Articles

When a profile is also about art is also about climate change is also about grief

When a profile is also about art is also about climate change is also about grief

Julia Rosen has probed the myths of America’s deepest lake, looked down on Prince William Sound from a floatplane and joined a quest to scour the Bronx for jumping worms.…
March 12, 2020
Trevor Pyle
Stories are read twice in readers' minds: Once for information, then for meaning

Stories are read twice in readers’ minds: Once for information, then for meaning

EDITOR’S NOTE: This piece is published in partnership with the Poynter Institute.I have come to believe that all readers read all stories twice — all the time.The first reading comes…
March 11, 2020
Roy Peter Clark
Why storytelling can be more important — and sexier — than fishing and hunting

Why storytelling can be more important — and sexier — than fishing and hunting

Once upon a time, the sun and the moon — the man and the woman — had a quarrel over who was the strongest of the two, and whether one…
March 10, 2020
Line Vaaben
Coronavirus is a reminder of this universal lesson: No experience is ours until it is

Coronavirus is a reminder of this universal lesson: No experience is ours until it is

This column was originally published as an issue of Nieman Storyboard’s weekly newsletter. You can read back issues of the newsletter and subscribe here.We read most stories from a distance…
March 6, 2020
Jacqui Banaszynski
What journalistic process can teach both kids and scientists

What journalistic process can teach both kids and scientists

Janica Johnson flipped her reporter’s notebook open to an empty page as she and her team prepared for an interview with Donna Shows, a cell biologist from the Benaroya Research…
February 28, 2020
Claire Hassler
How the personal narrative can make the difference between prison and release

How the personal narrative can make the difference between prison and release

A veteran journalist discovers the role of story in America's prison system — and "human resilience and grace in the face of adversity"
February 25, 2020
Trevor Pyle
The shift of "branches" in a sentence creates shifts in mood and meaning

The shift of “branches” in a sentence creates shifts in mood and meaning

A recent One Great Sentence post, about a line from Dan Zak’s essay for the Washington Post about the political culture of Iowa, inspired me to add a few thoughts.…
February 21, 2020
Roy Peter Clark
A new science writing anthology offers lessons for any journalist covering a complex world

A new science writing anthology offers lessons for any journalist covering a complex world

While there are no dearth of journalism textbooks on the market, many skim over well-trod territory rather than dive deep into a specialty field. And those that do take that…
February 21, 2020
Jacqui Banaszynski
"Iowa is a fairy tale."

“Iowa is a fairy tale.”

Editor’s note: The sentence in our headline is not the One Great Sentence flagged by Storyboard contributor Jill U. Adams. It’s the opening sentence of a profile of Iowa that…
February 14, 2020
Jill U. Adams
How writers show you the love

How writers show you the love

It’s a predictable moment: A reporter needs some relevant emotion for story, so — recorder running and notebook poised — asks: “How does it feel?”You can insert the situation of…
February 14, 2020
Jacqui Banaszynski