As a newish multiplatform editor at The Washington Post, I’m always looking for help writing great headlines. My mind isn’t naturally filled with puns, I haven’t read reams of poetry and my musical tastes tend to run to classical, … Read more
Growing up in a family of Chinese immigrant mathematicians and scientists, then ditching my PhD in biology for a career in journalism makes me somewhat of a maverick. But that transition was fun. My left-brain love of science’s rigor … Read more
Early in his career, Eric Seals adopted a straightforward mission statement from a former colleague: “If you learn to shoot with your heart you will move people’s souls.” That has guided him for 25 years as a photographer and … Read more
The email response to my story pitch came from the senior producer. It read, more or less: We want this. But do you have a clue how to do it? The actual wording was kinder, but it was … Read more
The tap water in Flint, Michigan, went bad more than four years ago, when the budget-strapped city stopped drawing its water from Lake Huron and the Detroit River and switched to a cheaper source: the Flint River. The … Read more
Notes on interviewing process Jacqui Banaszynski The panel was promoted as “The Art of the Interview.” And based on the range of advice from four … Read more
Editor’s note: Reporter and teacher Shaheen Pasha (2018 Nieman Fellow) met John J. Lennon when she interviewed him for a larger package she did on writing programs and newspapers inside America’s prisons. (Her in-depth report can be found at our … Read more
Editor’s note: Our third Shop Class – part of our Story Craft posts – grew out of breaking news stories and blogs that offer rich lessons on how to do the work we do. Even in narrative, we need to know … Read more
Editor’s note: This is our second edition of Shop Class, a new Story Craft feature. The goal is to break down the work that goes into creating stories, and offer prompts or small suggestions to help you practice the craft that … Read more
Editor’s note: We are trying out a new feature. Call it writing practice (with a nod to Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones,” where I first encountered the term). Or virtual workshopping. Or maybe simply shop class. The goal is to … Read more
