{"id":1827,"date":"2019-03-05T17:48:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T17:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2019\/03\/05\/the-pitch-wireds-top-editor-wants-stories-that-reveal-the-many-faces-of-technology\/"},"modified":"2024-11-19T14:27:50","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T14:27:50","slug":"the-pitch-wireds-top-editor-wants-stories-that-reveal-the-many-faces-of-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2019\/03\/05\/the-pitch-wireds-top-editor-wants-stories-that-reveal-the-many-faces-of-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Wired&#8217;s executive editor seeks stories that reveal all faces of technology"},"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 class=\"has-drop-cap\">Maria Streshinsky, executive editor of Wired, wouldn\u2019t say the magazine has grown skeptical about the promise of technology. But compared to the optimism of past editorial regimes, she and editor-in-chief Nick Thompson, who took their posts in 2017, have brought in a healthy dose of scrutiny. In the past year, the magazine has covered&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/notpetya-cyberattack-ukraine-russia-code-crashed-the-world\/\">crippling cyberattacks<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/swatting-deadly-online-gaming-prank\/\">the sometimes deadly practice of swatting<\/a>, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/inside-facebook-mark-zuckerberg-2-years-of-hell\/\">the inside story of Facebook\u2019s struggles<\/a>&nbsp;with its potential to cause harm.<\/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>\u201cWe love technology, but we have to be sure to examine the harms it can do,\u201d Streshinsky says. \u201cIt\u2019s important to probe and ask the right questions.\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-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\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-legacy-page-blocks legacy-page-blocks  \">\n\n    <h2 class=\"legacy-page-blocks-subhead\">The Pitch<\/h2>\n\n    <div class=\" legacy-page-blocks-text\">\n            <p><em>In an occasional series, Storyboard examines the elusive art of the story pitch. We talk to writers and editors about their tips, tricks and pet peeves, and annotate some real pitches.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/storyboard.nieman.harvard.edu\/tag\/the-pitch\/\">Read more from The Pitch here<\/a><\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n\t\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-spacer mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\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>Yet Streshinsky is equally interested in pieces that explore how technology can solve societal challenges, from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/syria-civil-war-hala-sentry\/\">activists in Syria<\/a>&nbsp;using sensors to warn residents about bombs, to a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/digital-puppy-seniors-nursing-homes\/\">startup tackling the impending shortage of caretakers<\/a>&nbsp;for the elderly. And she\u2019s hungry for more stories that amuse and entertain.<\/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>\u201cEvery once in a while, you want readers to have a lot of fun and be delighted,\u201d she says. \u201cI think we could all use that.\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>I spoke with Streshinsky about what makes a good Wired story, what she looks for in pitches, and how writers can build effective relationships with editors. We also took apart freelancer Eva Holland\u2019s pitch for a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/preemies-neonatal-medicine\/\">feature on neonatal medicine<\/a>&nbsp;and one family\u2019s battle to keep their premature baby alive, which appeared in the April 2018 \u201cLife\u201d Issue. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.<\/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><strong>Besides the obvious stuff, like Silicon Valley or gaming, what makes good fodder for a Wired story?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>There are universal answers when it comes to magazine features. First, you have to have a story. We get a lot of pitches on topics, but they don\u2019t have characters who will drive the narrative. Scenes are really important to meet the reader where they are and help them relate to the story.<\/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>For Wired specifically, the story has to be about something that is shaping the future and is driven by technology or science. Last year, Brendan Koerner wrote a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/xbox-underground-videogame-hackers\/\">story about a group called Xbox Underground<\/a>&nbsp;that was doing more and more hacking that was less and less OK. It was a very Wired story because it was about young, brilliant hackers and told us something about the future and the world of video game creation. Wired also has a wonderfully nerdy history of being interested in science fiction, and we\u2019re trying to build more around Internet culture.<\/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><strong>Some stories that you\u2019ve published, like&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/storyboard.nieman.harvard.edu\/stories\/annotation-tuesday-elizabeth-weil-and-the-curse-of-the-bahia-emerald\/\"><strong>Elizabeth Weil\u2019s \u201cThe Curse of the Bahia Emerald,\u201d<\/strong><\/a><strong>&nbsp;don\u2019t have a strong connection to science or technology. Is that an anomaly?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>An editor once told me that 80 to 90 percent of what you publish should be squarely within your mission, and the rest should just be really good story. We also have this history of doing great capers: Was \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2007\/04\/feat-cia\/\">Argo<\/a>\u201d a Wired story? The Bahia emerald story is a great caper with a touch of science.<\/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><strong>What would you like to receive more pitches about?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>We want more stories that go deep inside companies and really tell us how things happened and how systems work, so we can better understand our society. Places like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple shape our world. I think there are a lot of important stories to be done about artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Both have enormous consequences that could be good or bad. I know it sounds odd at this moment, but I think the Internet is not always a terrible place and has actually done a lot of good \u2014 I\u2019d like to do more stories about that.<\/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><strong>How original does a topic need to be?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>It depends on the topic, and it matters that you have something new to add. There are topics we\u2019ll keep coming back to. We\u2019re not going to do another Xbox Underground story, but we\u2019re going to do more stories on Facebook, Twitter, and emerging technologies having good and bad consequences. Anything shaping society through technology is important to us.<\/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><strong>What kinds of international stories work for Wired?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>We\u2019re happy to have an international story if it informs where all of society is going and matters to a U.S. reader. We recently did a story on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/age-of-social-credit\/\">China\u2019s social credit system<\/a>, which is a possible harbinger of things to come elsewhere. We try to focus on stories that add forward motion.<\/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><strong>How often does Wired work with freelancers, and what is the pitching process like?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>We have a handful of contributors who each work with an editor on staff to develop stories. But we work with a lot of freelancers, and I\u2019m always looking for more diverse voices. Writers should pitch a specific editor directly. If someone pitches a good enough topic, we\u2019ll push her to find the story, the character, the arc, the scenes. That back-and-forth process can take a couple of weeks. Other pitches are already in good shape.<\/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>Once a month, we have formal meeting where editors review five to 10 pitches as a group. When an editor brings a pitch to that meeting, he or she is arguing for the story and believes the writer has done the due diligence and has the skills to make it happen. I realize it\u2019s a tough process for the writers because they\u2019re not getting paid, but it helps us know it\u2019s going to be a successful story. I hope freelancers know that 70 percent of why pitches don\u2019t work has nothing to do with the writer \u2014 it\u2019s just too close to something else, or we can\u2019t do it right now, etc.<\/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><strong>How long should pitches be?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Pitches should be no longer than one-and-a-half pages, or two if they\u2019re really dynamic.<\/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><strong>How does someone become a contributor?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>We have some writers on contract who contribute a certain number of stories per year. We add those by building relationships with writers who fit squarely in the Wired world and who we keep going back to. I\u2019d like to continue to make that list more diverse. It\u2019s also a budget question each 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><strong>How often do you run stories based on cold pitches?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>It\u2019s hard to say. Writers we know tend to know the process a bit better and get what a Wired story is. But we\u2019re very open to new writers and always looking for more women and more diversity. We\u2019re always looking for writers who have a good voice. Writers have been forced to move so fast these days, so we\u2019re always taken by someone whose writing is lovely even in a short email.<\/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><strong>What are some ways that writers who don\u2019t know you well can effectively go about building a relationship?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>The ideal version of me would want to meet someone for coffee. The realistic version of me right now can\u2019t do that as much. What I would like is for someone to email a good idea with a clear sense of what a Wired story is and what the magazine has done lately. You need to look at what we\u2019ve run in the last five print issues. It doesn\u2019t have to be a full pitch, but maybe an interesting idea in two paragraphs. If someone writes me a smart-enough email that shows they\u2019re a clear writer, has a good sense of story, has a good idea, and shows us some strong clips, then I will certainly make time to meet. But don\u2019t be offended if I can\u2019t.<\/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><strong>How often should a writer follow up on a pitch, and when should she move on?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>We try really hard to answer everybody, but I apologize in advance if we don\u2019t. If you don\u2019t hear back, follow up two weeks later. Sometimes I miss emails, and it\u2019s not personal. If someone still doesn\u2019t respond, say, \u201cThank you, I wanted to let you know I\u2019m taking this somewhere else.\u201d Make sure your email isn\u2019t too long and is well-written. We\u2019re also getting inundated with PR pitches that look more and more like story pitches.<\/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><strong>How do you feel about simultaneous submissions?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>Quite honestly, it\u2019s hard. I\u2019m 100% sympathetic to the fact that if you\u2019re waiting for Wired to respond to you for over a month, that means you\u2019re not getting a pitch in front of someone else. That\u2019s where we need to be better at just giving a quick response: \u201cYes, we might be interested; let\u2019s keep working on it.\u201d A young writer recently mentioned in the pitch that he was also sending it to another publication, and I was frustrated. We already have a relationship, so at least give me a moment. If you know an editor, don\u2019t pitch simultaneously. If you don\u2019t, try one pitch at a time if at all possible. It feels a little less like you\u2019re interested in Wired if you\u2019re also taking it three other places.<\/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><strong>What are your rates?<\/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-paragraph mb-5   max-w-screen-full mx-auto\">\n            \n<p>We generally pay $2 a word in print.<\/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><em><strong>The Pitch:<\/strong>&nbsp;Wired editor Maria Streshinsky worked with us to annotate the pitch by freelancer Eva Holland that led to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/preemies-neonatal-medicine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cSaving Baby Boy Green,\u201d<\/a>&nbsp;which was one of the stories in the April 2018 \u201cLife\u201d issue. Storyboard\u2019s questions are in red; Streshinsky\u2019s responses in blue.<\/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><span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'><\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'><\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'><\/span><\/span><\/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>For babies born before full term, there can be a terrifyingly fine line between birth and death. It\u2019s a line that has been pushed back steadily over the years with advances in neonatal medicine, and today, that line lies around 24 weeks.&nbsp;<span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'><\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'><\/span><\/span><\/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 baby born that early can weigh less than a pound. It will appear to be fully formed, an infant in miniature, but on the inside its tiny lungs will not yet be functional. It cannot breathe on its own, and if it is going to survive it will need to spend weeks in a top-of-the-line incubator, hooked up to machines that keep oxygen flowing to its tiny brain. It will face high odds of blindness, cerebral palsy, physical disabilities and learning delays. It will be immunocompromised, and its parents may not know whether it will live or die for several months after it is born. Every cold, every flu, will be a potentially deadly threat. The full extent of the damage done by its early arrival may not be known for years.&nbsp;<span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'><\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'>This paragraph has nice quick lines. It\u2019s dramatic and visual. \u201cAn infant in miniature\u201d\u2014what a lovely turn of phrase.<\/span><\/span><\/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=\"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-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4899\" height=\"5715\" src=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JessicaGreen-w-Owen.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7687\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JessicaGreen-w-Owen.jpg 4899w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JessicaGreen-w-Owen-257x300.jpg 257w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JessicaGreen-w-Owen-878x1024.jpg 878w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JessicaGreen-w-Owen-768x896.jpg 768w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JessicaGreen-w-Owen-1317x1536.jpg 1317w, https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/app\/uploads\/2024\/03\/JessicaGreen-w-Owen-1756x2048.jpg 1756w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4899px) 100vw, 4899px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jessica Green with her son Owen, who was born at 24 weeks <small>Kamil Bialous with permission<\/small><\/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>I know all this because two members of my social circle, newlyweds, recently brought their son into the world at just 24 weeks. Owen is a miracle baby, born at the furthest limit of doctors\u2019 ability to save him, kept alive in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Vancouver for five months before he was permitted to go home. His bare survival was in question for nearly three months of that time. His longterm impairments are unknown. His twin, Maia, didn\u2019t make it. <span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'>When does it make sense to have a personal perspective in a pitch, and when is it extraneous or a conflict of interest?<\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'>I often want there to be a personal side to a story. When I was at <em>Pacific Standard<\/em>, I worked with Amanda Hess on her piece \u201cWhy Women Aren\u2019t Welcome on the Internet,\u201d which won a National Magazine Award. The fact that it was about her personal experience being harassed and stalked on Twitter really advanced the story. For our story on Kim Wall \u2014 the journalist murdered in Copenhagen while reporting on a submarine inventor \u2014 it really mattered to us that someone who knew Kim tell the story. For many stories, the personal is not appropriate. It can\u2019t be someone trying to work out a grudge. And the personal story has to have national importance. Eva didn\u2019t put herself in the story\u2014she made it about the couple and helped the reader understand their experience.<\/span><\/span><\/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 interventions required to keep him alive were extreme. At times, especially early on, his mother wondered if she was being cruel or selfish, subjecting him to it all, leveraging all the expertise and technology of modern medicine to force his tiny body to breathe \u2013 almost, it seemed, against his will. She lived in a dorm on the hospital grounds, learned to speak the language of the NICU, learned the routines of rounds and tests and levels in his blood, waited in line to see a postpartum counsellor. She\u2019s a bit of a granola type \u2013 eats organic, practices acupuncture, doesn\u2019t like what you might call the hospital industrial complex. But her months in the NICU changed her views. She left there grateful for the extraordinary care she and Owen had received. She has agreed to speak on the record about her experience.\u00a0<span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'>Does this pitch represent the level of pre-reporting you\u2019d like to see?<\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'>I think it\u2019s great. She had the advantage of knowing this couple, so we already know she is going to have an emotional connection to them and they\u2019re willing to talk. She lives in the same small town as these people, and they\u2019re in her social circle, so she\u2019s going to be able to lay the groundwork and set the scenes\u2014she\u2019s not helicoptering in. And she\u2019d approached the hospital about access.<\/span><\/span><\/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>I\u2019d like to write about the science of saving extremely premature babies for WIRED. Owen and his parents would be a way into the story, providing some scenes, emotional weight, and a potential narrative framework, but the meat of it would be the\u00a0<em>how<\/em>. What goes into keeping such a drastically premature baby alive? How do doctors decide who can be saved, and who is past saving? How did we come as far as we have \u2013 and are there hard limits on how much further back we could push that line?\u00a0<span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'>The writer asks questions in this paragraph but doesn\u2019t answer them. How do you feel about that?<\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'>We often say that we don\u2019t assign questions\u2014we assign answers. But that\u2019s not always true, and there are shades of gray. Here, she\u2019s asking questions but has already established that she\u2019s done some work, like knowing the line has been pushed back to 24 weeks. In the next paragraph, she shows us where she\u2019s going to get these answers. After getting the pitch, we asked her to find historians of neonatal medicine and top researchers in this field to explain more about why the line has shifted and whether it could change again. We sometimes get the kind of pitch that says, \u201cI want to find out how the Twitter algorithm works.\u201d That\u2019s not a story pitch. Instead, you\u2019d need to say \u201cI know that the Twitter algorithm works in these ways, and I have access to this person who can help me fill it out.\u201d We\u2019re not going to assign questions unless we feel the writer has a sense of the answer or knows where to get it.<\/span><\/span> <span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'>The pitch doesn\u2019t really include a \u201cwhy now.\u201d Was that less important because of the themed issue?<\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'>Yes, you\u2019re totally right about that. For a regular issue, it would\u2019ve been really important to have a team of scientists about to change things or another \u201cwhy.\u201d But it was a good emotional story and did well on its own, even online outside the context of the print issue. I like getting pitches on things that happen every day and I never think about, if someone has something new and thoughtful to say. Amy Wallace and Virginia Heffernan do this well.<\/span><\/span><\/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>I have approached the hospital where Owen was born about access \u2013 my goal would be to interview NICU medical staff and researchers, and if at all possible, to spend time on the ward itself. If the Vancouver hospital isn\u2019t willing to grant that access, I\u2019ll search for another that will. I\u2019m confident that I will be able to find a facility that is willing to shed some light on the science of the NICU. She mentions that she has approached the ward for access but not confirmed it.\u00a0<span class='article-annotation-mod article-annotation-active'><a class='article-annotation-control'><\/a><span class='annotation annotation-red'>What kind of access is needed at the time of the pitch? Also, she doesn\u2019t mention whether this ward is special or cutting-edge in any way. Was that important?<\/span><span class='annotation annotation-blue'>Doing the story was contingent on getting access. Sometimes having a conditional green light from a publication can help you get the access. This ward happened to be the most advanced in Canada, and women like her friend were flown there from all around the country.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rejections aren&#8217;t personal: \u201c70 percent of why pitches don&#8217;t work has nothing to do with the writer\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[407],"topics":[],"authors":[9],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-1827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-annotation-tuesday","tag-the-pitch","authors-katia-savchuk"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wired&#039;s executive editor seeks stories that 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