Author

Jacqui Banaszynski

@JacquiB

Jacqui Banaszynski retired as the endowed Knight Chair in Editing at the Missouri School of Journalism in 2017, is editor at Nieman Storyboard, and a faculty fellow at the Poynter Institute. She won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing for “AIDS in the Heartland,” a series about a gay farm couple facing AIDS, and was a finalist for the 1986 Pulitzer in international reporting for her account of the sub-Saharan famine.

"...last straws and camels' backs..."

“…last straws and camels’ backs…”

By Jacqui BanaszynskiClichés are to good writing as fill in your preferred cliché here.A student of mine once challenged that notion. She insisted that clichés are a good thing: They…
The core role of editors in trustworthy journalism

The core role of editors in trustworthy journalism

In frenzied times and a strained news economy, editors are often the first to be cut — just when they are needed more than ever
"History is a merciless judge."

“History is a merciless judge.”

—David Grann in his nonfiction book "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Story craft and presence is what the journalist brings to chaos

Story craft and presence is what the journalist brings to chaos

By Jacqui BanaszynskiJet lag clawed at me for days after getting home from writing workshops in Romania. My return flights involved cancellations, delays, the demand to check a bag I…
What happens between the sheets ~ and pages

What happens between the sheets ~ and pages

By Jacqui BanaszynskiI have a tendency to notice odd juxtapositions in the news. Many baffle me to the point of annoyance, as when a major news site tells me, on…
Keep your focus on what's in front of you

Keep your focus on what’s in front of you

By Jacqui BanaszynskiI have been weary with heartache, confusion and a deep sense of “should” since Hamas waged a vicious, surprise attack on Israel Oct. 7. The heartache and confusion…
Goldilocks interviews: Too little, too much and just right

Goldilocks interviews: Too little, too much and just right

By Jacqui BanaszynskiMy fandom of American TV police/crime procedurals goes back to sharing Agatha Christie mysteries with my mother, then watching “Perry Mason” on a not-very-sharp black-and-white TV. I loved…
Lessons on what not always to do in interviews

Lessons on what not always to do in interviews

By Jacqui BanaszynskiLast week brought the sad news of the deaths of more fine journalists I’ve been graced to know. One was Jim Caple, who was one of those sports…
"Now is the winter ..."

“Now is the winter …”

By Jacqui BanaszynskiThat phrase has stayed with me for years, since I read John Steinbeck’s last novel, which was cited when the iconic 20th century author was awarded the 1962 Nobel…
Pick some winners while you sip that latte

Pick some winners while you sip that latte

By Jacqui BanaszynskiIt’s that season again — and I don’t mean the season of the pumpkin spice latte, which I consider a bad idea on several levels. I mean the…