By Madeline Bodin After reading a remarkable work of nonfiction, have you ever wished you could learn exactly how the writer created what you just read? I don’t think I’m alone in being intrigued by how the stories that … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski Do anything often enough and long enough and you probably, at times, fall into the occasional rut. I don’t know of any fellow journalist, no matter their age or experience, who hasn’t lamented that their work … Read more
By Katharine Gammon Roy Peter Clark says he never meant to write another book about writing. Clark, a senior scholar at The Poynter Institute, had already written or edited 20 books about reading, writing and language. Read more
By Howard Sinker The news reporting class I teach probably isn’t what you’d expect. The college where I teach doesn’t offer a journalism degree — and I’m good with that. My hope is that students learn a little about … Read more
By Chuck Haga The students file in and suddenly some remember the day’s assignment: Bring in a favorite song lyric, something with magic in the way words work together. Out come the phones and they search, trying to remember … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski It was a favorite diversion of mine, when I was teaching at the Missouri School of Journalism, to wander down the hall from my office to the newsroom of the Columbia Missourian. I would plug into … Read more
By Jacqui Banaszynski Honorable readers, the writer stipulate: I once dreamed of attending law school. I took a few pre-law courses in college before reality, aka economics, led me away from more student debt and towards a reliable … Read more
First there was Nathalie, an English language learner who whispered that she’d never done well in English, never liked it, but this course was different. And her writing was getting better. Then there was Nseandra, who avoided the news … Read more
We interrupt your syllabus prep with this important message: Consider Nieman Storyboard as a resource – and even publication destination – in your reporting, writing and journalism ethics courses. Storyboard is a trove of what I call “story work.” … Read more
You know those pin-dot graphics that the data dudes produce that show how things are both clustered and connected? Things like who uses Twitter, or COVID rates in red- and blue-voting districts. This week I’ve been wondering how cool … Read more