Cyberbaguioboy

I found myself sitting in a new and cold lecture hall in Ateneo this morning, listening to American associate professor Janet Steele who shared her insights about narrative journalism. (It so happens that I’ve bought a book titled, The New Kings of Non-Fiction, an anthology of well-written stories done by known and unknown journalists, several months ago).

The lecture was attended by students, professors, and journalists who sat for more than two hours, listening to her interesting talk on narrative journalism in the age of new media. Questions were raised. One question pointed to the role narrative journalism in the age of new media. Ms. Steele said that online media can help newspapers tell better stories. She picked examples from the Washington Post, which I believe is one of her favorite American newspapers.

Her words got me thinking, how far have we Filipino journalists used narrative style in reporting news? Just a brief explanation. Narrative journalism or reporting uses literary devices to tell a story. It’s not your usual inverted pyramid, which has been the practice for decades.

Ms. Steele gave some examples she picked from, well, Washington Post. As she read the lines from these narrative journalism pieces, it was evident that good journalists can turn simple news into a wonderful piece of non-fiction that allows readers to better understand the context of stories. They learn about characters, the scenes, the multiple perspectives, and the of course, the story.

One question was raised: has narrative reporting changed how journalism is done in newspapers? Hard to say, she said. But it was evident that narrative reporting is a technique being used to captivate readers, at least in the US.

Check this excerpt from the New Kings of Non-Fiction, and understand how good storytellers can turn straight news into a literary piece.

Finally, Ms. Steele pointed out:

“There is still a place for narrative stories in an online age. They bring all stories in a multimedia package. But nothing replaces good reporting no matter what platform is used.”