Welcome to my newsletter!

“To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.”

—Edward R. Murrow--

Hey, Reader,

There’s something I think about a lot—and maybe you do too—especially if you’re a writer or storyteller of any kind. It’s the question of ethics.

Because being a writer, in any form, requires us to make conscious, ethical decisions about what we put into the world. Whether we’re writing for the entertainment world, the educational world, or working as journalists, each of those paths asks something different of us—but not all of them make allowance for the same wiggle room.

When we write fiction—novels, comics, plays, films—we’re allowed to play. We can stretch facts, twist time, create whole new worlds. That’s called artistic license, and it’s where imagination rules. The key is, we’re not lying. We’re storytelling. We might draw from real experiences, but we’re building something creative—not claiming it’s the nightly news.

When we step into the educational world, things shift a little. There’s still room for style, perspective, and interpretation because no two educators have the same experience. But we still carry responsibility. What we teach, how we present it, what we emphasize—it all matters. There’s some room for opinion, yes, but there’s a line we shouldn’t cross. We don’t bend information to fit what we want it to mean.

And then there’s journalism.

That’s the one that demands the highest possible standard—ethically and professionally.

A journalist’s job isn’t to decorate the truth or reshape it to fit an opinion, a political leaning, or a passing mood. The job is to gather the facts about events, places, and moments in people’s lives, and represent them accurately, authentically, and informatively.

Sure, as human beings, we wrestle with beliefs and biases. We can’t turn those off. But in journalism, you’re expected to rise above them, or at least to be honest about where opinion begins. Because when it becomes acceptable—even normal—to mislead, manipulate, or twist information until people are angry, frightened, or divided… something has gone terribly wrong.

This isn’t about morality, it’s about ethics.

When people are willing to lie that easily, and with that much influence, just to push an agenda or build a brand, then why would you trust them about anything? And if there’s no trust, where do we go from there?

Yes, politics, advertising, and daily life all involve a little spin. But this conversation isn’t just about journalism. It’s about what kind of world we’re building, one story, one post, one share at a time.

Writers, whether we’re creating for fun, education, or the front page, have to know where that line is drawn in the sand.
We have to know what legacy we’re leaving, what kind of world we’re preparing for those who come after us.

Because imagination is a gift, but integrity is the ground that gift stands on.

So tell me, where do you draw your line as a writer?
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Drop a comment or reply here, or send me a note on Substack or Instagram.

Let’s keep this conversation going. Because the truth doesn’t fear the light, it only fades when we stop looking for it.​
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​Best,

Alex Simmons

PS. Want proof I practice what I preach? Check out my SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY PLAY IS HERE! ON AMAZON.

From the anthology that included Amiri Baraka & August Wilson...⁠

Now, a theatrical mystery all its own.⁠

Sherlock Holmes and the Hands of Othello is ...

🕯️ Ghosts. Assassins. Secrets. A murder that echoes through history swirls around the family of a Black theater family.

Inspired by the real-life experiences of Ira Aldridge.

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Have questions? DM me (@AlexSimmonsSays). Or email me at: GoWriteForIt@gmail.com.

(*I'll share more about my sci-fi novel in the coming weeks.)

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