[Second in a series of posts about a February meeting on the future of visual narrative sponsored by Frontline and the International Center of Photography.]
With the decline of print newspapers, what will happen to the still images that formed the bedrock of visual storytelling? Veteran photographers, television producers and filmmakers discussed the issue last month in New [...]
Category Archives: news on narrative
Still images and storytelling in the digital era: more from the February Frontline/International Center of Photography symposium
Mike Levine Writers Workshop: a chance for reporters to focus on story
Calling all storytellers: Is there a story you’ve been dying to do, or even trying to write, but you know you need help? If so, the Mike Levine Writers Workshop is looking for you. Did we mention it’s free? All you have to do is get to the Catskill Mountains in New York for the [...]
In defense of ignorance: Rob Nixon at the MLA on making room for readers
Can less be more? The value of ignorance came up this week at the Modern Language Association’s annual conference in Philadelphia during a session titled “Literature and Journalism.” Rob Nixon, of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, talked principally about nonfiction writing and scholars making forays into journalism. But some of his ideas are instructive for [...]
Nieman Reports: trauma narratives
The Winter 2009 issue of Nieman Reports, “Trauma in the Aftermath,” has a lot to offer storytelling journalists. Richard Mollica of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma warns against “toxic trauma stories.” Former South African Broadcasting Corporation reporter Antjie Krog talks about the danger of interfering with history while covering it.
In a session on visual [...]
Nieman Fellowship application deadline approaches
What do Alma Guillermoprieto, Dexter Filkins, Susan Orlean, Rick Bragg and Anne Hull all have in common? Once upon a time, they all headed to Cambridge, Mass., as Nieman Fellows for a year of study at Harvard University.
College courses, lectures and the opportunity to spend a year pondering big ideas with other committed journalists make [...]
Narrative journalism’s future: fighting words in some places
Blog posts and articles on narrative journalism pinged around the Halloween weekend like eyeballs at a zombie food fight—and according to Washingtonian.com, an actual fight broke out at The Washington Post. While the Post’s Henry Allen (a Pulitzer winner for criticism) was reportedly knocking down and punching a younger feature writer over a disagreement related [...]
How Twitter’s @longreads helps readers cozy up to digital narratives
[The first in an occasional series aimed at helping readers find other online resources that focus on narrative journalism.]
Plenty of people are worried about the future of long-form journalism. Not Mark Armstrong. In April of this year, Armstrong started a “longreads” hashtag on Twitter in an attempt to create a community of people who could find and recommend great long-form stories available online. I spoke with him today, and he shared what motivated him to find a Twitter fan base for great online narratives:
“I think right now is really a perfect time for long-form journalism because of the iPhone, because of these apps that are out there. It’s changed the online reading experience to going from little nuggets that you consume between doing other tasks to something you can sit back with to read in a relaxed setting or on a commute. These are really the places where long-form journalism can work.”
Providing this kind of archive has been a part of the mission of our sister site, the Nieman Narrative Digest, and online stalwarts like Gangrey.com for more than three years. And here at Nieman Storyboard, we want to cheer on anything that keeps the narrative nonfiction flame burning. So even if you don’t use Twitter, visit @longreads to find links to stories people are recommending.
Will KCET’s “Departures” set the pace for community storytelling?
Last week, the USC Annenberg School on Communications and the National Arts Journalism Program hosted a National Summit on Arts Journalism at USC, highlighting five public projects that are exploring new trends in journalism. One of the projects, “Departures,” from Los Angeles PBS station KCET, is focused on community storytelling, with students using images and audio [...]
The best-kept secret on medical narratives
A doctor gets shingles and finds himself unable to refuse unnecessary tests. A student in need of a kidney transplant gets offers of marriage, with free health care attached. A national news celebrity struggles with bipolar disorder.
You might not expect to find these stories in a research and policy journal. But since 1999, Health [...]
