particular audience. Levine (1992) explained that the audience’s role in popular and folk culture is to fit the text into a meaningful context and that does not always involve mainstream content. Considering fantasy literature has a very loyal fanbase, these portrayals can ultimately support or combat that specific audience’s public image of real-world journalists, whether negative or positive. Pratchett’s work is popular in the global fantasy community, and “The Truth” is the 25th novel in the author’s acclaimed 41-book Discworld series. Having sold over 100 million copies of his work, his audience is large and loyal and his genre is known to creatively reflect and challenge social relations, structures, and systems.

Pratchett, like other creators of fictional content featuring journalism, was a practicing journalist before becoming a well-known fantasy author. Ehrlich (1997) explained that journalism fiction was often written by journalists dating back to the 1800s. In theater, the famous production Chicago was written by former crime reporter Maurine Watkins and was partly autobiographical (Ehrlich, 1997). A notable example of journalists being involved in film was when Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s The Front Page went from Broadway to the big screen, but it was later remade as His Girl Friday after the press criticized the original portrayal as unflattering and negotiated a hand in the new production (Vaughn & Evensen, 1991). In a more modern example, Ferrucci and Painter (2018) explained that former Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon’s critically-acclaimed series The Wire offered the most accurate presentation of a newsroom in popular culture ever. Journalism’s hand in creating fictional content could be considered a form of paradigm repair, but the waxing and waning of negative and positive portrayals of journalists in popular culture throughout history (Zynda, 1979; Vaughn & Evensen, 1991; Ehrlich, 2019) show that it is difficult to fully achieve due to entertainment being a separate industry with different ethical standards. Painter (2019) argued for the entertainment industry to establish a responsible and positive ethical code when creating these portrayals, similar to what led to the remake of The Front Page. However, it raises the question of why journalism deserves such treatment when entertainment offers negative and positive portrayals of a variety of professions. McNair (2010) explained that creators of popular culture have four central roles in the culture-creating process: educational, mythological or celebratory, regulatory, and defensive. Entertainment does not have to adhere to just one role, and this also shows repair is not completely in journalism’s control, despite its pressure on the entertainment industry for better depictions of the news business (Ehrlich, 1997, 2005). Ironically, Zynda (1979) argued that “as the press serves as a watchdog on government, so Hollywood, likewise on behalf of the public and with a like commercial basis, keeps an eye on the press” (p. 32).

Since paradigm repair generally follows a critical incident, and considering the entertainment industry represents a significant site of struggle over journalistic discourses (De Wulf Helskens, 2025b; Ferrucci, 2018), it is worth analyzing certain popular culture portrayals of journalists through history as a series of critical incidents. They may not be on the same level as the Princess Diana (Berkowitz, 2000), Jayson Blair (Hindman, 2005), or Helen Thomas (Hindman & Thomas, 2013) incidents, for example, but negative portrayals in entertainment serve as a challenge to journalism’s boundaries, especially when former practitioners have a hand in the creation of fictional content. This calls for journalism to protect the well-being and significance of its community through restoring faith in its paradigm and reiterating its core values, some of which are consistently challenged in fiction. However, though journalists may attempt to repair their image, it is difficult to achieve if the audiences do not cross the same boundaries. The combination of audiences consuming fictional content with weak media literacy and limited real-world interaction with the profession presents a difficult challenge for journalists to protect its community against audience perceptions formed in the fictional realm. This is especially concerning due to the cultivating effect that these portrayals may have through the consistent use of standard tropes, remakes and supersystem reboots, and the accessibility of contemporary media to reach both mass and segmented audiences.

Fortunately, Pratchett’s “The Truth” was a celebratory portrayal of a journalist and the power of the industry. Pratchett wrote as de Worde was at the engravers early in the novel:

William stared down at the box of letters again. Of course, a quill pen potentially contained anything you wrote with it. He could understand that. But it did so in a clearly theoretical way, a safe way. Whereas these dull gray blocks looked threatening. He could understand why they worried people. Put us together in the right way, they seemed to say, and we can be anything you want. We could even be something you don’t want. We can spell anything. We can certainly spell trouble.

(Pratchett, 2023, p. 42)

Limitations and Future Research

This study did not come without limitations. Though the researcher is a former journalist, which helped in the analysis, their experience could have also provided bias. The researcher practiced thoughtful and critical self-reflexivity to honestly assess their own biases, motivations, and awareness of their strengths and shortcomings to understand how their personal and relational dynamics could have affected the research (Finlay, 2012; Tracy, 2010). In addition, “The Truth” is just one example of the portrayal of journalism in fantasy or sci-fi literature. Other novels may offer different portrayals. Also, considering Discworld consists of 41 books and some of the characters in “The Truth” appear in other series’ titles, it could be possible that journalism is also referenced within Pratchett’s other storylines. However, this novel was specifically about the development of the newspaper in Discworld, and analyzing works that focus on journalism or journalists as the main theme and characters may offer a stronger portrayal than subplots or minute references in other novels. As a comparative example, Ferrucci and Painter (2018) only analyzed the fifth season of The Wire, as journalism was a stronger focus than in the previous four seasons.

Analyzing a contemporary fiction novel opens avenues of new research exploring different forms of entertainment and genres to expand on the image of the journalist in popular culture in scholarship and strengthen its value in metajournalistic discourse, even if the content is geared more toward segmented audiences. For example, Knauf (2026) analyzed Netflix’s After Life, exploring how the personal life of a grieving community journalist affected his professional role. Additionally, more audience studies, especially segmented audiences, can help researchers understand how the public absorbs and is influenced by this plethora of accessible content, especially as news consumption and media literacy are down.

6. Conclusions

The goal of this study was to explore the portrayal of journalism, the media industry, and journalists in Pratchett’s fantasy novel “The Truth.” In doing so, it expanded on the image of the journalist in popular culture as a valuable addition to metajournalistic discourse by offering a unique fictional take on journalism through fantasy literature. The medium’s portrayal was also compared to the common analyses of film and television. It was found that “The Truth” provided a variety of themes similar to those found in film and television, including the newsroom family trope and the fulfillment of journalism’s devotion to truth, watchdog role, and social responsibility function. Additionally, the novel’s historical rendition of the penny press highlighted the competitiveness of the media industry, showcased how the public interest was challenged by political and corporate influence, and offered a portrayal of a naïve audience. Lastly, it was found that de Worde portrayed an ethical journalist and followed the common investigative journalist trope, but his character strayed from the usual editor, publisher, and male reporter tropes found in film and television.

“The Truth” was created by a former journalist for a loyal segmented audience and was a celebratory response to the image of the journalist in popular culture. This study not only advanced research on the image of the journalist in popular culture by including contemporary fiction and opening avenues of analyses of different mediums and genres, it also suggests that negative portrayals of the news industry can serve as a series of critical incidents in which journalism may have difficulty fully repairing its paradigm. Ultimately, Pratchett’s “The Truth” is a valuable contribution to metajournalistic discourse as the meanings found in the novel explain journalism’s role and relationship with society.