Chloe Cramutola, Yuqi Gong / COMmunicator Photographers

From March 22-23, The Power of Narrative Conference, hosted by Boston University’s Department of Journalism, settled in the BU George Sherman Union building for a two-day look into the world of prominent journalists, editors and narrative non-fiction writers.

On Friday at 3:30 p.m., Marty Baron, former executive editor of The Washington Post from 2012-2021, spoke about his book, offered advice and told stories about his time as an editor at the Post.

After this opening keynote, four breakout sessions occurred at the same time:

  • Investigative Storytelling
  • The Power of Empathy: How Putting Yourself in Your Subject’s Shoes Can Better Your Reporting
  • Disinformation and the Struggle for Narrative Power
  • Queering the Narrative: Centering LGBTQ+ Voices in Covering the Community.

On Saturday at 9 a.m., John Woodrow Cox, an enterprise reporter at the Post, opened with a morning keynote.

Afterward, a few of many breakout sessions included:

  • Make Narrative, Every Day: Quick and Dirty Tips from a Daily Narrative News Podcast
  • Crafting Climate Stories That Give Hope –– And Inspire Action
  • Reporting and Writing the Unknown
  • Writing the Perfect Story (In an Imperfect World)
  • The Art of the Interview: Sports Reporting and Writing With a Human Lens

The conference ended with a closing reception and book signing session with speakers who have written books.

Marty Baron in conversation with Meghan Irons
From left to right: Joan Donovan, Roberta Braga, Bridget Todd, Brandy Zadrozny

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending