By Chip Scanlan Journalists who write profiles don’t go in cold. They pre-report to prepare for crucial interviews. They read widely and research previous stories that have been written about their subject. They think through questions they need to … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski Last Thursday was momentous news in these dis-United States, bringing news I doubt I need to recap. I confess that I was held captive to radio and news sites for the six weeks of the People … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this installment of our occasional series “What Makes a Good Editor,” we featured a Q&A with Mike Wilson of The New York Times “Great Reads” and follow it with his annotation below of a … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: The interview with Mike Wilson of The New York Times is another in our occasional series “What makes a good editor” and will be followed by his annotation of a story by Chicago correspondent Jonathan Weisman, about the … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski It’s Memorial Day in these dis-United States. The news won’t take a holiday. There are too many active war zones, notably in Ukraine and Gaza; the armed conflicts that persist in a number of countries the … Read more
By Lauren Kessler The book arrived in the afternoon mail: “Jimmy Breslin: Essential Writings.” I opened to the first story, figuring I’d take a quick look. It was a longish piece written in 1960 about some … Read more
By Ben Yagoda One day in the very late 1960s, my father brought home a copy of Esquire magazine. Out popped a card offering an annual subscription for, I believe, $1.99. He filled it out and mailed it in, … Read more
By Laurie Hertzel It’s a standard story for American newspapers: the story-behind-the-story of someone who has died suddenly and tragically. But when Keith Duggan wrote about the life and death of Sarah McNally for his newspaper, … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski The dance of editors and writers. Oh, the stories we all could tell! Mine, during 20 years as a reporter, involve a lot of bratty behavior that would not be tolerated in today’s newsroom culture. I … Read more
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of an occasional series interviewing story editors about how they do their jobs. By Carly Stern Any grateful writer can attest to the power of a strong editor — a trusted voice of … Read more