--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tremendous challenge of narrative…" description: "\"The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about subjects that are underreported is, how do you make people care about something they think they ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/sarah-stillman-21738_care_the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-jo_1376719.jpg" --- # The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about… ![“The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about subjects that are underreported is, how do you make people care about something they think they already know about, or think they don't need to know about?” quote by Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/sarah-stillman-21738_care_the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-jo_1376719.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/sarah-stillman-21738_care_the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-jo_1376719.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/sarah-stillman-21738_care_the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-jo_1376719.jpg) > “The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about subjects that are underreported is, how do you make people care about something they think they already know about, or think they don't need to know about?” [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Narrative journalism must find fresh angles to engage audiences on topics they deem familiar or irrelevant. **In simple terms:** Storytelling needs new hooks for known subjects. Key Takeaway Craft compelling narratives for overlooked issues. Themes journalism storytelling public awareness media engagement Mood inquisitive motivational Type journalistic inspirational When to use this quote - news reporting - public policy - education - advocacy - media campaigns Key Concepts narrative framing audience perception information fatigue Questions to Reflect On - What strategies make familiar topics feel new? - How can journalists avoid sensationalism? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on novelty may distract from factual depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Challenge Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge-narrative-4757240/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Journalism Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism-subjects-4757239/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Narrative Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative-journalism-3163849/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-care/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Subjects Underreported](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects-underreported-4757238/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [What narrative journalism does is create a language or open up a space where someone can say, "Oh, this happened to me, too."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/what-narrative-journalism-does-is-create-a-language-or-open-up-a/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [We like long-form narrative journalism, and we feel there aren't enough high-profile outlets in Canada running the kind of stories we want to showcase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/we-like-long-form-narrative-journalism-and-we-feel-there-aren-t/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [I think it's really important to give back and show other people that you care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-schroeder/i-think-it-s-really-important-to-give-back-and-show-other-people-that/) [Carly Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-schroeder/) > [“I don't know how to stop the atrocities. I don't know how to make people care. But looking into my sister's eyes, we seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/i-don-t-know-how-to-stop-the-atrocities-i-don-t-know-how-to-make/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [Sometimes you have to distance yourself from people. If they care, they will notice and be bothered. If they dont, you will know where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-have-to-distance-yourself-from-people-if-they-care-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be careful with who you open up with, because only a few people care the rest are just curious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/be-careful-with-who-you-open-up-with-because-only-a-few-people-care/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [Suicidal people don't know there is people who care and they don't know that if they go they are gonna be missed they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-mcbyron/suicidal-people-don-t-know-there-is-people-who-care-and-they-don-t/) [Dimitri McByron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitri-mcbyron/) > [So glad I'm with genuine people who care about me for me. Not the fake bullshit personality I see tons ofpeople with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-glad-i-m-with-genuine-people-who-care-about-me-for-me-not-the-fake/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you do right by people, and you talk to the basic issues most people care about and have a vision for how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-frazier/if-you-do-right-by-people-and-you-talk-to-the-basic-issues-most/) [Ryan Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-frazier/) > [Dark days have an end but we wait so long to see the end we just give up. Why give up so much that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny-hope/dark-days-have-an-end-but-we-wait-so-long-to-see-the-end-we-just-give/) [Destiny Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiny-hope/) > [It's very simple. If the American people care about a lot of things including corruption in government, then, in fact, if you use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-issa/it-s-very-simple-if-the-american-people-care-about-a-lot-of-things/) [Darrell Issa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-issa/) > [If somebody told me people would still care about our music 25 years ago, I would have thought they were crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/if-somebody-told-me-people-would-still-care-about-our-music-25-years/) [Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/) > [This is to you, Metallica, from Amber Hope(Guardian). You need to take care of yourself. You need to stop pushing yourself further and further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hope/this-is-to-you-metallica-from-amber-hope-guardian-you-need-to-take/) [Amber Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hope/) > [“He (Zerubavel) draws attention to the social influences on perception (what people notice), attention and concern (what people care about), classification (how people categorize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/he-zerubavel-draws-attention-to-the-social-influences-on-perception/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [Let the haters hate and focus on people who care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-the-haters-hate-and-focus-on-people-who-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Sarah Stillman > [Workers are actually being starved on the largest military base in Baghdad, and women are being raped with impunity - and because it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/workers-are-actually-being-starved-on-the-largest-military-base-in/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I try to come to my reporting as a real, whole person, not an automaton. And it's always one of the strange discomforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-try-to-come-to-my-reporting-as-a-real-whole-person-not-an-automaton/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [One thing I've discovered is that I never think of something that didn't work out as just "something that didn't work out." I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-i-never-think-of-something-that/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I think most of us, as writers, have had experiences where you get edited and it doesn't feel like your voice at all. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-think-most-of-us-as-writers-have-had-experiences-where-you-get/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I try to come to my reporting as a real, whole person, not an automaton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-try-to-come-to-my-reporting-as-a-real-whole-person-not-an-automaton-2/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I tend to gravitate toward the "act two," or "act three," or "act four" stories - either things that are underreported, where we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-tend-to-gravitate-toward-the-act-two-or-act-three-or-act-four/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Thinking through how you find that intersection between individual, compelling human narratives and structural, systemic injustices - that's the place that's most interesting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/thinking-through-how-you-find-that-intersection-between-individual/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I always knew I wanted to write, but I didn't know that I would want to do investigative reporting - in part because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-write-but-i-didn-t-know-that-i-would-want/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Often, I'm spending months with a person in a very intimate context, getting to know the ins and outs of what they ate for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/often-i-m-spending-months-with-a-person-in-a-very-intimate-context/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [People are sometimes losing their homes before being convicted of a crime, or their cash or their cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/people-are-sometimes-losing-their-homes-before-being-convicted-of-a/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [I feel like I partly came to writing through being in college during the start of the Iraq war, and knowing that those issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/i-feel-like-i-partly-came-to-writing-through-being-in-college-during/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [There is space for a different kind of investigative reporting that's about immersion and obsessive attention to detail and deep listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/there-is-space-for-a-different-kind-of-investigative-reporting-that-s/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [For me, the part of reporting that's the most rewarding and energizing is just hearing directly from people whose voices haven't often been heard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/for-me-the-part-of-reporting-that-s-the-most-rewarding-and-energizing/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [One thing I've discovered is that if you remain in contact with people, if you build longitudinal relationships, if you invest in sources who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/one-thing-i-ve-discovered-is-that-if-you-remain-in-contact-with/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) > [Often, my central challenge is figuring out how do I build trust, how do I acquaint people who've just endured some terrible event -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/often-my-central-challenge-is-figuring-out-how-do-i-build-trust-how/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) [Explore all 28 Sarah Stillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) ## More Care quotes > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/) [Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) [Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about subjects that are underreported is, how do you make people care about something they think they already know about, or think they don't need to know about?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Stillman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-journalism-about-subjects-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Care" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-journalism-about-subjects-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/sarah-stillman-21738_care_the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-jo_1376719.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/sarah-stillman-21738_care_the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-jo_1376719.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/sarah-stillman-21738_care_the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-jo_1376719.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism about subjects that are underreported is, how do you make…” — Sarah Stillman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sarah Stillman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The tremendous challenge of narrative journalism...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-journalism-about-subjects-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/the-tremendous-challenge-of-narrative-journalism-about-subjects-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```