{"id":11229,"date":"2024-04-18T16:31:10","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T16:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2024\/04\/18\/2024-power-of-narrative-boston-university-empathy-listening-interviewing\/"},"modified":"2024-10-18T14:46:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T14:46:32","slug":"2024-power-of-narrative-boston-university-empathy-listening-interviewing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2024\/04\/18\/2024-power-of-narrative-boston-university-empathy-listening-interviewing\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 Power of Narrative: How to bring empathy to your reporting"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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EDITOR\u2019S NOTE: This is the third dispatch from the 2024 Power of Narrative conference at Boston University. For the others, see deadline narratives<\/a> by a Wall Street Journal podcast team, and the braided structure<\/a> used by The Atavist for complex stories.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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As a science and health journalist, I often write about contested illnesses \u2014 conditions that elude mainstream medicine because they lack clear symptoms and lab findings. That means I spend a lot of time talking with families who feel unseen. Empathy is a key motivator for my reporting. I found solace and inspiration from this advice shared by journalist and author Evan Ratliff at the 2019 Power of Narrative session and\u00a0covered on Storyboard<\/a>: \u201cReport your way to empathy. If you can\u2019t see the world through your subject\u2019s eyes, the answer is more reporting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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After a source discloses their struggles, I often sense a shift in our relationship. They become more candid, confessing worries about public disclosure. Some have acknowledged me in their organization\u2019s newsletter or invited me to contribute toward related political efforts. One mother, after emailing lengthy replies to follow-up queries after a 90-minute interview, told me: \u201cI really have to apologize for talking too much. When someone is genuinely curious and willing to listen, everything sort of pours out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cWhen someone is genuinely curious and willing to listen, everything sort of pours out.\u201d <\/p>\u2014A story source to reporter Esther Landhuis<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Interactions like this tug at my heartstrings. I remind myself that I am a reporter and try to enforce appropriate boundaries, even as some sources start treating me as an advocate.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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In a sense, I am<\/em> an advocate \u2014 simply by taking time to hear and understand what they\u2019ve gone through and then to convey those experiences to a dominant culture in which they feel neglected or misunderstood.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\"Philadelphia
Denise Clay-Murray Matthew Eadie<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> \n
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So when I attended the 2024 Power of Narrative Conference<\/a> at Boston University last month, I gravitated toward a session titled \u201cThe Power of Empathy: How Putting Yourself in Your Subject\u2019s Shoes Can Better Your Reporting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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\u201cWe have been trained systematically that objective journalism is the standard we live by. But there is no part of objectivity that says you cannot also be empathetic,\u201d said Denise Clay-Murray<\/a>, a Philadelphia-based journalist who covers politics.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Clay-Murray defined empathy as \u201cthe ability to understand how people feel emotionally and see things from their point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Some tips and reminders:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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