Story Annotations

How a freelancer's story instincts landed a piece in The New York Times

How a freelancer’s story instincts landed a piece in The New York Times

Erika Hayasaki found characters, scenes and themes in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires that she couldn't set aside despite multiple rejections
Reporting beyond shame and blame, secrets and stereotypes

Reporting beyond shame and blame, secrets and stereotypes

Esquire's Mark Warren immersed himself in evangelical Alabama to find the pain and grace behind a beloved pastor's suicideKim Cross
Effective editing: Navigating failures of the military's mental health system

Effective editing: Navigating failures of the military’s mental health system

A project annotation by Alexandra Zayas of ProPublica offers insights to how an editor sees story potential and guides reporters
What happens to crime scene investigators who have to see the unseeable?

What happens to crime scene investigators who have to see the unseeable?

Nonfiction author Jay Kirk used time, openness and empathy for a New York Times Magazine profile of the Sandy Hook school shooting investigators
How a profile of a Kabul hotel became a profile of today's Afghanistan

How a profile of a Kabul hotel became a profile of today’s Afghanistan

Andreas Babst of Switzerland went behind-the-scenes of the fabled Intercontinental Hotel with two employees — one Talib, one not
Effective editing: Lynda Robinson annotates a sensitive story on faith and family

Effective editing: Lynda Robinson annotates a sensitive story on faith and family

The Washington Post enterprise editor gives a behind-the-scenes look at how she worked with a reporter to access sources and recreate scenes
How a reporter prepped to understand A.I. and the man who helped invent it

How a reporter prepped to understand A.I. and the man who helped invent it

New Yorker Ideas Editor Joshua Rothman brushed up on algebra and spent four days on a private island to profile the "godfather" of A.I.

Effective editing: Mike Wilson annotates a complex story he edited

The deputy editor of The New York Times "Good Reads" offers insights into what he sees in a reporter/writer's project
Respecting the tortured voice and troubled choices of the mentally ill

Respecting the tortured voice and troubled choices of the mentally ill

Ellen Barry of The New York Times unspooled the heartbreaking consequences of no-great-choices for those in the mental health system
A reporting team trekked back 50 years to explore an unsolved climbing mystery

A reporting team trekked back 50 years to explore an unsolved climbing mystery

In "Ghosts on the Glacier," John Branch and a New York Times multi-media team tell a tale with echoes of the 2012 Pulitzer-winning project "Snow Fall"