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USA Today goes longBy Jeff Roulston NABJ Convention Online Staff USA Today, known more for short stories than for long, investigative pieces, had a good turnout for its Super Workshop titled “The Long Story,” which was interesting, considering that the New York Times and Washington Post, both known for exhaustive, long-running series, were hosting workshops right across the hall. USA Today Cover Story editor Linda Mathews, who moderated the session, said the workshop was an opportunity for USA Today to prove that it knows a thing or two about long stories. “Nothing is as creative as writing long,” she said. “It’s fun and it’s challenging.” Workshop participant Alexis Clark agreed. In fact, she said that’s why she chose to attend the workshop. Clark, an editorial assistant at Town & Country magazine in New York said, “I love feature writing. Long stories are what I enjoy writing.” Panelists included Larry Copeland, a national reporter in USA Today’s Atlanta bureau, and Gregg Zoroya, a features writer who covered the war in Iraq as an embedded reporter in an airborne division. Copeland offered many suggestions and compared his experiences at USA Today with those he had writing for other newspapers around the country. He also shared some of his favorite pieces, including one he wrote after riding in an F-16 fighter jet over New York City not too long after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Many attendees seemed to appreciate the insight of the presenters. “I was trying to look for new ways to cover our stories,” said Columbus Dispatch Faith and Values section writer Felix Hoover. “I thought that some of the examples given gave good ideas about how to approach writing a long story.” Zoroya’s tales of his time in Iraq were a highlight of the workshop. He regaled the attendees with stories of sandstorms that blackened the sky and interviews with young soldiers dealing with their first taste of combat and death. Clark was impressed. “This is the first time I’ve met someone who was embedded in an airborne [division],” she said. “So that’s exciting!” |
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