S1 E23: Historians vs. Journalists

Historians are concerned with writing, documenting, and recording the past.  Over time, their version of history becomes an indisputable authority on what happened and why.  

Journalists, on the other hand, are concerned with recording and communicating events in the present moment as they are happening.  They will collect information from a variety of sources and craft a story that can be consumed by others, specifically the public. 

Both history and story are key components in the connected change model, and while they are distinct, they are also connected. History is important as it connects you to your past.  Change comes from understanding our past, and wanting to make a difference in how we experience the future.  Story helps us connect the past with the future and view our history in a different light. However, if we focus too much on our past and maintaining the historical record, we can become impervious to change.  At the same time,  story without context is a weak tool and won’t help us achieve the change we seek. 

In this episode I talk about the key alignments and differences as well as two organizations that have invested in historians and journalists for very different reasons, and different results!​

Fully captioned videos are available on YouTube