Story Annotations

A narrative on the political divide reported from the inside-out

Jose A. Del Real of The Washington Post uses phone, email and texts to profile a family torn apart by conflicting beliefs in "facts"

By Chip Scanlan • April 20, 2021

Taking the “student” out of student journalist

A Salem, Oregon, school board apologized to the high school newspaper editor for criticizing work it deemed "too political"

By Jacqui Banaszynski • April 15, 2021

From the Editor

Some uncomfortable challenges facing journalism

The digital upheaval gutted the traditional business model, but those aren't the only issues we need to confront

By Jacqui Banaszynski • April 13, 2021

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Story Craft

An award-winning food writer explores the legacy of sexual identity in the food world

By Aiman Javed

March 9, 2021

A profile of the late San Francisco chef Elka Gilmore shows the work it took to highlight her pioneering role as both chef and gay female in a male world

Story Craft

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

By Jacqui Banaszynski and Lane DeGregory

February 12, 2021

Lane DeGregory of the Tampa Bay Times follows her curiosity to find the scamp who interrupted the Super Bowl

Personal Essays

Jumpstart your writing routine: coffee, journals, sketches and postcards

By Jill U. Adams

February 4, 2021

A science freelancer works her way out of COVID malaise with morning writing rituals

From the Editor

Five days and five senses: Free writing as a daily practice

By Jacqui Banaszynski

February 2, 2021

Prompts to help you build stronger writing muscles every day

Personal Essays

How 66 days of shell art helped a retired journalist rediscover her writing voice

By Cathy Henkel

January 29, 2021

Retired sports editor Cathy Henkel created a daily countdown to the presidential inauguration in shells and stones, and found herself telling stories

Story Craft

#4 rule of pitching: Know what’s come before

By Jacqui Banaszynski

January 20, 2021

The lack of a simple clips search can tank your idea

Story Craft

When writing news requires a distance from neutrality to “tell it like it is”

By Roy Peter Clark

January 14, 2021

Writing guru Roy Peter Clark analyzes an "astonishing lead," and unpacks the notions of objectivity and detachment in light of current events

One Great Moment

“The mountains on the horizon …”

By Jacqui Banaszynski

December 29, 2020

Tana French in her novel "The Searcher"

Story Craft

A master of sports journalism tackles a new writing challenge: narrative on Facebook

By Greg Bowers

November 18, 2020

National Sports Media Hall of Famer Dave Kindred's posts about visits to his ailing wife, his late grandson and life during COVID hit a chord with readers