Convergent Journalism: An Introduction, 4th Edition

Chapter 5 Structure and Storytelling

Vincent F. Filak

DOI: 10.4324/9781003402039-5

Introduction

The ability to tell a story is a skill and an art as old as humankind. Whether we are talking about ancient people who gathered around the fire to tell the stories of a triumphant hunt or if we are discussing last night's baseball game with other people who saw it, stories have a number of key elements: stories must grab our attention; stories can’t get too long or repetitive; stories should give us a sense of finality when they are done.

Despite the simplicity in this concept, journalists today face a wider array of ways to tell a story than ever before. The tools of text, audio, visuals and video may remain the same as they have for the past ...