STORIES OF THE WEEK: Three Johns, Two Masterpieces

Every week, I will shine the spotlight on some of the best storytelling in the business and offer my comments. “Stories of the Week” will post every Monday at 8 AM.

Future installments of “Stories of the Week” will cover all forms of media. But for the first installment, I stayed close to home: great human-interest pieces from local news stations in the Southeast.

In particular I’d like to showcase a few people I know very well — three men named John (well, one is named Jon) and one named Steve.

A gift of a lifetime for Joseph (2/22/13, WXIA-TV Atlanta): When I first interviewed at WXIA-TV in Atlanta, I was shown a sample of the station’s work. The most exceptional stories came from Jon Shirek, whose understated delivery belies the beauty in his writing. The story aired last Friday and has been at the top of the site’s most-read articles all weekend. Credit goes to photographer Steve Flood for the quick but powerful pace he sets in editing this story.

The sound of life (2/20/13, WLOS-TV Asheville): Speaking of great writers, John Le has long been recognized as one of the best yarn-spinners in the Southeast for his work at WLOS-TV in Asheville. Here, Le and photographer John Kirtley tell a beautiful story with several twists and a fountain of touching moments. They get to do something rare in TV news: take their time. They unfold the story one layer at a time, and they knock it out of the park.

Have a suggestion for “Stories of the Week”? E-mail me at matt@tellingthestoryblog.com

4 thoughts on “STORIES OF THE WEEK: Three Johns, Two Masterpieces

  1. John Le says:

    Nice to have you in the blogosphere Matt! Well written and insightful. And you avoided the temptation of calling your blog “Pearls Of Wisdom.” I don’t have that kind of discipline.

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