Articles

Last Chance High

This is a six-part series about an alternative school for struggling kids in Essex County, N.J. The piece gets close to kids whom others might dismiss—just as the school does.…

Route to Independence

Mark Sheppard is an ordinary guy who took a job that he felt was his calling: He helps people—most of them with special needs—learn how to navigate their world by…

Desperately Seeking Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney’s 2004 campaign has denied Lyman a seat on Air Force Two, so he hopscotches around the country by commercial plane, trying to keep up.It’s a case in which…

Choosing Naia

This six-part narrative is now a classic, instructive for its solid structure, rounded characters and close reporting.Notice the ways that Zuckoff weaves medical background and the details of Naia’s case…

Storm Gods and Heroes

How did Lewan make this piece so compelling? Of course, the event is made for narrative. But notice how it’s told: the relentlessly active verbs—the ship teeters and plunges, the…

Countdown to Landfall

When Bill Adair e-mailed us this piece, he wrote, “It’s an instant narrative. Just add water.” The action, tension, suspense—they’re ready-made.We notice the effective use of team reporting, which enables…

Act One: A Storm Gathers

How many leads can you think of that focus on smell? We admire the first seven paragraphs of this piece. They’re evocative, authoritative and efficient. Kiernan told an audience at…

When to Campaign with Color

In the series of which this piece is a part, the Times used narrative and insightful reporting to uncover the often hidden ways that race is “lived” in America.Egan writes…

A Limited Partnership: How Race is Lived in America

This is a long-term narrative that shows the asymmetrical courses taken by former business partners—one black, one white—after selling their company. The story traces not just the defining moments of…

Everyone Knew About John Kidd’s Problem…

We like Montgomery’s clear structuring of this story and his skillful transitions. He shapes the reader’s sequential experience in the first two sections handily and ends the second section with…