Story Annotations

The project pitch that won funding from the International Women’s Media Foundation

"Don't start from the grant; start from the story," says reporter Ylenia Gostoli

By Carly Stern • October 23, 2020

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Strictly Q&A

Pitching the IWMF: Focus on undercovered issues, think big and dare to stretch

For 30 years, the International Women's Media Fund has helped fund women journalists and ambitious projects around the world

By Carly Stern • October 22, 2020

From the Editor

Story roots and consequences

Putting an issue in context means reporting its origins and exploring its implications

By Jacqui Banaszynski • October 20, 2020

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Story Annotations

Reporting beyond the first headlines

By Chip Scanlan
October 14, 2020

A Washington Post team went back to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and found a story that defied easy narratives and cardboard characters

Story Craft

How a reporter tracked good intentions to problematic consequences in family court

By Trevor Pyle
October 13, 2020

A Marshall Project/Atlantic investigation into "child-abuse pediatricians" found families misjudged by a system meant to protect children

From the Editor

#2 rule of pitching: Respect submission protocols

By Jacqui Banaszynski
October 9, 2020

Following form doesn't have to limit creativity, and shows you are a professional

Story Annotations

An intimate narrative from inside a COVID-afflicted nursing home — reported by phone

By Carly Stern
October 7, 2020

Katie Engelhart on the reality of nursing homes and the undercovered issue of elder care in America: "We all think we won't end up in a nursing home."

Personal Essays

The struggle to define cinematic writing

By Constance Hale
October 6, 2020

Narrative writer, editor and teacher Constance Hale on the elements that make for a true compelling story, with a sampling of writing she loves

Personal Essays

Pitching a new editor: Don’t be too clever

By Caren Chesler
October 1, 2020

A successful freelancer confesses how her "motor mouth" can turn off editors and tank her good ideas

Story Craft

How a viral tweet led to a sensitive story on family, race and America

By Trevor Pyle
September 30, 2020

A Los Angeles Times reporter used new and old tools (listening!) to gain access and trust

Story Annotations

Narrative of Oregon town’s hellish wildfire experience is a lesson in deadline writing

By Kim Cross
September 29, 2020

The entire reporting staff of the Salem Reporter worked together to deliver a fast-turn and gripping 4,500-word narrative on a deadly Oregon fire

From the Editor

#1 rule of pitching: Study the publication

By Jacqui Banaszynski
September 25, 2020

Researching the basics of the site you're pitching to — story length, purpose and tone — reveals respect for the work of reporting

Strictly Q&A

Wisdom from Melissa Fay Greene about deep reporting on sensitive subjects

By Bonnie Miller Rubin
September 23, 2020

Her Atlantic story following the fate of adopted Romanian orphans delves into science, psychology and the tricky shoals of parenthood

Story Annotations

How Reveal investigated the systemic abuse of America’s caregivers

By Carly Stern
September 22, 2020

An investigative series exposed the entrenched practice of exploiting care workers for profit, giving silenced and underpaid caregivers a voice

Strictly Q&A

How limitations — COVID, budgets, access and more — can spark fresh ideas

By Kristen Chin
September 17, 2020

From coaching camera skills to honoring drone laws, the lifestyles production unit at GBH in Boston chases creative documentary work

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