Poynter. » Best Practices: Reporting and Writing and Editing

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

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

What are the key takeaways from media’s Boston coverage?

Mallary Jean Tenore — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 04:49:00 +0000

While covering the Boston explosions and manhunt last week, journalists became part of the story. They did an admirable job covering many aspects of the tragedy, but they also made mistakes that caused confusion and led to widespread criticism.… Read more

How an award-winning investigative reporter tracked killings in Iraq

Al Tompkins — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:20:32 +0000

Investigative Reporters and Editors’ list of 2012 award winners, released Wednesday, honors journalists who exposed shoddy care for the elderly and mentally ill, spotlighted inept and corrupt government officials, discovered a broken school truancy system, found … Read more

Find your resilience: 5 tips for new editors

Tom Huang — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:04:08 +0000

Dear new editor,

Not long ago, I wrote a column encouraging young journalists to keep their chins up and pursue their dreams of working in a newsroom, even though many of those newsrooms have become difficult places to work. Several … Read more

Tips for writing more effective leads

Roy Peter Clark — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:30:53 +0000

Writer John McPhee has said the lead is a “flashlight” that shines down into the darkness of the story, giving us a glimpse of what is yet to come.

In journalism, and in many other forms of writing, the first … Read more

6 questions journalists should be able to answer before pitching a story

Tom Huang — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 13:55:27 +0000

I can’t believe that my former editor never threw me out of his office. That’s because, back when I was a cub reporter, I used to pitch story ideas by proclaiming that I wanted to write about “the homeless,” or … Read more

10 ways to get traumatized sources to share their stories

Mallary Jean Tenore — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:30:44 +0000

When people have been traumatized, they’re often reluctant to talk to the media. There are ways of getting them to open up, though, and of showing them the value in sharing their story.

I talked with five journalists who have … Read more

Jenkins on Paterno: ‘I’ve got to write that he lied’

Steve Myers — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 18:51:45 +0000

About 9:30 a.m.Thursday, Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins downloaded the Freeh report examining Penn State’s handling of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse. She immediately skipped to the section about a 1998 allegation and saw emails between administrators noting that former … Read more