It's not often that the drafts of a letter are the lead news of the day, so today's coverage of the evolution of a communication to the Home Secretary has been remarkable if only for that reason. The child abuse inquiry and the choice of Chair are immensely important and sensitive and should not be trivialised, but there's a valuable insight here into the workings of political communication.
There'll be time for analysis later — in the meantime, here are the full Fiona Woolf drafts in all their subtly shifting glory.
While you're there, look out for how this early paragraph in the first draft of the letter ...
morphs into this ...
Presentation affects perception at least as much as fact. How an idea or a message is introduced heavily influences how it is received. A skilled writer can shape an idea in as many different ways as a skilled tennis player can shape a shot. It's a skill that should be used for good.
I hope the survivors of abuse, and the rest of us, get clear, unspun answers — however long that takes.
