Articles

Rethinking how we see and understand news — and who frames it

Rethinking how we see and understand news — and who frames it

If you have taken a picture and shared it with no text, or studied a news image to see if it was “real,” or wondered if “photography” is an accurate…
Not just a guilty pleasure: "Game of Thrones" holds essential writing lessons

Not just a guilty pleasure: “Game of Thrones” holds essential writing lessons

Esteemed writing teacher Roy Peter Clark shares the 12 things he learned (or re-learned) about storytelling from the epic HBO series
A sex worker plunges to her death and a reporter demands to know: Who was she?

A sex worker plunges to her death and a reporter demands to know: Who was she?

Dan Barry led a team at The New York Times to uncover a name, a life history, and the sinister world of power and exploitation on 40th Road
Getting in the writing zone

Getting in the writing zone

A chronic reality of writing: It’s a struggle.Or so it often (always?) seems if you’re the writer. You aren’t sure whether your information is sound, where to start your story,…
A tribute: On Herman Wouk and the incandescence of "Youngblood Hawke"

A tribute: On Herman Wouk and the incandescence of “Youngblood Hawke”

A 12-year-old Chip Scanlan "borrowed" his brother's book, read under the covers by flashlight, and vowed to become a writer
What a "true war story" is really about

What a “true war story” is really about

Postscript from a reader about the powerful and troubling narratives of war
What's in a 50-year-old photo? The lingering gutwrench of the Vietnam War

What’s in a 50-year-old photo? The lingering gutwrench of the Vietnam War

An iconic photo from the 1968 Tet Offensive is revisited, raising questions about memory, identity, and and how we honor those who served
"A true war story is never moral."

“A true war story is never moral.”

—Tim O'Brien, from his novel "The Things They Carried"
Roy Peter Clark on the search for the "embedded narrative"

Roy Peter Clark on the search for the “embedded narrative”

 Not long ago, I came out of a theater in Tampa, Florida, and heard someone calling my name. It was Adan Martinez, a young college student who had just performed…
Reflections on the challenges and triumphs of masculinity in changing times

Reflections on the challenges and triumphs of masculinity in changing times

An anthology of profiles by award-winning journalist Steve Oney is out in paperback, offering lessons in an essential journalistic artform