Taylor and Francis Group is part of the Academic Publishing Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 3099067.

Informa

Chapter 5

Click on the tabs below to view the content for each chapter.

Exercises

Download

Editing 2.0 Exercises: The return of long-form journalism

Module 5.1

Questions

  1. Why do you think humans have always loved stories? What is it about being human that explains the constancy of storytelling throughout history?
  2. Story length is only one indicator of quality journalism. What are some of the others?

Activities

  1. Read the same story on a desktop computer and a tablet device of some kind. How different were the two reading experiences? What might explain those differences?
  2. Safari time: Hunt down a really well-crafted long piece of journalism, a story more than 2,500 words in length. Now try to edit it down by at least 50 percent. In other words, cut in half. Once you’ve accomplished that, note what was lost in terms of arc and narrative. Now cut by 50 percent again.

Quiz

Editor’s Bookshelf—Additional Reading Suggestions

Chapter 5: Focus on good writing: Strong and graceful prose
Clark, Roy Peter. Boston Globe reporter shows how news writing can unfold “like a story in a book.” Poynter.org, April 30, 2013.

Tenore, Mallary Jean. William Zinsser’s 5 tips for becoming a better writer. Poynter.org, Jan. 4, 2011.