{"id":473,"date":"2025-11-03T16:59:27","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T21:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/migration-reporting2025\/?p=473"},"modified":"2025-11-07T15:43:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T20:43:21","slug":"week-9-reading-response-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/migration-reporting2025\/week-9-reading-response-8\/","title":{"rendered":"week 9 reading response"},"content":{"rendered":"

In writing a story, every journalist has to answer the following questions: what happened and\/or what\u2019s going to happen. Some articles are straightforward to write, however in my experience it has often been the opposite, where constant digging for more information and analysis is required. Now once all of that is completed, what do you do with it? This is where the role of structure comes into play as discussed in John McPhee\u2019s New Yorker piece and Rob Rosenthal\u2019s article. I found McPhee\u2019s description of structure somewhat difficult to understand. The man is so experienced that I felt that I was reading a chapter of his memoir rather than a \u2018hey everyone here are tips to help you lay out a story.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0I felt the opposite way about Rosenthal\u2019s use of napkin to represent the various ways you can structure a story. As I was reading it, his use of \u201cthe e\u201d in which you begin with the present, leave the present, and then return back to it closer to the end made me recall the process in writing the profile last week. Especially when Deb told the class that many of us had our best quotes and analysis at the bottom of our stories and to move it up. Or when Raphi told me to share more on the background of the person who I profiled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to Miriam, I believe that reporting should come first, and the structure should be taken into account once the piece is initially composed. I think if these priorities are swapped then what happens is you focus more on aesthetics of the content, rather than the content itself, something Fred Abrahams warned against in the War and Truth conversation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rosenthal comes from a more radio background whereas McPhee is more narrative nonfiction and print based. Given their different mediums of journalism, I would be curious to hear what structure of the 5 Rosenthal presents McPhee would think is the most helpful in writing for print. So much about telling a story is about the little things, not just getting the main and\/or supporting characters, context, and then what to do next. Which quote is the strongest? Where should it go? These are the questions I have had to ask myself many times, and I felt validated reading about how McPhee has often had similar experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Structure is critical because it represents how much time and dedication a journalist puts into taking \u201cmess\u201d and shaping it into something beautiful. However, arguably it has greater implications for the person, place, or thing being written about. It can either provide control, approval, comfortability, etc. Or it can take that away. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In writing a story, every journalist has to answer the following questions: what happened and\/or what\u2019s going to happen. Some articles are straightforward to write, however in my experience it has often been the opposite, where constant digging for more information and analysis is required. Now once all of that is completed, what do you<\/p>\n

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