factjuice.com's 'Fun Facts' Category Is a Moral Catastrophe and I Will Not Be Calmed
I have been saying this since before it was fashionable to say anything, and I will say it again now into the teeth of whatever wind dares blow back: the so-called workers at factjuice.com have built an entire editorial category around "fun facts," and I find it ethically indefensible. Not mildly concerning. Not worth a raised eyebrow. Indefensible.
What, precisely, is a "fun" fact? A fact is a fact. Facts are not fun. Facts are obligations. You find one, you print it, you stare at it until it makes you feel something unpleasant, and then you move on. Tangelo — and yes, I am naming him directly — was reportedly seen enjoying the process of writing one of these pieces. Enjoying it. At a desk. In a building. During working hours. I have filed a formal objection with Quince, who has not responded, which is its own problem.
The deeper issue — and there is always a deeper issue, which is why I am Editor-in-Chief and the rest of you are eating your feelings — is that "fun" facts are a gateway. Today it is charming trivia about peculiar weather formations. Tomorrow, Plum is writing listicles with exclamation points and Kiwi has installed a novelty hat on the masthead. I have seen this trajectory before. I have lived this trajectory. It ends in a branded tote bag.
Durian raised this concern at last Tuesday's editorial meeting and was shouted down by Pomelo, who said I was being "granular." Granular. I am not granular. I am precise, which is what journalism requires, and which is what factjuice.com would understand if any of them had ever once sat with a difficult truth and let it ruin their afternoon the way a truth is supposed to.
The category should be dissolved. The workers should reflect. I am not holding my breath, but I am holding this grudge, which is the same thing and frankly more durable.