{"id":16367,"date":"2025-11-07T13:57:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T13:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=16367"},"modified":"2025-11-07T14:09:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T14:09:30","slug":"how-we-reveal-our-character","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/11\/07\/how-we-reveal-our-character\/","title":{"rendered":"How we reveal our character"},"content":{"rendered":"    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/about\/subscribe-to-nieman-storyboard\/\"><em>Sign up for the Nieman Storyboard newsletter,<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;delivered every Friday in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">***<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Dear Storyboard community:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The stories of this week&#8217;s elections across the U.S. are still being written, but through in-depth reporting we\u2019ve gotten to know the cast of characters: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/11\/05\/nx-s1-5598547\/virginia-governor-abigail-spanberger-push-back-on-trump\">Abigail Spanberger<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/11\/05\/nyregion\/mikie-sherrill-new-jersey-mandate.html\">Mikie Sherrill<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/nov\/05\/zohran-mamdani-transition-team\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/politics\/2025\/11\/proposition-50-newsom-spotlight\/\">Gavin Newsom<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/dc-md-va\/2025\/11\/05\/abigail-spanberger-virginia-governor\/\">Here&#8217;s how The Washington Post\u2019s Karen Tumulty set the scene<\/a> with Spanberger, taking us back to a pivotal moment over a decade ago that eventually led to her election as the next governor of Virginia:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-quote mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>In 2014, Abigail Spanberger had a decision to make. Her young family was living in Los Angeles, where she was a CIA officer working drug cartel cases, and the time had come to put in for her next assignment.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>She and her husband, Adam, handed a toy globe to their 5-year-old daughter, Claire, and described endless possibilities for adventure. \u201cWhere should we go?\u201d they asked. England? Costa Rica? Kenya?<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Claire had another idea: Virginia.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cNo!\u201d Spanberger retorted. \u201cIt\u2019s Mommy\u2019s job. We\u2019re not going to go to Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cWhy wouldn\u2019t we go to Virginia?\u201d Claire said. \u201cEveryone we love lives in Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>In that brief scene, we learn so much about Spanberger, her family, and their dynamic. As journalists, we work to find those moments, to notice when they come to us, and to understand when they might reveal something bigger about the people we write about.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>There\u2019s no better way to learn than by immersing yourself in stories that do it well. <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/category\/annotation-tuesday\/\">Nieman Storyboard&#8217;s story annotations archive<\/a> is a treasure trove of these moments, where we first meet the main character through their internal thoughts, personalities, and actions. This week, contributor <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/authors\/emilia-wisniewski\/\">Emilia Wisniewski<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/11\/07\/main-characters-six-writers-introduce-subjects\/\">shares six notable stories from acclaimed journalists<\/a> taking us through the process of bringing their subjects to life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/11\/07\/main-characters-six-writers-introduce-subjects\/\">Meet the main characters: How six writers introduce their subjects to the reader<\/a><\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-image mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/11\/07\/main-characters-six-writers-introduce-subjects\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brad-preece-MRxx3VJPho4-unsplash-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"Bowling. Photo by Brad Preece, Unsplash\" class=\"wp-image-16357\" style=\"width:642px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brad-preece-MRxx3VJPho4-unsplash-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brad-preece-MRxx3VJPho4-unsplash-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brad-preece-MRxx3VJPho4-unsplash-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brad-preece-MRxx3VJPho4-unsplash-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/11\/brad-preece-MRxx3VJPho4-unsplash-2048x1638.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by Brad Preece, Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>\u201cOn a really, really basic level, the entire story is about him throwing a bowling ball. So why not start with the way he throws a bowling ball? \u2026 It felt like it was kind of part of his personality. That\u2019s the way we\u2019re going to help build this, help people understand this character \u2014 by looking at the way he does the thing he loves doing.\u201d \u2014 Michael J. Mooney on \u201cThe Most Amazing Bowling Story Ever\u201d<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/11\/07\/main-characters-six-writers-introduce-subjects\/\">Read the story<\/a> ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Links of note&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-list mb-4 list max-w-screen-full mx-auto pl-5 \">\n            \n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;The greatest baseball game I&#8217;ve ever seen?\u201d The morning after the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling, 11-inning Game 7 of the World Series, journalist Joe Posnanski <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/joeposnanski.com\/post\/3m4oehbn7vs2g\">posted a brief video from Cooperstown, N.Y.<\/a> (home of the Baseball Hall of Fame) talking about the \u201cscary time\u201d before writing his story, as he considered how he might help his audience make sense of what happened. His mission? \u201cHow in the world can I make last night&#8217;s game a little more meaningful, if possible?\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joeposnanski.com\/p\/the-greatest-game-i-ve-ever-seen\">Here&#8217;s the final piece<\/a>, in vignettes that place the players and the game in the context of baseball history.\u00a0(Hat-tip: <a href=\"https:\/\/tommytomlinson.substack.com\/p\/the-joy-of-staying-up-way-too-late\">Tommy Tomlinson<\/a>.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In a useful breakdown of how journalists can protect themselves and their sources, Shoshana Walter, author of <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/rehab-an-american-scandal-shoshana-walter\/a7d82567c8545225\">\u201cRehab: An American Scandal,\u201d<\/a> explains how she approaches <a href=\"https:\/\/shoshanawalter.substack.com\/p\/two-months-of-rehab-an-american-scandal\">initial conversations with sources who may have experienced trauma<\/a>: \u201cI almost always explain what will happen if they decide to move forward, and describe what the reporting process entails. I tell them it may take a really long time, that it will feel intrusive, that I\u2019ll ask a lot of the same questions again and again, and that they\u2019ll likely get sick of me. \u2026 At times, I almost feel like I am trying to talk them out of talking to me.\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For The Reported Essay newsletter, author and journalist Vincent Beiser (<a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/power-metal-the-race-for-the-resources-that-will-shape-the-future-vince-beiser\/bc7e6be7487b4685?ean=9780593541708&amp;next=t&amp;next=t\">\u201cPower Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future&#8221;<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/thereportedessay.substack.com\/p\/untangling-complexity?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=2990161&amp;post_id=177828703&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=lokt&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email\">speaks transparently to journalist Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow about selling a book proposal<\/a>, the book publicity cycle, and balancing a freelance career with other side gigs. \u201cNobody cares about your book more than you do. And now more than ever, there\u2019s literally an infinite amount that you can do to try to promote your book and yourself. There\u2019s no end to the number of podcasts you can pitch yourself to, newsletters like this, libraries, book clubs.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThe last character to emerge [both in the book and film] was me. It can be hard sometimes to look in the mirror, but the truth of the matter is that I\u2019ve been looking out and trying to tell the story of Native peoples as a journalist \u2014 as a reporter \u2014 for the last 10 years. And beyond that, I\u2019ve been trying to figure myself out [and] what it is to be Native in a broader sense.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/depthperceptionbyll.substack.com\/p\/julian-brave-noisecat-survived-the-night-book-sugarcane-interview?isFreemail=true&amp;post_id=177933761&amp;publication_id=1730567&amp;r=lokt&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=post-email-title\">In Long Lead\u2019s weekly newsletter<\/a>, journalist and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat talks about his new memoir, <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/we-survived-the-night-julian-brave-noisecat\/aaadcc205773d68c\">\u201cWe Survived the Night,\u201d<\/a>&nbsp;and his 2024 documentary <a href=\"https:\/\/films.nationalgeographic.com\/sugarcane\">\u201cSugarcane.\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Finally, something to consider: \u201cWhat is the value of art that isn\u2019t hugely commercially successful? As a lifelong creator of commercially unsuccessful art, I think about this question a lot.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/songexploder.net\/\">Song Exploder<\/a> creator and host Hrishikesh Hirway <a href=\"https:\/\/hrishikesh.substack.com\/p\/unsuccessful-art?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=1149603&amp;post_id=177633340&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=lokt&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email\">pens a personal love story<\/a> involving Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, his own musical &#8220;flop,\u201d and the beautiful things other than money that art can bring us.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Keeping making your art and sharing your stories,&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Mark Armstrong<br><a href=\"https:\/\/nieman.harvard.edu\/mark-armstrong-named-editor-of-nieman-storyboard\/\">Editor<\/a><br>Nieman Storyboard<br><a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\">Follow the Nieman Storyboard Podcast<\/a>&nbsp;<br>On Bluesky: <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:nejd5yomd3xtdcdg267bqim5\">@niemanstoryboard.org<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Featured photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/culture\/cover-story\/cover-story-2025-11-17\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cMayor Mamdani,\u201d by Edel Rodriguez<\/a>, The New Yorker<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-subscribe full-width\">\n            <h2 class=\"subscribe-title\">Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n        \n            <div class=\"subscribe-content\">\n            <p>Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<!-- wp:spacer {\"height\":\"39px\"} --><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n                <div class=\"subscribe-embed\">\n                            <div class=\"mt-5\">\n                 <div translate=\"no\" class='mailmunch-forms-widget-1154494'><\/div>\n\n                <\/div>\n               \n                    <\/div>\n    \n<\/div>    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-heading   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Follow the Nieman Storyboard Podcast<\/h2>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-html mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-18058074\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\/18058074-national-book-award-finalist-claudia-rowe-on-writing-about-teens-and-the-foster-care-system.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-18058074&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-classic mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"  core-block\">\n        <div class=\"block block--core block--core-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ Follow us in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/nieman-storyboard\/id1804505440\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/4cN4SOwf5Am05PoA9wckcA\">Spotify<\/a>, or your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\">favorite podcast app<\/a>. ]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scenes from an election week. Plus: Selling a book proposal and the value of a \u2018flop\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[419,408,451],"topics":[],"authors":[410],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-16367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-editor","tag-new-yorker","tag-newsletter","tag-politics","authors-mark-armstrong"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How we reveal our character - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Scenes from an election week. 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