{"id":16534,"date":"2025-12-19T03:16:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T03:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=16534"},"modified":"2025-12-19T03:16:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T03:16:07","slug":"storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/12\/19\/storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Storyboard Best of 2025 (Part 2!)"},"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>This week, we\u2019re back with <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/12\/18\/nieman-storyboard-best-of-2025-stories-books-podcasts-documentaries-part-2\/\">Part 2 of our inaugural Storyboard Best of 2025 series<\/a>. Thanks again to everyone who contributed a pick this year. Some of you asked if you could bend the rules or create new categories (like music!), to which I proclaimed: Absolutely. If you loved it, tell us about it.&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>One of my favorite parts of this series was the rare dual endorsement from multiple contributors. <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/12\/11\/nieman-storyboard-best-of-2025-favorite-stories-part-1\/\">Part 1 featured a pair of rave reviews<\/a> for Brian Goldstone\u2019s book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/645871\/there-is-no-place-for-us-by-brian-goldstone\/\">\u201cThere Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America\u201d<\/a> and another for Nicholas Hune-Brown&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/thelocal.to\/investigating-scam-journalism-ai\/\">\u201cInvestigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism\u2019s AI Era.\u201d<\/a> And Part 2 features multiple recommendations for Kurt Streeter&#8217;s New York Times story, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2025\/11\/20\/us\/typewriter-repair-seattle-bremerton.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6U8.OnuQ.ilEzWkVCkReQ&amp;smid=url-share\">\u201cHow to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life.\u201d<\/a><\/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>Let&#8217;s keep these community recommendations flowing in 2026. As you come across them, please send me your favorite stories, books, podcasts, social media accounts, and documentaries for future editions of this newsletter. Email me anytime at <a href=\"mailto:editor@niemanstoryboard.org\">editor@niemanstoryboard.org<\/a>.&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>We\u2019ll be away next week and back with our next newsletter on January 2, 2026. Happy holidays!&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\/12\/18\/nieman-storyboard-best-of-2025-stories-books-podcasts-documentaries-part-2\/\">Nieman Storyboard Best of 2025: Your favorite stories of the year (Part 2)<\/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\/12\/18\/nieman-storyboard-best-of-2025-stories-books-podcasts-documentaries-part-2\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"853\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/v2-storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2-1024x853.png\" alt=\"Nieman Storyboard Best of 2025, Part 2\" class=\"wp-image-16524\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.2004823366531197;width:596px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/v2-storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2-1024x853.png 1024w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/v2-storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/v2-storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2-768x640.png 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/v2-storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2-1536x1280.png 1536w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2025\/12\/v2-storyboard-best-of-2025-part-2-2048x1707.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/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>\u201cI love stories that make me feel like I&#8217;m peeking behind the curtains of a magic show.\u201d&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 class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>[ <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/12\/18\/nieman-storyboard-best-of-2025-stories-books-podcasts-documentaries-part-2\/\">Get the list<\/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  <section class=\"block block-embed\">\n                <div class=\"video-responsive\">\n        <iframe title=\"youtube\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n3DTxggc9ig\" frameborder=\"0\"\n                allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\"\n                allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n      <\/div>\n    \n    \n    \n    \n  <\/section>\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><a href=\"https:\/\/mikeshum.substack.com\/p\/mining-the-future\">\u201cMining the Future: Filming Cobalt Miners in Congo (DRC).\u201d<\/a> I\u2019m excited for this new newsletter from filmmaker (and 2025 Nieman Fellow) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mikeshum.com\/\">Mike Shum<\/a>, who takes us into the craft of documentary filmmaking, starting with a behind-the-scenes look at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=n3DTxggc9ig\">a short doc he worked on for Al Jazeera Witness<\/a> on mining for cobalt, which is critical to the manufacturing of electric vehicles and renewable energy.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More \u201cBest Of\u201d lists are here: Don\u2019t miss year-end collections from my old colleagues at <a href=\"https:\/\/longreads.com\/best-of-2025\/\">Longreads<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vulture.com\/article\/best-narrative-podcasts-2025.html?ueid=ff24ca712cea49dc3db403cd0d160f36&amp;utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=15xspeed_vulture_20251217&amp;utm_term=Subscription%20List%20-%2015x%20Speed\">Vulture<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/sundaylongread.com\/best-journalism-of-2025-slr?e=b8c1ac7d43\">Sunday Long Read<\/a> newsletter, and Siobhan McHugh (author of <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-power-of-podcasting-telling-stories-through-sound-siobh-n-mchugh\/ca40154fba0fd40f?ean=9780231208772&amp;next=t&amp;next=t\">\u201cThe Power of Podcasting\u201d<\/a>), who has a <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/festering-families-difficult-truths-and-transcendent-grace-best-podcasts-of-2025-270687\">fantastic list of notable podcasts from 2025<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When Hollywood and journalism collide: Editor-journalist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christinemclaren.com\/bio\">Christine McLaren<\/a> has launched the 2025 edition of <a href=\"https:\/\/iplist.org\/\">\u201cThe IP List,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a collection of 25 longform stories that are well-suited for film and television adaptation. McLaren launched the list in partnership with an organization called <a href=\"https:\/\/popshift.org\/\">PopShift<\/a> \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pathoslabs.org\/\">Pathos Labs<\/a>. Storyboard contributor Erika Hayasaki, whose Verge story <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/c\/features\/23903125\/lurker-online-harassment-stalking-asian-academics\">\u201cThe Lurker\u201d<\/a> is featured on the list, <a href=\"https:\/\/thereportedessay.substack.com\/p\/landing-on-the-ip-list-2025\">writes about her experiences optioning her work for the screen<\/a> and talked with McLaren about how The IP List was born.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/newsletter.readcurious.xyz\/p\/martians-percival-lowell-david-baron-how-to-bring-a-character-to-life?utm_source=newsletter.readcurious.xyz&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=how-to-bring-a-character-to-life&amp;_bhlid=e1c46cb54d9660daae6aecf383aa683c483213e7\">\u201cHow to bring a character to life.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0At the Curious Reading Club newsletter, Bobbie Johnson breaks down how author-journalist David Baron introduces us to a character named Percival Lowell in his new book, <a href=\"https:\/\/bookshop.org\/p\/books\/the-martians-the-true-story-of-an-alien-craze-that-captured-turn-of-the-century-america-david-baron\/6f0c48a11c170745\">\u201cThe Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze That Captured Turn-of-the-Century America.\u201d<\/a> In this case, Lowell is a central character, but not the only character. \u201cBaron is very careful in how he chooses to introduce Lowell to the story. He doesn\u2019t make his first appearance with either of the chronological bookends that you might expect\u2014as a baby at the outset of life, or as an older gentleman looking backward and foreshadowing his achievements. He doesn\u2019t even appear at the moment when his Mars obsession takes hold, which would certainly have some narrative logic. Instead, he first appears in a scene that immediately situates him as an aristocrat, a snoot, a product of New England history and breeding: as a student giving a commencement speech at Harvard.\u201d The writer sets the scene for the story to come, and we\u2019re along for the ride.<\/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>Keep looking for characters, and keep sharing your stories in the New Year,<\/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<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-18295769\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2449998\/episodes\/18295769-photojournalist-stephanie-keith-on-documenting-ice-and-capturing-a-moment-that-became-the-cover-of-new-york-magazine.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-18295769&#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>More of your favorite stories, books, podcasts, and docs. Plus: The craft of filmmaking, and how to bring characters to life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16523,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[429,427,487,408,425],"topics":[],"authors":[410],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-16534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-editor","tag-books","tag-documentary","tag-longform","tag-newsletter","tag-podcasts","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>Storyboard Best of 2025 (Part 2!) - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More of your favorite stories, books, podcasts, and docs. 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