Background, context can help a daily story sing
Dominic Gates
Seattle Times reporter Dominic Gates offers a thorough — yet lengthy — curtain-raiser for the maiden flight of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. He writes:
“The 787, even after some cancellations this year, has a record 840 orders before it flies. The sales success is the fruit of a tortuous, years-long effort to establish exactly what new airplane the world’s airlines needed.”
The story details the hurdles Boeing surmounted to get the plane on the runway. It also has a subplot that tells readers how the new plane will impact the Seattle area as the company moves parts-making and assembly to several locations.
It has a nifty animated graphic that shows how the plane is assembled, as well as an interactive timeline on the evolution of Boeing plane construction since 1916.
Today’s Tip: Curtain-raisers shouldn’t just state the news event, but give readers the background they need to understand what’s going on.
Having already outlined the journey to the flight, Dominic’s story on the flight itself focused on what happened and what’s ahead.
