Poynter. » Newsgathering & Storytelling

Writing and reporting advice from 4 of The Washington Post’s best

Roy Peter Clark — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:21:53 +0000

Last Saturday I had the honor of teaching at a public writing conference at The Washington Post. After I finished my part of the program, I spent the day listening carefully to four of the Post’s most accomplished writers … Read more

What writers see in life, language and literature

Roy Peter Clark — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:20:07 +0000

At the end of this essay, I will be asking for your help in writing a proposal for a new book: “What Writers See: In Life, Language, and Literature.”

What do I mean when I ask the question “What do … Read more

How some narratives can benefit from more translucence, less transparency

Roy Peter Clark — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:35:36 +0000

Transparency, transparency, transparency. Say it loud and there’s music playing. Say it soft and it’s almost like praying.

Transparency is the new pillar of responsible practice, inside and outside of journalism — including at Poynter. When it comes to reporting … Read more

When police wouldn’t release a gang map, Toledo Blade crime reporter drew her own

Kelly McBride — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:48:36 +0000

When the Toledo Police Department refused to release a gang map that showed which gangs claimed which neighborhoods in the small city 60 miles southwest of Detroit, crime reporter Taylor Dungjen decided to create her own.

That’s the short version … Read more

How to include narrative elements in a hard news story

Mallary Jean Tenore — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:28:55 +0000

During this week’s writing chat, we talked with Boston Globe reporter Eric Moskowitz about his story that describes the experience of a young man who was carjacked by the Boston bombing suspects.

Poynter’s Roy Peter Clark praised Moskowitz earlier this … Read more

10 digital tools journalists can use to improve their reporting, storytelling

Taylor Miller Thomas — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:57:26 +0000

Digital tools help produce quality content online, but it can be tough figuring out where to start. Here are 10 online tools that can help improve journalists’ reporting and storytelling, and engage readers in multimedia.

Reporting resources: These tools can … Read more

Boston Globe reporter shows how news writing can unfold ‘like a story in a book’

Roy Peter Clark — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:51:30 +0000

A story from the Boston Globe has been getting a lot of buzz, and rightly so. It was written by Eric Moskowitz, and describes the harrowing experience of a young Chinese man carjacked by the two Boston Marathon bombers. … Read more

The more diverse your brainstorming group, ‘the fresher your story ideas will be’

Taylor Miller Thomas — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:53:04 +0000

Working with writers can be tough: from thinking of creative story ideas that haven’t been covered or written 10 times yet, to justifying a decision about running a particular photograph or identifying a source. Brainstorming with a diverse group of … Read more

From ancient Greece to modern Boston, how stories help us survive

Roy Peter Clark — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:46:40 +0000

The events of recent days — from the bombing of the Boston marathon to the explosion of the fertilizer plant in Texas — should remind us of the power of stories. In a daily sense and over the course of … Read more

Vague descriptions in Boston bombings hurt more than they help

Roy Peter Clark — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:00:49 +0000

My colleague Al Tompkins reminds journalists to remember the case of Richard Jewell as they cover the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. Jewell was the security guard wrongly accused of the bombing at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta.… Read more