Dear Readers:
Should reporters wear suits and ties? Doc’s question is meant to be utilitarian rather than ontological. Does it help the journalist to always dress the same when on the job? Or, to blend in, should she match the garb to the beat or assignment? Or should the reporter stick out and distinguish himself, like Florida on a map of the world?
While the latter strategy might seem eccentric — who wants to be a thirty-pound fly on the wall? — it is inspired by a crafty old practice described by Tom Wolfe. Doc recalls that Wolfe wears those creamy white suits, not just because he has a Mark Twain complex, but because he wants to wear the costume of an unenlightened outsider. Wear that suit to report on the culture of stock car racers, as he did with his story on Junior Johnson, and suddenly those good ole boys are working real hard to make sure you get it right.
To embody this question, the sartorial Doc has decided to model four different reporting outfits. If you had to wear only one of these while reporting, which one would you choose, and why?
