A Magazine by the Society of Professional Journalists



December 10th, 2008 • Quill Archives
Thrill of victory, agony of defeat

The personal stories at the heart of sports bring out some of the best writing in journalism. The reporters of the following stories use active verbs, vivid nouns and sentence rhythms to craft strong images and a wide range of moods.


November 4th, 2008 • Quill Archives
Beyond the blotter: Crime stories with a difference

Most crime stories provide the basic information we need to know about the crime, arrest, trial and sentencing. But it’s nice sometimes to break out of the mold and tell what happened in a different way. Here are some examples from reporters who have written about crimes through the eyes of the people involved.


November 26th, 2007 • Quill Archives
Making it count

The deft use of numbers can move your reporting beyond the all-too-common “he said vs. she said” school of journalism and add depth to any story. In the following stories, reporters used data to expose the realities of the death penalty, property insurance, sub-prime loans and the nuclear industry’s health impact.