How Did He Do It?

Sent along by David Finkel and very much worth discussing: Reader Mario Possamai of Toronto raised a good question last week that can come up with longer stories written from an intensely personal angle. “David Finkel’s piece ‘The Meaning of Work’ was brilliant. But in reading its so well-crafted narrative and voices, I kept wondering how he had been able to report some parts of it, like the poignant conversation between Mike and Chris. It would help the reader’s assessment of the veracity of a story if we knew more about how it was put together. . . . Was the reporter there? Was the conversation based on a reconstruction from Mike’s recollection? Chris? Both? . . . It would help sometimes skeptical readers to know how scenes . . . were reported and how the Post ensured the reporting was accurate and totally factual.”