Story Craft

How to turn all that “stuff” into narrative

Practical tips from nonfiction author Elizabeth Mehren on how to create compelling nonfiction from mounds of research and interviews

By Madeline Bodin • May 1, 2024

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From the Editor

Journalism awards: Free j-school

Contest winners and finalists, chosen by fellow professionals, demonstrate journalistic standards and purpose, and reflect the times we live in

By Jacqui Banaszynski • April 30, 2024

Story Craft

2024 Power of Narrative: “Be human first” when covering trauma and children

From pool drownings to school shootings, John Woodrow Cox shares lessons on reporting violence through the voices of children (and others)

By Esther Landhuis • April 25, 2024

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From the Editor

True stories embrace the dualities of life

By Jacqui Banaszynski
March 26, 2024

The editor ponders the emergence of spring as a metaphor for tension inherent in life — and stories

Strictly Q&A

Following an unfinished story: A year in the life of a post-Roe family

By Trevor Pyle
March 22, 2024

After Tennessee's strict anti-abortion laws left a pregnant woman and her fetus at risk, ProPublica stayed to chronicle failed promises of a safety net

Story Annotations

Respecting the tortured voice and troubled choices of the mentally ill

By Chip Scanlan
March 22, 2024

Ellen Barry of The New York Times unspooled the heartbreaking consequences of no-great-choices for those in the mental health system

From the Editor

So many newsletters: Reading to learn to write to be read

By Jacqui Banaszynski
March 19, 2024

The editor reflects on newsletters as a writing form and what they might teach us about various ways to engage readers

Short Takes

A 3,000-word story, 70 email questions ~ and a grateful writer

By Jyoti Madhusoodanan
March 14, 2024

A freelancer praises the meticulous process of fact-checkers

From the Editor

Circling your way to a story

By Jacqui Banaszynski
March 14, 2024

The editor muses on how letting your mind wander can sometimes lead to more creative insights and writing

Personal Essays

A New York Times profile of a Ukrainian sniper confronts the “myth of a ‘good kill'”

By Karl Marlantes
February 23, 2024

Novelist and Vietnam veteran Karl Marlantes on the moral dilemma revealed in a story by reporter and Afghanistan veteran Thomas Gibbons-Neff

Strictly Q&A

A first-time war correspondent finds human stories in a devastated Ukraine

By Kim Cross
February 21, 2024

Washington Post reporter Lizzie Johnson volunteered for a Christmas-month rotation in Ukraine, where she filed intimate narratives as well as news

From the Editor

Confessions of a flawed proofreader

By Jacqui Banaszynski
February 20, 2024

The editor corrects and apologizes for a fact error, and muses on the challenges of seeing glitches in our own writing

Story Craft

Two journalists talk to the bots — who talk back — about the pros and pitfalls of AI

By Casey Frechette and Chip Scanlan
February 16, 2024

"Once we accept that AI is flawed, we can use it responsibly, even relish in what it has to offer." ~ journalism professor Casey Frechette

From the Editor

Story treats from cookie jars

By Jacqui Banaszynski
February 13, 2024

The editor, inspired by a collection of vintage cookie jars at a country diner, muses on the trove of stories found by revisiting history.

Short Takes

Analytics aren’t the only measure

By Laurie Hertzel
February 8, 2024

A retired journalist revisits letters sent by readers early in her career, and is reminded that stories touch people in ways we never know

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