It’s not about “once upon a time.” It’s about an implicit thought model, a narrative, that makes “sense” of information. Information is always in a “story” or a “narrative.” The only issue is whether it’s implicit or explicit. When it’s done really well, it’s almost impossible for the reader to tell the difference

I’ll agree that not everything in the news should be so story-centric, but to say this:

“People ultimately want journalism so they can be informed.”

And to use that to imply people don’t like stories is just plain wrong. Narrative is the oldest form of how humans make sense of the world. It’s not going anywhere, and data sites that don’t make use of some kind of narrative are boring and are seldom used.

Likewise, I think it’s wrong to imply that journalists who see themselves as storytellers are useless on the web. I’m a programmer and I see myself as a storyteller. I see storytelling as the most essential element to a good web site of any kind. The traditional news story “form” may be limiting or not as useful on the web, but story itself is every bit as useful.

In my current project, nearly all of the top 15 or so links with the most page views are either galleries or interactives. Only a couple of true “narrative” stories — those produced with print in mind — are in the mix.

That’s what I think about now — it’s in all of our job descriptions — meeting traffic goals, which goes to catering to audience needs. In some ways what I do now seems less like journalism and more like doing what I long thought was the job of our marketing and advertising offices.

I was one of those journalists who got into the profession because I thought it was a calling. And those journalists who still think this way are having the most difficult time right now. Like those who believe in the church of long-form storytelling, there’s a tendency to see themselves as above the commercial fray.

There’s a commercial value to picking out the narratives that are going to resonate with people. You may not agree with their values, but tabloids often do this better than most and reap the commercial rewards. I think there’s some value to your approach, but (and perhaps this is a bit old-fashioned) I kind of think that if you can’t find a ’story’ in your notes then you’ve got to question the value of the news. Picking the right way to tell a story is still a valuable craft, perhaps more so when people are drowning in information.

The web, newspapers, TV stations, any news organization needs people to present information in a variety of formats. No, it’s not always going to be “storytime” for the reader, but it also won’t just be “oh, look at this really cool web gizmo I made” either.

As with any career field, you need to be familiar with what everyone else does in regard to skills and have a bit of working knowledge in each place yourself, but you should specialize in something you’re good at. And, ideally, your organization will put you in a role the you’re best suited for. Now, if you’re a writer, this means occasionally picking up a camera. If you’re a photographer, this means maybe interviewing the people you talk with and writing something to go along with that gallery of images you came back with.

In the end, there should be a collaborative effort to tell a story. At least on the big stuff. This isn’t any different than what has gone on in newsrooms, but it’s just that there’s a whole new array of skillsets to be included. And it’s not just the gathering and presenting of information, but also the distribution and publishing of it, too. After all, what good is your story if no one reads it and it doesn’t generate money for the company — be it pageviews or readership.

Do some writers need to check their ego at the door? Sure, but so do some photographers, web people and designers, too.

And about how print reporters now are loathing not being able to practice journalism as a craft and artform, well, learn to separate what you’re writing at work from what you write for yourself. It’s work, not your life. Put in your time, go home and pursue your art. If it’s really as good as you think it is, then someone should be willing to pay you for it — right?

Many newspapers have long and growing lists of “alternate story formats” to suit all kinds of content in smart, often short, reader-friendly ways. We just don’t use them. We’re basing decisions on who we think our readers are rather than who they’ve become.

There’s a lot of research out there about how people consume media today, and we’d all do well to be fluent in it and to share it with our colleagues. Pat, or anyone else for that matter, what have you found to be some of the best resources for hard-and-fast facts about what, as you say, people want from their media?

I am a reader who gets bored when everything is the same.