Story Annotations

A profile of a newspaper press becomes a requiem for an era

Los Angeles Times veteran Thomas Curwen found professionalism and pride in the last Friday night run of the newspaper's storied presses

By Trevor Pyle • October 31, 2024

Newspaper discards pulled in quality control checks in an early press run of the Los Angeles Times.

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Effective editing: Get on the phone to talk through ideas and problems

After a decade of editing, The Atlantic's Family Editor Julie Beck is going to apply her experience to full-time writing of her own stories

By Carly Stern • October 24, 2024

Story Annotations

Finding a quiet voice in the center of America’s screaming immigration debate

The Washington Post's Ruby Cramer profiled a small-city selectman caught in the crossfire of fear, anger and blame over asylum seekers

By Trevor Pyle • October 17, 2024

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Strictly Q&A

Effective editing: Get on the phone to talk through ideas and problems

By Carly Stern
October 24, 2024

After a decade of editing, The Atlantic's Family Editor Julie Beck is going to apply her experience to full-time writing of her own stories

Strictly Q&A

How a reporter glimpsed the future of America in a crystal-ball city

By Trevor Pyle
August 1, 2024

Atlantic writer George Packer takes readers to the grounded realities of America's battles over growth, race, climate change and water

Strictly Q&A

Effective editing: Trust and Ted Lasso-style cheerleading

By Carly Stern
July 11, 2024

For the ProPublica deputy managing editor Alexandra Zayas, emotional intelligence is as important as journalistic craft skills

Strictly Q&A

Effective editing: Mutual trust and knowing the heart of a story

By Carly Stern
June 12, 2024

For the Washington Post's Lynda Robinson, "The goal is to say ‘yes’ as much as possible and ‘no’ as little as possible."

Strictly Q&A

Effective editing: Word skills, listening skills and people skills

By Carly Stern
May 30, 2024

Story editor Mike Wilson of St. Petersburg, Dallas and New York Times: "You learn a lot of empathy from being an editor." 

Strictly Q&A

What makes an effective editor? Flexibility, mutual trust and chocolate chips

By Carly Stern
May 10, 2024

A new Storyboard series starts with Atlantic national editor Scott Stossel talking about what he brings to stories and writers

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Following an unfinished story: A year in the life of a post-Roe family

By Trevor Pyle
March 22, 2024

After Tennessee's strict anti-abortion laws left a pregnant woman and her fetus at risk, ProPublica stayed to chronicle failed promises of a safety net

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A first-time war correspondent finds human stories in a devastated Ukraine

By Kim Cross
February 21, 2024

Washington Post reporter Lizzie Johnson volunteered for a Christmas-month rotation in Ukraine, where she filed intimate narratives as well as news

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David Grann Part 2: Craft wisdom and breaking into narrative nonfiction

By Katia Savchuk
January 11, 2024

The renowned author shares insights on vetting story ideas, meticulous research and revision, the value of editors and pitching The New Yorker

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David Grann Part 1: A deep-dive into “The Wager”

By Katia Savchuk
January 10, 2024

The New Yorker writer and bestselling author — who says he's not a “natural writer” —  shares the research and writing process behind his latest book

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When a Pulitzer-winning book is banned

By Carly Stern
January 4, 2024

Robert Samuels' co-authored book about the life and death of George Floyd was labeled inappropriate for students at a Tennessee high school

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Jennifer Senior follows a personal trail to undo the erasure of her disabled aunt

By Carly Stern
November 29, 2023

The Atlantic writer uncovers the painful truth behind the treatment of a generation of Americans warehoused in asylums and denied by families

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