There are instances when narratives can be rewritten in a matter of hours. Some of them may take ten years. Janelle Nanos’s investigative project, “Kate Price remembers something terrible,” was a 2023 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing and got the Dart Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Trauma. Such long-lead stories are extremely uncommon, but Nanos’s study was recognised for its superiority in reporting on traumatic events.
According to her biography, she “thrives” on “diving deep into the ideas, people, and trends that drive Boston’s economy.” In addition, Boston Magazine, National Geographic Traveller, and New York Magazine are all publications that Janelle has worked for. She is a member of the SABEW board in addition to teaching a class in magazine writing at Boston College. If that isn’t impressive enough for you, I don’t know what is.
I had a conversation with Janelle about the origins of her story that had won an award, her upcoming book, and the reasons why “writing is always right”:
Dawn: Please tell me more about your employment at the Globe.
To Janelle: As an enterprise business writer, it is my job to dig deeper into the region’s economic problems and search for the human stories that lie behind them. This means that I often go under the hood of these concerns. I am also the Assistant Business Editor for News Innovation, which means that I typically have a role in arranging a variety of different endeavours that assist bring the department’s reporting to other venues besides print, such as videos, events, and other types of mediums.
Dawn: Congratulations on being selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Wow! What prompted the telling of this story?
Janelle: The tale was in the works for ten years, and it was actually the outcome of two ladies looking for the truth. When I first broached the issue of presenting her story to my subject, Kate Price, she was an academic conducting research on child abuse and had identified herself as a survivor of child sex trafficking. I wanted to tell her story because it was so important to her. However, she lacked any concrete evidence to support her claim that she had been abused. Therefore, she requested that I assist her. Over the course of time, we were able to unearth family secrets that had been kept hidden for decades, and we investigated the nature of traumatic experiences and memories, as well as the long-term influence that they can have on our lives.
Dawn: This piece represents journalism at its very best. How have you evolved as a person as a result of the piece?
To Janelle: Working with Kate, and now with other victims of child exploitation, has provided me with a profound understanding of how severely children can be traumatised when they are the targets of abuse at the hands of a caretaker. This concept of betrayal trauma, which refers to the idea that the people who are supposed to love you the most could inflict the most damage on you, is one that can be challenging to manage as a journalist conducting an interview with the individual in question while retaining your impartiality. Because of this work, I am now a reporter who is much more conscious and who strives to make trauma-informed interview practises the focal point of my work.
Dawn: You are presently on book leave. Where do we stand with that?
To Janelle: It is progressing quite well. My upcoming book, “An Unthinkable Crime,” will be a character-driven narrative that traces the evolution of child sexual exploitation in America from the 1970s to the present, drawing on the stories of victims, law enforcement officers, lawyers, advocates, and psychologists: exposing the systems that perpetuate it, all with the goal of identifying ways to stop these horrifying crimes. The book will draw on the stories of victims, law enforcement officers, lawyers, advocates, and psychologists. At this point, I’m knee-deep in the process of bringing all of those loose ends together.
Dawn: What inspired you to pursue a career in journalism?
Janelle: While I was in college, I majored in English and minored in American Studies. It was while I was working closely with a professor there that I was first exposed to long-form narrative reporting. I was an English major and an American Studies minor. What first drew me to the field was the prospect of conveying the tales of other people while also making a significant contribution to the reporting of accountability issues.
Dawn: You began your professional life working in publications. What prompted your decision to switch to newspapers? What kinds of knowledge did you gain from reading periodicals that you put to use today?
Janelle: I have always been a huge fan of magazines, and I think that love will never go away. New York Magazine, National Geographic Traveller, and Boston Magazine were the three publications where I began my career and where I spent the first decade of my professional life. Each one presented me with extraordinary chances to contemplate the art of storytelling and to gain experience in honing my skills as a writer.
When the possibility of moving to the Globe arose, I contacted the college professor who was instrumental in my decision to pursue a career in journalism. He told me that gaining experience in the newspaper industry would make me a “double threat,” in the sense that I would be able to perform my duties in any newsroom. And he was absolutely correct. When I first started working at the Globe, I had the distinct impression that I needed to go through a period of learning. However, it has been beneficial to me over the course of my career, as I now use many of the skills that I gained from working on magazines to my reporting for The Globe, particularly in terms of the development of stories and the structuring of narratives. In addition to that, I enjoy the privilege of contributing to the magazine Globe.
Dawn: In addition to that, you hold a master’s degree. Why did you choose to go in that direction?
Janelle: When I started college, I didn’t have a lot of the fundamental journalism abilities that I have now. Due to the fact that I was involved in student government, I was unable to work for the school newspaper because doing so would have created a conflict of interest. Consequently, I had the feeling that I needed to improve my reporting skills. I also viewed my time spent in graduate school as an opportunity for training. In an effort to build a network and have a better understanding of how the industry functioned, I sent practically every story I worked on in class to newspapers that were based in New York. Because of that and the fact that I was able to participate in a few internships while I was there, I was able to develop a deep appreciation for both the work and the individuals involved in the industry.
Dawn: What would you say is the best piece of advise somebody has ever given you about your career?
Janelle: “Writing is always in the right.” To progress one’s career as a journalist, it is frequently necessary to transition into an editorial role. This is the case for many journalists. I’ve worked as an editor, but I’ve reached a point in my career where I believe I can make a bigger contribution as a reporter and writer. At least, that’s how I feel right now. The good news is that my editors concur.
Dawn: In addition to all of your other accomplishments, you are also a professor. What lessons are you passing down to the following generation?
To Janelle: It goes without saying that I want the students I teach to become the daring journalists of the future, and some of them already are. But I also want to emphasise to my students that it is crucial to know how to get your point out and to express your thoughts, even if they don’t become journalists. This is true regardless of whether they are writing a legal brief, a press release, or a letter to their supervisor. To paraphrase Nora Ephron, I want to instill in them an awareness that “everything is copy,” which will allow them to view the world with an attitude of wonder and a sense that “everything is copy.” It is my belief that if you are curious enough to engage in activities such as questioning and searching for solutions, you will always be successful in life.
Dawn: In what ways are your pupils a source of instruction for you?
Janelle: The students in my class consistently come up with interesting concepts for stories. In most cases, they are consistently informing me of the most trendy stuff on TikTok. On the other hand, they have piqued my interest in the prospects for their future. A significant number of them inquired as to whether or not there will be any jobs in journalism when they graduated as a result of AI. It is a really important question.
