In The Elements of Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel offer two helpful rules of thumb to help assess whether a display of emotion in a story is crossing the line: "The difficult part is to channel the emotion so it is not mawkish or shallow, but deep and powerful and raw." "It's hard not to write emotively when you are seeing what we are seeing," Rob writes. In his response, as Margaret Low Smith says, "Rob perfectly captures what distinguishes our reporting": Personal observations, such as a display of grief or dismay in the wake of a tragedy, can sometimes be appropriate, but they must always be authentic and must not diminish our credibility.Īfter an earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, Margaret Low Smith sent a note to NPR correspondent Rob Gifford to tell him how much she appreciated how he covered the earthquake's aftermath. Be cautious of nuances of voice, inflection, sound, visuals and other elements that can transform a straightforward news report into something that feels skewed. But our audience's perceptions of what we report can be influenced not only by the information we present but also by how we present it.
Guideline: Emotion is a powerful component of storytelling, wield it carefully.Įngaging, clear and genuinely human storytelling is a hallmark of NPR journalism. It touches the head and the heart – and has emotional resonance. This is partly the way the interviews are mic'd in the field, and also something that occurs because of a different level of engagement between the host and the subject. Our host and reporter's roles as rigorous journalists are evident.Īn intimacy occurs that is different than what happens in the studio. The host's personality emerges and connects with the audience. Something happens during the story and the details unfold. There is action – real people doing real things. Takes you somewhere – a sense of place is established. The host is clearly engaged and curious on the air. Provokes in the listener an "I didn't know that" response, or "this is really interesting or really disturbing." Humanizes some social, economic or political issue. NOT a "what happened" story or same-day reporting. Although this was originally written for show hosts and producers, its guidance is valuable for all reporters:Ī character or characters that the audience will care about or find compelling.
#Npr storytelling how to#
What are the characteristics of a "signature story" on NPR's airwaves or website? The bullet points in this 2004 memo 1 offer valuable guidance about producing in the field and how to put together the type of excellent pieces that NPR strives for, on air and online. Guideline: Strive for the "signature story."
That commitment continues, on the air and online. When NPR was launched in 1971, the network made clear its commitment to excellence, saying it would "provide listeners with an aural esthetic experience which enriches and gives meaning to the human spirit." We make tough decisions on the lengths of our stories, keeping in mind both the complexity of the facts at hand and the needs of our audience. That means we carefully edit our interviews to capture the meaning of our sources' words as clearly as we can. We believe it's our responsibility not just to tell stories, but to make them compelling, vivid and clear. Our aspirations to excellence are an important element of our ethical decision-making. But is the quality of our work an ethical matter? We're all fans of polished, beautiful storytelling.
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