In a comic about reporting on comics, a Times journalist takes you through his process — from idea to pitch to research and writing.
This comic, by the Times reporter George Gene Gustines and the artist Bill Walko, is part of our ongoing journalism and news literacy series. You can find an accompanying lesson plan here.
George, with Bill illustrating, walks us through the procedure
of creating a story for the New York Times about comics.
Says George:
Here’s how writing a piece for The Times works for me.
STEP 1: IT IS TIME … FOR AN IDEA!
STEP 2: IT IS TIME … TO ASSESS!
STEP 3: IT IS TIME… TO PITCH!
STEP 4: IT IS TIME… TO REPORT!
STEP 5: IT IS TIME TO… MANAGE MY TIME!
STEP 6: IT IS TIME… TO WRITE!
STEP 7: IT IS TIME… FOR EDITING!
STEP 8: IT IS TIME FOR… FACT CHECKING!
© New York TimesSTEP 9: IT IS TIME… TO PUBLISH!
STEP 10: IT IS TIME… TO THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE!
Read the edifying 10 page comic pamphlet, with an introduction, here.
Ugh. Bad NYT interface on this.
Perhaps someone might want to point out to the editors at the New York Times that cartooning IS writing.
Wiley: Man, ain’t that the truth. My first job out of college I was a newspaper reporter, and in the years since did a fair amount of freelance writing for small magazines as well as science writing in the energy industry. I was/am a professional writer. Now I make comics.
In my mind, it’s ALL writing. I tell people, “Sometimes I write with words, and sometimes I write with words and drawings.” It’s all storytelling (even non-fiction is storytelling). Cartoonists just have a slightly different toolkit.
That said, I think the NYT piece is a good and informative (I learned a few things) piece about how Gustines pitches and puts a story together, and how journalism at the Times works in general. I enjoyed it.
The great irony is that no newspaper does more articles on comics/cartooning/comic books and their significance in American society and culture every year than the New York Times. I always wonder if the editors ever actually read those articles.