Articles

When the story of one is the story of many

When the story of one is the story of many

The number, when it landed, should have been no surprise. Even so, it held the power to shock. I spent a week  bracing myself for news that the COVID death…
March 1, 2021
Jacqui Banaszynski
Go behind the scenes of four 2020 George Polk Award winners

Go behind the scenes of four 2020 George Polk Award winners

The George Polk Awards were established 73 years ago to honor George Polk, a CBS correspondent who was killed while covering the civil war in Greece. They now rank among…
February 26, 2021
Jacqui Banaszynski
How a national correspondent gained trust to cover COVID in a tiny Kansas town

How a national correspondent gained trust to cover COVID in a tiny Kansas town

Trevor Hughes likes to tell people he grew up on a dirt road next to an apple orchard in Vermont, where his parents received The Burlington Free Press every day.…
February 25, 2021
Carly Stern
What narrative master Eli Saslow learned about intimacy interviewing by phone

What narrative master Eli Saslow learned about intimacy interviewing by phone

EDITOR’S NOTE: The “Voices from the Pandemic” series has been awarded a 2020 George Polk Award in Oral Histories.Eli Saslow of The Washington Post has made a name for himself…
February 24, 2021
Matt Tullis
The teaching power of obituaries

The teaching power of obituaries

EDITOR’S NOTE: A version of this essay was first published Feb. 19, 2021, as a Storyboard newsletter. That was two days before the tragic news that COVID deaths in the…
February 23, 2021
Jacqui Banaszynski
A Black reporter sets off on a journey of "My Country"

A Black reporter sets off on a journey of “My Country”

It’s been just over two years since we wrote about Tyrone Beason, then a Seattle Times columnist who had fallen out of love with the city as its tech-fueled growth…
February 19, 2021
Jacqui Banaszynski
"She was delicate the way a ribbon of steel holds up its part of a bridge."

“She was delicate the way a ribbon of steel holds up its part of a bridge.”

I love that feeling when a passage promises you that a story is worth sticking with. I had this experience recently when reading Wesley Morris’ profile of the late Cicely…
February 18, 2021
Mallary Tenore
Sharpen your narrative journalism skills in 2021 at these writers’ conferences

Sharpen your narrative journalism skills in 2021 at these writers’ conferences

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post was updated on June 1, 2021, with new information. Changes or additions are highlighted.If you’re feeling stalled and rusty in your writing, you’re far from alone.…
February 17, 2021
Madeline Bodin
Metrics can't always or instantly measure impact

Metrics can’t always or instantly measure impact

It has become an all-too-common question, from students and young journalists and even struggling veterans: Why does this work matter if nothing changes?I could spend a lifetime of study and…
February 15, 2021
Jacqui Banaszynski
Who, How and Why? What we can learn from an interview with the Super Bowl streaker

Who, How and Why? What we can learn from an interview with the Super Bowl streaker

Curiosity grounds all good journalism. Following up on curiosity — wondering about everything, and then caring to find out — is what makes journalism soar.Lane DeGregory finds and follows stories…
February 12, 2021
Jacqui Banaszynski