Months of reporting. Mountains of notes. Drives of databases. Now what? Shaping a months-long investigation or long-form feature can be tough, especially with a trove of important material.
On June 24, 2025, Tom Huang led a session to help journalists shape their reporting into focused, coherent narratives. Huang is assistant managing editor for journalism initiatives at The Dallas Morning News and an adjunct faculty member at The Poynter Institute.
Here are three tips for mapping out your story structure:
- Divide the story into chapters. Find the natural ebb and flow of the narrative and separate them to organize the story. This can be especially helpful when pacing a story if it is a long investigation.
- Don’t chase the new “shiny thing.” It can be very easy to write about the new dramatic thing that reveals itself later on, but make sure it adheres to the core focus of the story.
- Spend time developing your nut graf. The nut graf is the thesis of your story, so focusing on it will help clarify which part of your story needs to be highlighted the most.
“I tend to think that it’s always important to remember the question that got you into the story in the first place,” Huang said. “I know that in newsrooms, we’re often chasing several stories and zigging and zagging, but I think that if you’re investing a little bit of time in narrative storytelling, you’ll want to hold on to the question that you’re trying to answer.”
Watch the full webinar:
This program was part of the Institute’s inaugural Public Health Reporting Fellowship, funded by the Common Health Coalition. This monthly training series was opened to the public at no cost.
About the Common Health Coalition
The Common Health Coalition: Together for Public Health brings together leading health organizations in pursuit of a reimagined health system: one in which the nation’s health care and public health systems no longer work in parallel, but hand in hand — with better health for all as the common goal.
The Common Health Coalition is hosted by the Institute for Public Health Innovation, a non-profit that builds cross-sector partnerships, promotes health equity, and works to create effective public health systems and policies that foster healthy communities. To sign up for the newsletter or learn more, visit commonhealthcoalition.org and follow on LinkedIn.
About the National Press Club Journalism Institute
The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest. The Institute depends on grants, foundation funds, and contributions from individuals like you. Your donation today allows the Institute to offer the majority of its programming at no cost.