The Power of Words: Weekly lessons on the craft of newspaper writing, from The Providence Journal

INDEX

Beat coverage

12.15.04: Edward Fitzpatrick: Choosing the telling details from a familiar, and tragic, story

11.11.04: Edward Fitzpatrick: Finding a string of words that ties story together

7.21.04: Liz Anderson, Katherine Gregg and Scott Mayerowitz: When a budget debate goes into a stall, then erupts, on deadline

6.23.2004: Neil Shea: "Belly-bump" knocks a reporter into town's political past

6.17.2004: Edward Fitzpatrick: Choice of comic-book hero's quote a tale worth telling

3.8.2004: Edward Fitzpatrick: In Rhode Island, you gotta know a guy ...

2.13.2004: Andrea Stape: Adding bite to a numbers story

11.19.03: Amanda Milkovits: Simple questions can reveal the telling details

10.31.03: John E. Mulligan: Stop along the campaign trail to write, write, write

8.6.03: Felice J. Freyer: Telling a tragic story by engaging, but not overwhelming, the reader - or the writer

5.30.03: Scott Mayerowitz: Spending time on preparation pays off

5.15.03: Jennifer Jordan: Making bits and pieces come together in the end

2.21.03: S.I. Rosenbaum: Making the 'right' story choice

1.30.03: Liz Anderson: Sensing, then chronicling, a politically-charged atmosphere

1.10.03: Lisa Biank Fasig: An organized style helps tell a fashion-retail story

12.16.02: Meaghan Wims: Making a detour from the campaign path

12.05.02: Scott Mayerowitz: Persistence pays off in getting to the man behind the message

10.23.02: Scott MacKay: Census gives clues to changing political scene

9.5.02: Scott MacKay: Making a Cianci TV spectacle entertaining for paper's readers

8.15.02: Scott MacKay: It takes one old hand to know one

7.11.02: Bob Jagolinzer: Knowing the neighborhood makes an unassuming couple stand out

7.3.02: Dan Barbarisi: Sound too offbeat to be true? Check it out

4.3.02: Scott MacKay: Getting prepped for covering a national story

12.6.01: Bob Wyss: Letting the facts speak for themselves

11.14.01: Lynn Arditi: Getting a jump on a numbers story helps bring it to life

3.7.01: Richard C. Dujardin: Attending a Meeting of Professional Peers Reaps Immediate Rewards

1.18.01: Bob Wyss: Steeping yourself in 'the old' can help with 'the new'

8.30.00: Scott MacKay : Getting grounded outside your own territory

1.12.00: Bill Gale, Andy Smith & Vaughn Watson: The difference between critical and newspaper writing (Part II)

1.5.00: Bill Gale, Andy Smith & Vaughn Watson: The difference between critical and newspaper writing (Part I)

6.30.99: John E. Mulligan: Covering an impeachment is just part of the beat

6.2.99: Robert L. Smith: Tapping the human element in a small town story

1.20.99: Tracy Breton: There aren't many, but perjury stories are out there

12.9.98: Scott MacKay: Another celebrity comes to town. Ho hum.

8.26.98: Oh geez, not another meeting story . . .

4.15.98: Part 2: Writing better budget stories

4.8.98: Part 1: Twenty tips for covering and writing about budgets

12.17.97: Finding a new angle for the staple holiday story

11.19.97: David Herzog: Computer-assisted reporting on the beat

11.12.97: Tim Barmann: Finding people and other resources on the Internet

9.17.97: Chris Rowland, Scott MacKay and Liz Rau: Covering the Clintons was no vacation

8.15.97: Brian C. Jones and Bob Wyss: Gerry Goldstein conveys the glory of a clear sentence written in a small town

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Column writing

9.23.04: John Mulligan: Pack-rat approach helps compose ode to the cicada

1.29.04: Bob Kerr: Resonating with the reader -- and yourself

11.29.02: Bob Kerr: Substituting personal perspective for the pack's

8.8.02: Karen Ziner: Choosing a simple message

7.25.02: Bob Kerr: Columnist goes to the mat with telling details

2.28.02: M.J. Andersen: A keynote incident inspires the composition of a column

2.21.02: M. Charles Bakst: Volley of questions for gun-toting senator yields victory for columnist

1.31.02: John E. Mulligan: Lessons in getting personal, for the reporter and the reader

12.12.01: John E. Mulligan: Reporting your way out of uncertain seas

5.23.01: M. Charles Bakst: New set of eyes clarifies

4.4.01: Bob Kerr: Using old memories to write a new column

8.2.00: John E. Mulligan: Boiling down a toothsome story to a palatable column size

3.1.00: Scott MacKay: Finding a thematic thread sews up 20th century

12.8.99: Gerald M. Carbone: Learning how not to structure a story

8.18.99: Peter Phipps: Time is on my side

6.16.99: M. Charles Bakst: Asking a politician if he is gay

4.7.99: M.J. Andersen: A topic to think about on a Saturday

12.30.98: Brian Dickinson: Take a deep breath, decide to enjoy life, feed the birds

12.23.98: M.J. Andersen: Some strategies for first-person writing

11.18.98: Elizabeth Abbott: So much for worrying

9.16.98: Columnists on column-writing

8.5.98: M.J. Andersen: The addressing of high schoolers

7.22.98: Mark Patinkin: When 'just the facts' won't do

7.1.98: John Martin: Getting a new perspective on a familiar theme

4.22.98: Bob Kerr: What is the aim of a newspaper column?

2.4.98: M. Charles Bakst: The difference between a column and a news story

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Computer-assisted reporting

7.18.02: Finding ties to the present by delving into the past

08.09.01: How to make a major project work - Part two

08.02.01: How to make a major project work - Part one

11.19.97: David Herzog: Computer-assisted reporting on the beat

11.12.97: Tim Barmann: Finding people and other resources on the Internet

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Covering disasters

9.18.03: Peter Lord: Planning and luck shed light on covering a blackout

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Deadline writing

7.21.04: Liz Anderson, Katherine Gregg and Scott Mayerowitz: When a budget debate goes into a stall, then erupts, on deadline

7.10.04: Cathleen Crowley: Cat in the box equals story in the hand

6.4.04: Linda Borg: Paying attention to tragedy's personal touch

3.22.04: Richard C. Dujardin: Working with - and getting around -- those family ties

1.15.04: Rich Salit: How a print reporter can beat TV

11.10.03: Amanda Milkovits: When usual leads disappear, a beat reporter's curiosity takes their place

10.31.03: John E. Mulligan: Stop along the campaign trail to write, write, write

9.29.03: Tom Mooney: Luck on the golf course

7.31.03: Michael P. McKinney: Time takes over in the quest for the right lead

5.30.03: Scott Mayerowitz: Spending time on preparation pays off

5.22.03: Karen Lee Ziner and Zachary Mider: A sputtering scanner ignites coverage of a tragic fire

4.4.03: Neil Shea: Going beyond the police jargon

2.12.03: Zachary R. Mider and Andrew C. Helman: Working together unearths several story angles

1.30.03: Liz Anderson: Sensing, then chronicling, a politically-charged atmosphere

10.4.02: Felice J. Freyer: Staying out of the battle's fray

9.5.02: Scott MacKay: Making a Cianci TV spectacle entertaining for paper's readers

8.21.2002: Marion Davis: Joining in the fun of making jabs at the mayor

6.13.02: Bob Wyss: Preparation makes a deadline story shine

6.5.02: Scott MacKay: Squeezing two candidate announcements in the space for one

5.2.02: Tom Mooney: Writing on deadline can be liberating

3.13.02: Peter Lord: Turning a dreaded assignment into gold

8.25.01: Karen Lee Ziner: Make like a squirrel, and store those telling details away

7.25.01: John Mulligan: Quick steps to speed the writing of a big story

7.18.01: Linda Borg: Letting a speaker's words bring her talk to life

4.11.01: Karen Lee Ziner: Getting to the heart of an insular small town

1.18.01: Bob Wyss: Steeping yourself in 'the old' can help with 'the new'

12.13.00: Bob Jagolinzer and Ed Fitzpatrick: Deadlines are a team affair

11.01.00: Amanda Milkovits: Imbibe the details, let the story flow

5.4.00: Tracy Breton: Capturing the essence of a complex personality

3.29.00: Scott MacKay: The importance of being on the scene and in the know

3.15.00: Farnaz Fassihi: Deadline forces focus on an emotionally overwhelming story

11.24.99: Doug Riggs: Getting organized long before a deadline

10.6.99: Robert L. Smith: Writing on a deadline

9.29.99: Gerald M. Carbone: Writing on a deadline

9.22.99: Maria Miro Johnson: 'Bounder' rebuffed in bid to control Belcourt Castle

9.9.99: Melanie Lefkowitz: Capturing a change on deadline

8.25.99: Thomas J. Morgan: We kicked butt in our own backyard

7.28.99: Ariel Sabar: Sometimes, ignorance makes for blissful writing

7.7.99: Ken Mingis: On deadline all day

5.12.99: Paul Edward Parker: Making choices on deadline

4.14.99: Paul Edward Parker: Pursuing a reluctant story

3.24.99: Melanie Lefkowitz: Capturing a change on deadline

3.3.98: John E. Mulligan: Don't forget to do the scutwork

2.3.98: John E. Mulligan: Sometimes dumb lucks gets a good story

12.9.98: Scott MacKay: Another celebrity comes to town. Ho hum.

9.30.98: Maria Miro Johnson: A little prep goes a long way on deadline

10.1.97: Jerry O'Brien: Rituals in writing are important

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Editors and writers working together

5.22.03: Karen Lee Ziner and Zachary Mider: A sputtering scanner ignites coverage of a tragic fire

5.15.03: Jennifer Jordan: Making bits and pieces come together in the end

08.09.01: How to make a major project work - Part two

4.26.2000: Gerald M. Carbone: 'Pain without end' -- Part II of II

4.5.2000: Getting by with a little help from our friends

12.22.99: Phil Kukielski: Part II: Longer stories — Editors and writers working together

12.15.99: Matt McKinney: Part I: Longer stories — Editors and writers working together

10.13.99: Nora Lockwood Tooher: Editors and writers together on a major project

6.9.99: C.J. Chivers: The long road from soft lead to hard

2.24.99: Karen Ziner: Having some fun with a snake

10.7.98: Lynn Arditi: Big-time bank, small-town interest

6.3.98: Madeleine Blais: Good writers need good editors

4.1.98: Stories shine when writers and editors work together

1.21.98: Part 4: How editors hinder reporters

12.24.97: Part 3: How reporters hinder editors

11.5.97: Part 2: What can an editor do to help a writer?

10.8.97: Part 1: What can a writer do to help an editor?

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Endings of stories

10.31.03: John E. Mulligan: Stop along the campaign trail to write, write, write

8.22.01: Linda Borg: Tracking down the beginning and the end of a story

5.16.01: Brian C. Jones: Polished interviews make rocks into gems

3.14.01: Brian C. Jones: A tragic story that wrote itself

11.17.99: Mark Arsenault: Finding a story's fitting end

10.21.98: Robert Smith: Several short visits and an open ending make this a story

10.7.98: Lynn Arditi: Big-time bank, small-town interest

10.29.97: Gerald Carbone: Getting the story out of the notebook

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First person

9.23.04: John Mulligan: Pack-rat approach helps compose ode to the cicada

12.8.03: Katherine Boas: When ghosts visit, they're supposed to bring their own special effects!

8.13.03: Bob Kerr: A telling visit back to Vietnam
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Humor in stories

4.8.04: Bryan Rourke: Dinner party may have gone to the dogs, but story didn't

12.8.03: Katherine Boas: When ghosts visit, they're supposed to bring their own special effects!

6.26.03: Katherine Boas: Why did the reporter cross the street? To get the story, of course

1.10.03: Lisa Biank Fasig: An organized style helps tell a fashion-retail story

12.16.02: Meaghan Wims: Making a detour from the campaign path

11.20.02: Jennifer Levitz: Let the writing go with the flow

10.10.02: John E. Mulligan: Equal parts humor and fact help localize national story

8.21.2002: Marion Davis: Joining in the fun of making jabs at the mayor

3.22.2002: Daniel Barbarisi: Hitting the reader over the head with a pun

2.13.2002: Bryan Rourke, Ed Fitzpatrick and Dan Barbarisi: So, what's so funny? A trio of Journal writers has some answers

11.21.2001: Jennifer Levitz: Playing straight man to a funny story

11.7.2001: Bryan Rourke: How to make a bird-brained idea fly

10.25.2001: Edward Fitzpatrick: The right number of one-liners enlivens tale of a license-plate lottery

10.3.2001: Mark Arsenault: Treating a tough subject with humor

1.10.2001: Bryan Rourke: How did the writer get to the other side of the punchline?

9.21.2000: Peter B. Lord: One laboratory, one scene and only one lead

8.9.2000: Meredith Goldstein: 'N Sync helps reporter get in tune with her subject

6.21.2000: Ariel Sabar: Finding humor in clashing cultures

7.28.99: Ariel Sabar: Sometimes, ignorance makes for blissful writing

6.23.99: Matt McKinney: Lessons from a zeppole

10.15.97: Go ahead, laugh

12.17.98: Jonathan D. Rockoff: A dynamite source of humor

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Ideas for stories

9.23.04: John Mulligan: Pack-rat approach helps compose ode to the cicada

6.23.2004: Neil Shea: "Belly-bump" knocks a reporter into town's political past

6.17.2004: Edward Fitzpatrick: Choice of comic-book hero's quote a tale worth telling

3.8.2004: Edward Fitzpatrick: In Rhode Island, you gotta know a guy ...

10.21.03: Kate Bramson: How one source leads to another

10.8.03: Neil Shea: Journey into nightclub's cloudy past has clear rewards

8.28.03: Neil Shea: Giving an idea time to percolate, gathering steam and support

7.25.03: Neil Shea: Fishing for the hook in a story about aquaculture

4.30.03: Karen Ziner: Detail shines light on night workers' lives

4.10.03: Michael P. McKinney: Finding a fresh idea among the old

3.26.03: Erin Emlock: Get motoring, even if you don't know the destination

2.21.03: S.I. Rosenbaum: Making the 'right' story choice

11.13.02: Zachary R. Mider: Making fact out of mystery

9.12.02: Bryan Rourke: Divine inspiration for a story angle

8.28.02: Tom Mooney: How a sharp idea may lose its edge

5.8.02: Bryan Rourke: Finding the point of the story

6.13.01: Mark Arsenault: Hiking for ideas in an outdoor magazine

5.2.01: Angelo Henderson: Digging deep: How to find the remarkable in common places • Part II of II

4.18.01: Bryan Rourke: Finding a story in the middle of an interview

5.10.00: Bob Jagolinzer: Knowing when not to get cute

2.2.00: Glenn Osmundson: A photographer focuses on a project that took 100 years to develop

12.1.99: Arline Fleming: Finding a story in someone's dream

5.26.99: Part 2: Oskar Eustis on what theater and journalism have in common

5.19.99: Part 1: Oskar Eustis on storytelling

2.17.99: Richard Salit: Portrait of a gadfly

11.11.98: What to do when you have writer's block

11.4.98: Richard Salit: How can you go wrong with a 50-year-old mystery?

8.19.98: Ariel Sabar: Assume nothing, and let everyone read it

8.12.98: Ken Mingis: This personal approach fit the bill

7.8.98: Your assignment is BBS (Boring But Significant)

5.20.98: Part 1: Brian Mockenhaupt: When small town stories lead to unusual issues

5.13.98: Ariel Sabar: Working the night beat means 'event' stories

3.25.98: Gerry Goldstein: Making obits anything but routine

2.25.98: Elliot Krieger: Going out on a limb

1.28.98: Bob Chiappinelli: Time on my side

1.7.98: Sometimes a good story is right under your nose

12.17.97: Finding a new angle for the staple holiday story

12.10.97: What does it take to produce a serial narrative?

10.29.97: Gerald Carbone: Getting the story out of the notebook

10.15.97: Go ahead, laugh

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Interviews and sources

3.22.04: Richard C. Dujardin: Working with - and getting around -- those family ties

1.2.04: Jessica Resnick-Ault: It can take many matches to light a fire under a cold case

11.19.03: Amanda Milkovits: Simple questions can reveal the telling details

10.21.03: Kate Bramson: How one source leads to another

4.10.03: Michael P. McKinney: Finding a fresh idea among the old

2.5.03: Kate Bramson: When the subject of an interview shuts down

9.26.02: Gerald M. Carbone: Pressing for specific scenes to support a subject's story

7.11.02: Bob Jagolinzer: Knowing the neighborhood makes an unassuming couple stand out

1.23.2002: Scott Mayerowitz: Turning routine trial coverage into a great tale

10.11.2001: Karen Lee Ziner: Getting to know -- and show -- the subject of a story

4.25.2001: Angelo B. Henderson: Digging deep: How to find the remarkable in common places -- Part I of II

11.30.00: Linda Borg: When life gives you rain, schedule another interview

8.30.00: Sarah Broom: Getting the story behind the picture

8.16.00: G. Wayne Miller: Press rights, police duty collide over photographs

10.20.99: Brian D. Mockenhaupt: Interview on a painful subject

8.4.99: Paul Edward Parker: The real story behind the conspiracy theory

7.14.99: Tracy Breton: Part 1: The dance of interviewing

7.21.99: Tracy Breton: Part 2: The dance of interviewing

3.31.99: G. Wayne Miller: Searching the Past for Sources

8.19.98: Ariel Sabar: Assume nothing, and let everyone read it

4.1.98:Stories shine when writers and editors work together

3.18.98: Ellen Liberman: Writing a good story about 'Anonymous'

10.29.97: Gerald Carbone: Getting the story out of the notebook

9.1.97:Brian C. Jones: Show the story to your sources

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Investigative reporting

4.1.04: Tracy Breton: Delving into records for ex-governor's financial info pays off

2.26.04: Tom Mooney and Zachary R. Mider: When a Station fire subject doesn't want to talk

1.15.04: Rich Salit: How a print reporter can beat TV

1.16.2003: Tracy Breton: When a 'rare' search should be standard operating procedure

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Journalism 101

2.19.04: Ged Carbone: Engaging the reader's empathy from the start

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Keeping up with a continuing story
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Leads

9.30.04: Ged Carbone: A good interview makes for a winning story

4.23.04: Tom Mooney: A game plan for covering an event

12.29.03: Meaghan Wims: Longer attendance at truancy court pays off

11.10.03: Amanda Milkovits: When usual leads disappear, a beat reporter's curiosity takes their place

10.31.03: John E. Mulligan: Stop along the campaign trail to write, write, write

10.21.03: Kate Bramson: How one source leads to another

8.6.03: Felice J. Freyer: Telling a tragic story by engaging, but not overwhelming, the reader - or the writer

5.30.03: Scott Mayerowitz: Spending time on preparation pays off

7.31.03: Michael P. McKinney: Time takes over in the quest for the right lead

7.25.03: Neil Shea: Fishing for the hook in a story about aquaculture

5.9.03: Mark Arsenault: Giving the royal treatment to a lead

11.20.02: Jennifer Levitz: Let the writing go with the flow

9.20.02: Paul Edward Parker: Turning court testimony into a narrative-style story

9.12.02: Bryan Rourke: Divine inspiration for a story angle

6.19.02: Gerald M. Carbone: Deciding on a lead: Choose a point of view

4.25.02: Kristen Rasmussen: Fitting the approach to the size of the subject

4.10.02: Laura Meade Kirk: Letting a telling characteristic take the lead

1.2.02: Karen Lee Ziner: Deadline beat pays off for developed Sunday story

8.22.01: Linda Borg: Tracking down the beginning and the end of a story

8.15.01: Jennifer Levitz: Staying wedded to a story's subjects makes for a revealing tale

3.21.01: Felice J. Freyer: Applying an ancestor's aphorism to writing a story

11.15.2000: John E. Mulligan: How to frame a lead

9.14.2000: Ged Carbone: Leading with the right cards

7.12.2000: Bob Chiappinelli: Taking a little time brings larger rewards

6.21.2000: Ariel Sabar: Finding humor in clashing cultures

4.13.2000: Gerald M. Carbone: 'Pain without end' -- Part I of II

1.27.99: Felice J. Freyer: Using point of view to enliven a rescue story lead

1.27.99: Jonathan Rockoff: Finding a natural lead

10.14.98: Ellen Liberman: Watching as the lede unfolds

9.9.98: William J. Donovan: Why read yet another story about the local economy?

5.27.98: Matt McKinney: Part 2: Small-town stories that lead to bigger things

4.29.98: Gerald Carbone: Leads that begin with 'When' should be banned

3.4.98: Jonathan Rockoff: Sometimes stats tell the story best

10.22.97: Barbara Polichetti: Finding that simple, perfect lead

9.24.97: Felice J. Freyer: How do you find the lead?

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Longer stories

10.27.03: Ged Carbone: Working together on 'The Wrong Man' the right thing to do

8.25.03: Tom Mooney: Pushing yourself to move the story forward

5.15.03: Jennifer Jordan: Making bits and pieces come together in the end

10.16.02: Gerald M. Carbone: Multiple writing tools helps organize a complicated, compelling story

4.17.02: Andrea Stape: Finding the story's voice amid a pile of paper

1.10.02: Gerald Carbone: Staying on course with a long ship's tale

11.29.01: Bill Malinowski: Mob series evolves over time

10.31.01: When to ask for -- and take -- advice

08.09.01: How to make a major project work - Part two

08.02.01: How to make a major project work - Part one

5.16.01: Mark Arsenault: Polished interviews make rocks into gems

1.24.01: Lynn Arditi: How to loosen up and let the story happen

12.6.00: Bob Wyss: Keeping the first person above water

10.4.00: Brian Jones: Cut the fat; It'll read betterCut the fat; It'll read better

8.2.00: Joanne Marciano: Time to think spurs an unconventional approach

6.7.00: Tom French: Part 1: Curiosity makes the story

6.14.00: Tom French: Part 2: Letting a story unfold

3.8.00: Farnaz Fassihi: In a case of culture clash, find ways to become your own interpreter -- Part I of II

1.26.00: Maria Miro Johnson: Reporting was fun, but writing was difficult

12.22.99: Phil Kukielski: Part II: Longer stories — Editors and writers working together

12.15.99: Matt McKinney: Part I: Longer stories — Editors and writers working together

11.3.99: Scott MacKay and Jody McPhillips, Part 2: Getting the story to fit the space

10.27.99: Scott MacKay and Jody McPhillips, Part 1: Writing history can be ugly, but worth it

9.1.99: Celeste Tarricone: Paring down a long story on little country churches

8.4.99: Paul Edward Parker: The real story behind the conspiracy theory

2.10.99: John Gillooly: Behind the scenes of a long story

9.23.98: Chris Rowland and Jon Saltzman: Reporting the traffic court series

6.24.98: Mark Johnson: Do you like 'human-interest' stories?

5.20.98: Part 1: Brian Mockenhaupt: When small town stories lead to unusual issues

12.10.97: What does it take to produce a serial narrative?

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News judgment in journalism

6.17.2004: Edward Fitzpatrick: Choice of comic-book hero's quote a tale worth telling

6.4.04: Linda Borg: Paying attention to tragedy's personal touch

3.22.04: Richard C. Dujardin: Working with - and getting around -- those family ties

1.8.04: Lynn Arditi: Delicately negotiating the minefield of grief

11.10.03: Amanda Milkovits: When usual leads disappear, a beat reporter's curiosity takes their place

10.27.03: Ged Carbone: Working together on 'The Wrong Man' the right thing to do

4.24.03: Ged Carbone: Jumping cold into a major continuing story

4.4.03: Neil Shea: Going beyond the police jargon

2.21.03: S.I. Rosenbaum: Making the 'right' story choice

2.5.03: Kate Bramson: When the subject of an interview shuts down

10.10.02: John E. Mulligan: Equal parts humor and fact help localize national story

10.4.02: Felice J. Freyer: Staying out of the battle's fray

8.1.02: Dan Barbarisi: Sifting through anecodotes and personal feelings

12.20.01: Paul Davis: Soft touch needed when asking people to share their grief

10.18.01: Berkley Hudson & Milbre Burch: Listening key to successful storytelling

9.26.01: Battling for balance

2.28.01: When relying on sources backfires

1.4.01: The news is in the details

12.27.00: 'Memory is fiction'

12.20.00: Telling stories from a different point of view

10.11.00: Use of contorversial photos explained

5.17.00: Jennifer Levitz: Choosing education over gut reaction

6.16.99: M. Charles Bakst: Asking a politician if he is gay

1.6.99: The challenges of covering suicides

12.16.98: Difficult lessons about censorship and racism at URI

12.2.98: Part 2: Reporters and photographers working together: What bugs us

11.25.98: Part 1: Reporters and photographers on working together

11.18.98: Elizabeth Abbott: So much for worrying

9.2.98: Brian C. Jones: How does an organization cover itself?

7.29.98: The meningitis stories: How we got the news out to calm the panic

7.22.98: Mark Patinkin: When 'just the facts' won't do

3.18.98: Ellen Liberman: Writing a good story about 'Anonymous'

2.11.98: Joel Rawson: Making a page in the information age

1.14.98: Laura Meade Kirk: Why I write about molesters

9.1.97: Brain C. Jones: Show the story to your sources

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Nut grafs

7.15.98: Ellen Liberman: Disproving history

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Profiles (including the art of writing obits)

9.30.04: Ged Carbone: A good interview makes for a winning story

2.26.04: Tom Mooney and Zachary R. Mider: When a Station fire subject doesn't want to talk

12.17.03: Ged Carbone and Scott MacKay: Turned a prepared obit into a life story

6.19.03: Edward Fitzpatrick: Scratching below a glitzy surface to find the grit

6.13.03: Jennifer Jordan: Telling the story of a master storyteller

12.05.02: Scott Mayerowitz: Persistence pays off in getting to the man behind the message

9.5.02: Scott MacKay: Making a Cianci TV spectacle entertaining for paper's readers

8.15.02: Scott MacKay: It takes one old hand to know one

5.30.02: Paul Edward Parker: The quick-hit profile

5.23.02: John Mulligan: Making profiles serve multiple duties

5.15.02: Jen Levitz: Finding, and illustrating, a subject's internal conflict

7.5.01: Lisa Biank Fasig: Profiling begins before the first interview

5.4.00: Tracy Breton: Capturing a complex personality in an obit

12.29.99: Sketching a profile from many points of view

8.11.99: Using structure to make a profile worth the ride

3.17.99: Jonathan D. Rockoff: A dynamite source of humor

6.10.98: Felice J. Freyer: Why this story now?

3.25.98: Gerry Goldstein: Making obits anything but routine

3.4.98: Jonathan Rockoff: Sometimes stats tell the story best

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Quotes, how to deal with them

4.29.98: Gerald Carbone: Leads that begin with 'When' should be banned

12.31.97: What do you do when you have too many quotes?

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Reporters and photographers working together

2.13.2004: Andrea Stape: Adding bite to a numbers story

9.18.03: Peter Lord: Planning and luck shed light on covering a blackout

4.10.03: Michael P. McKinney: Finding a fresh idea among the old

11.7.2002: Sandor Bodo: When pictures alone are not enough

2.23.00: By the people, not the numbers

12.2.98: Part 2: Reporters and photographers working together: What bugs us

11.25.98: Part 1: Reporters and photographers on working together

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Reporting on budgets and finances

5.30.03: Scott Mayerowitz: Spending time on preparation pays off

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Reporting skills

4.1.04: Tracy Breton: Delving into records for ex-governor's financial info pays off

1.8.04: Lynn Arditi: Delicately negotiating the minefield of grief

11.19.03: Amanda Milkovits: Simple questions can reveal the telling details

8.25.03: Tom Mooney: Pushing yourself to move the story forward

1.22.03: W. Zachary Malinowski: Going the extra miles for the inside story

10.23.02: Scott MacKay: Census gives clues to changing political scene

9.26.02: Gerald M. Carbone: Pressing for specific scenes to support a subject's story

8.15.02: Scott MacKay: It takes one old hand to know one

6.27.02: Mark Arsenault: Digging for details helps build suspense

3.27.02: Nicole Gesualdo: Pulling in the details to create the big picture

1.17.02: Liz Abbott: Fishing for the story on the impact of Sept. 11 on the seafood industry

11.22.00: Richard Salit: Good reporting helps take reader on a ride

10.25.00: Mark Arsenault: Finding a people story at a PETA protest

11.10.99: Tracy Breton: Reports on a newspaper's libel trial

4.21.99: Marion Davis: Following a disaster

1.20.99: Tracy Breton: There aren't many, but perjury stories are out there

1.6.99: The challenges of covering suicides

11.4.98: Richard Salit: How can you go wrong with a 50-year-old mystery?

10.21.98: Robert Smith: Several short visits and an open ending make this a story

8.26.98: Oh geez, not another meeting story . . .

7.15.98: Ellen Liberman: Disproving history

5.27.98: Part 2: Matt McKinney: Small-town stories that lead to bigger things

5.20.98: Part 1: Brian Mockenhaupt: When small town stories lead to unusual issues

4.15.98: Part 2: Writing better budget stories

4.8.98: Part 1: Twenty tips for covering and writing about budgets

3.18.98: Ellen Liberman: Writing a good story about 'Anonymous'

10.1.97: Jerry O'Brien: Rituals in writing are important

9.17.97: Chris Rowland, Scott MacKay and Liz Rau: Covering the Clintons was no vacation

8.15.97: Brian C. Jones and Bob Wyss: Gerry Goldstein conveys the glory of a clear sentence written in a small town

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Special report: The Station fire

2.26.04: Tom Mooney and Zachary R. Mider: When a Station fire subject doesn't want to talk

10.8.03: Neil Shea: Journey into nightclub's cloudy past has clear rewards

8.25.03: Tom Mooney: Pushing yourself to move the story forward

8.6.03: Felice J. Freyer: Telling a tragic story by engaging, but not overwhelming, the reader - or the writer

6.19.03: Edward Fitzpatrick: Scratching below a glitzy surface to find the grit

5.22.03: Karen Lee Ziner and Zachary Mider: A sputtering scanner ignites coverage of a tragic fire

4.24.03: Ged Carbone: Jumping cold into a major continuing story

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Team reporting

7.21.04: Liz Anderson, Katherine Gregg and Scott Mayerowitz: When a budget debate goes into a stall, then erupts, on deadline

12.17.03: Ged Carbone and Scott MacKay: Turned a prepared obit into a life story

10.27.03: Ged Carbone: Working together on 'The Wrong Man' the right thing to do

5.22.03: Karen Lee Ziner and Zachary Mider: A sputtering scanner ignites coverage of a tragic fire

2.12.03: Zachary R. Mider and Andrew C. Helman: Working together unearths several story angles

6.27.01: Gerald M. Carbone and David Herzog: Balancing story, information without killing either

4.28.99: Karen Lee Ziner and Gregory Smith: When events collide

9.23.98: Chris Rowland and Jon Saltzman: Reporting the traffic court series

7.29.98: The meningitis stories: How we got the news out to calm the panic

6.17.98: Elliot Krieger and Elizabeth Rau on working together

9.17.97: Chris Rowland, Scott MacKay and Liz Rau: Covering the Clintons was no vacation

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Writing, and how to organize

9.30.04: Ged Carbone: A good interview makes for a winning story

4.23.04: Tom Mooney: A game plan for covering an event

2.13.2004: Andrea Stape: Adding bite to a numbers story

8.25.03: Tom Mooney: Pushing yourself to move the story forward

8.6.03: Felice J. Freyer: Telling a tragic story by engaging, but not overwhelming, the reader - or the writer

5.30.03: Scott Mayerowitz: Spending time on preparation pays off

7.31.03: Michael P. McKinney: Time takes over in the quest for the right lead

4.24.03: Ged Carbone: Jumping cold into a major continuing story

1.10.03: Lisa Biank Fasig: An organized style helps tell a fashion-retail story

11.20.02: Jennifer Levitz: Let the writing go with the flow

10.16.02: Gerald M. Carbone: Multiple writing tools helps organize a complicated, compelling story

8.28.02: Tom Mooney: How a sharp idea may lose its edge

3.7.02: Mark Arsenault: Focus keeps an overwhelming story from being overwritten

2.6.02: Gerald Carbone: Building a story with the end in mind

09.19.01: Scott MacKay: How to mine history for an up-to-date approach

09.05.01: Bryan Rourke: Keeping it simple

08.09.01: How to make a major project work - Part two

08.02.01: How to make a major project work - Part one

7.11.01: Gerald M. Carbone: Plotting a timeline, working in past tense

6.20.01: Laura Meade Kirk: Touring time-forgotten

6.7.01: Jonathan Rockoff: Organizing lunacy

5.30.01: Ariel Sabar and Scott MacKay: Keeping a laser beam focus

5.9.01: S. Robert Chiappinelli: Preparation and observation bag the prize

2.14.01: Mark Arsenault: Cleaning up a court report

2.1.01: Scott Mayerowitz: How stepping back from a running story can set the scene

11.9.00: Paul Edward Parker: Patience, detail deliver

10.18.00: Paul Edward Parker: Know what you want; the interviews will show the way

7.12.00: Paul Edward Parker: Finding the right route to tell a road-race story

2.9.00: Bob Jagolinzer: Saving up a surprise for the reader

1.19.00: Ariel Sabar: An exercise in nailing down the theme

9.22.99: Maria Miro Johnson: 'Bounder' rebuffed in bid to control Belcourt Castle

9.15.99: Maria Miro Johnson: Family feud, Newport style

6.30.99: John E. Mulligan: Covering an impeachment is just part of the beat

3.17.99: Mark Johnson: Telling a story without a news peg

2.24.99: Karen Ziner: Having some fun with a snake

1.13.99: Mike Stanton: Making sense of the facts

10.28.98: Paula LaRocque: Fourteen tips for clear and graceful writing

9.9.98: William J. Donovan: Why read yet another story about the local economy?

7.8.98: Your assignment is BBS (Boring But Significant)

6.10.98: Felice J. Freyer: Why this story now?

5.6.98: What do you do when you can't find the ending?

4.8.98: Part 1: Twenty tips for covering and writing about budgets

3.11.98: How do you write a good story when there's not enough time?

2.25.98: Elliot Krieger: Going out on a limb

2.18.98: Tips on handling a lot of proper names in a story

11.26.98: Whittling down when you have too much stuff

10.29.97: Gerald Carbone: Getting the story out of the notebook

10.22.97: Barbara Polichetti: Finding that simple, perfect lead

10.1.97: Jerry O'Brien: Rituals in writing are important

9.10.97: Bill Parrillo: Scout yourself

8.22.97: Frank McCourt: Advice for writers: Scribble

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Print and online working together

08.09.01: How to make a major project work - Part two

08.02.01: How to make a major project work - Part one

Other

6.26.03: Katherine Boas: Why did the reporter cross the street? To get the story, of course

3.28.01: Linda Borg: Freedom of the press gets airing at Brown

11.7.2002: Sandor Bodo: When pictures alone are not enough

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