Journalist says storytelling has taken a back seat in today's newspapers

A Pulitzer Prize winning reporter urged UA community members and beginning journalists last night to follow their heart and know the importance of ethical narrative writings in today's newspapers.

"On a good day, narrative writing is a lover that surprises you. On a bad day, it hands you divorce papers," said Tom Hallman Jr., a narrative journalist with the Portland Oregonian.

Hallman, a two-time finalist, won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for his narrative story "The Boy behind the mask," a piece about the hardships encountered by a boy plagued with massive facial disfigurements.

The 46-year-old reporter said he believes that narrative writing is misunderstood among the journalism community.

Many people in the business believe that narrative writing is easy, but it is the most complex form of writing. There is no obvious story, reporters have to determine what the story is, Hallman said.

Hallman said believes there are fewer narrative stories in today's papers because print media has focused on local and investigative journalism instead of investigations into the heart and soul of people.

"I sense the shift in the industry. If it continues we are going to lose something," Hallman said.

He also said that newspapers should focus on quality stories, not neighborhood issues.

The award-winning writer urged the audience to weigh the ethical issues when writing a narrative piece.

"It's very easy to manipulate it. What you decide to leave in or out can change the story," he said.

Hallman told the group that the reader, the editor and the reporter all have ethical obligations to the newspaper. He believes that the reader needs to tell the paper which stories he enjoys reading, the editor must have confidence in the reporters and the reporters must follow their heart when writing stories.

"We don't trust our heart, instead we think too much. You must believe in yourself," he said.

During his address in the Franklin building, he touched on his own relationships within the newsroom.

"The way I like working with editors is I don't like them knowing what I'm doing. But any writer who says he doesn't want an editor is a fool," Hallman said.

Too many reporters write for their editors or peers and not for the readers. Sometimes editors are the weakest link in the newsroom, he said.

In attendance was UA journalism junior Hilary Wade.

"I thought it was great. It was a breath of fresh air by someone who cares about the job, the people and telling the story," she said.