Establishing Trust with the Reader: Journalistic Style in Comics

The narrator in this chapter addresses the reader, acknowledging their presence and explaining the use of bracketed words in the dialogue balloons. These brackets indicate where words have been added by the narrator for clarity. The narrator sees this as a way to establish trust with the reader and ensure accuracy in reflecting the story. They mention their journalistic training and ethics, which guide their use of brackets. However, some people, including their editor, find the brackets disruptive, leading to a compromise in the editing process. Despite this, the narrator values the brackets as a crucial tool for trust and accuracy.