Yesterday afternoon Columbia University announced this year’s Pulitzer Prizes in New York. So many journalists and writers were waiting online for the magic moment that the befuddled Pulitzer site was intermittently unresponsive after the list of winners posted.
There was, however, one problem with the list: It had no links. But we at Storyboard have solved [...]
Tag Archives: The Wall Street Journal
Stories inside and outside traditional beats: narrative nods in the winter issue of Nieman Reports
December 13, 2010 – 3:09 pm
One of our sister sites, Nieman Reports, has just posted its latest issue, “The Beat Goes On.” You can take a gander at the issue in its entirety, but we thought we’d include some highlights for those of you with a particular interest in narrative.
In “Modern-Day Slavery: A Necessary Beat – with Different Challenges,” E. [...]
Tech thoughts on storytelling: Amy Webb at ONA 2010
November 4, 2010 – 9:35 am
Digital innovation is providing new tools with intriguing possibilities for storytelling. At the 2010 Online News Association Conference last weekend, Webbmedia’s Amy Webb presented tech trends she thinks might find a place in the future of news. (Before she founded her own company, Webb covered emerging technology, media and cultural trends for Newsweek and the [...]
Vanity Fair’s Bryan Burrough on writing narrative: “people are dying to put down your article”
August 6, 2010 – 12:45 am
In what might be the only performance of Texas stand-up comedy about narrative writing, Vanity Fair writer Bryan Burrough recently offered practical tips for long-form storytelling to a Mayborn Conference audience. Prior to his magazine career, Burrough spent several years reporting for The Wall Street Journal; he has also written five books, including “Public Enemies” [...]
Ian Johnson on A Mosque in Munich: narrative as “the sugar around the medicine”
May 12, 2010 – 3:37 pm
We spoke this week with writer Ian Johnson about his new book, A Mosque in Munich. After winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for his coverage of the Falun Gong movement for The Wall Street Journal, Johnson went on to do a series of articles about Islam in Europe. Returning to one of the stories from that [...]
With Just 42 Known Cases, Drug Trial Is a Delicate Task
March 15, 2007 – 1:49 pm
This narrative follows the efforts of one woman to help her son, a 10-year-old with progeria, a disease that causes rapid aging and early death. The mother is also a doctor; she’s a compelling character, and her quest to find a cure makes for strong narrative drive. It also lends itself to digressions for informative [...]
The High Price of Keeping Dad Alive
January 26, 2007 – 1:51 pm
There’s a lot of engaging subtext in this piece; it’s a deft character study. Meckler writes in plain language but tells a complicated story, of family dynamics and psychological struggles. We admired her portrayal of the son Mark Foster’s filial piety and the somewhat paradoxical liberation that followed his risky sacrifice.
I Saw It All. Then I Saw Nothing.
September 17, 2006 – 4:27 pm
We admired the plainness of this story’s language. It is as if the horror of the event stripped Henninger’s voice of all pretense. He gives a blow-by-blow account, with summation in only one paragraph. The piece was published the day after the attacks, but this paragraph has a remarkable level of perspective and still resonates [...]
The Eye of the Storm
September 17, 2006 – 11:02 am
This narrative of horror and escape is plainly and clearly told. Published the day after the 9/11 attacks on New York, it must have helped readers begin to hold the enormity of the event in their minds. Years later, its poise and clarity still captivate. The piece was one of ten by The Wall Street [...]
Moscow Diary: From Worry to Worse
April 22, 2005 – 1:42 pm
McKay’s march of harsh details form a bleak and informative picture. She writes in a frank, detached tone, with strong verbs and tight sentences. She shows that intimate reporting can reveal economic and social trends. Her ending, in which she lets her character speak for himself, is sad yet eloquent.
