October 13, 2009 – 11:25 am
The following comments are taken from a talk given by Oregonian reporter Tom Hallman on September 25, 2009, at the American Association of Sunday and Feature editors. Hallman won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for “The Boy Behind the Mask.”
For reporters, there has to be a change of attitude. Narrative was seen as being all about writing and having plenty of time to do stuff. Narrative reporters were seen as prima donnas. So for younger writers, they’re going to have to tell stories, to find stories that are going to be shorter…
The truth is that we turned out stories that were not worth 40, 60 or 90 inches, where the openings were about impressing other writers more than reaching the readers. But you cannot tell a scenic story in 15 inches. It’s going to require a different kind of narrative: The presence of a writer’s voice but without the heavy first person references. My feeling is unless you’ve witnessed a murder, you don’t need to be in the story. It will take a more disciplined approach to the story, the realization that some things are going to have to go by the wayside. You’re going to have to use quotes, whether you want to or not, to condense the story.
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September 28, 2009 – 11:51 am
At last weekend’s American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors conference, keynote speaker Shawn Levy spoke about “getting the story” and the connections between writing books and journalism. The film critic at The Oregonian, Levy has written five books, including King of Comedy, about comedian Jerry Lewis, and his most recent biography—Paul Newman: A Life. In addition to his work at The Oregonian, he blogs about film and professional soccer, and tweets compusively, suffering from what he calls “monkey brain.”
Levy suggested reporters should “look high, look low, and look sideways” when researching, and he praised the investigative reporters who taught him how to dig for a story. He talked about the “high”—academic institutions and libraries that offer arcane documents and details. He connected the “low” with tabloid accounts and stories on a subject, and the concept of looking “sideways” with looking for what else was happening in the life and community of a subject at any given point in his life.
Read more from his talk.
September 20, 2006 – 4:48 pm
Bingham told us he got the idea for this story after reading something a shark-bite victim said—”a throw-away line in the story written around the news event.” He went deeper into the story—and wrote a narrative that portrays someone not easily deterred.
September 20, 2006 – 2:50 pm
Bingham followed up on the rescue of a paraglider from a tree by profiling the man who climbed and rescued him. He focuses not on the rescue itself but on the character of Bob Saari, tree climber—his toughness, his apparent fearlessness, his stubornness. It’s a neat window into one man and his unusual job.
September 20, 2006 – 12:00 am
This narrative sprung from a news story about the capture of a kidnapper. Bingham seized on a detail about the boy who gave police key information—that he was prone to fibs and exaggeration—and used that insight to write a focused and well-themed little story about the boy’s role in finding another boy’s kidnapper. The theme [...]
August 14, 2006 – 12:00 am
While we wished for a central character to focus this narrative, we enjoyed its overall drive—and its fresh topic. We loved the strong voice in the line, “What followed defies explanation” and were captivated by the triumphant, beautifully written ending.
This is an instructive case of crafting narrative out of a quick-turnaround assignment. Here’s what Hallman wrote us about the story:
“I was working the weekend shift and was assigned to cover a college graduation. The school sent out a press release touting the story as one about a professor who was retiring and receiving honors. [...]
November 18, 2004 – 10:40 am
For this remarkable piece of reporting, Hallman gained first access into the ward, via the administrators, and then, more vitally, access into the “hearts and minds” of the nurses. Hallman told the listserv WriterL that he got into the ward through persistence and tact. He made it very clear what he wanted to do and [...]
November 16, 2004 – 4:35 pm
Hallman spent hundreds of hours and more than 10 months reporting for this series. He says he did very little reconstruction, that most of the scenes are based on his observation. We admire much of the writing, which exudes compassion, a kind of gentleness, while remaining detached. Notice the intimacy and quietness of the lead, [...]
November 16, 2004 – 1:09 pm
Stabler’s series about a black music prodigy is well-reported and -written. We like the rich detail, the elegant descriptions, deft characterizations. What seems left out are more insights into why the 16-year-old, Sam Johnson, has such a hard time. Stabler addresses the challenges that prodigies face as they near adulthood. But we couldn’t help but [...]
