Background
What is an Explore Baltimore Heritage story?
We believe history is more than dates and names-it’s about people and their stories. Stories should be engaging and include rich and interesting specific details.
Every Explore Baltimore Heritage story is made of a number of components, including:
- Title
- Description
- Related Sources
- Creator
- Location
- Tags & Subjects
- Images
- Image Captions/Credits
- Any additional video/audio content
How are contributors acknowledged?
Author or co-authors credit on website. Submitted photos are credited with owner and photographer.
How are other project partners acknowledged?
Recognition on tour page or on About page listing details for partners.
Where should we find ideas for contributions or recruit contributors?
- Recent academic publications on Baltimore/Maryland history
- New exhibits or programs at local historic sites
- New books on local history by local authors, etc.
- Reaching out to active community leaders
- Relevant news topics relating to history such as new development projects.
Interacting With Contributors:
How to solicit contributions to Explore Baltimore Heritage?
Sample letter to interest potential volunteers…
How do I communicate with contributors to get the best content out of them?
- Be encouraging and honest. A little encouragement goes a long way and showing enthusiasm for good ideas lets contributors know they’re on the right path. However, if contributors are toying with off-topic ideas, encourage them to stay on topic.
- Listen. Make contributors feel comfortable about coming to you with ideas and concerns and respond to them promptly.
- If you have ideas that might help contributors, don’t be shy about sharing them. Just make sure you don’t smother them.
How much communication is appropriate?
- It is important to keep contributors in the loop during the editorial process. Be sure to let them know of any major changes. This does not include minor grammatical errors.
- Always let contributors know when their piece is being published and thank them for their work.
How do I approach contributors with criticism?
- Always remember to thank contributors first. Remember that contributions are written on a volunteer basis.
- It’s important to be clear about what needs to be revised, but reinforce criticism with positive input. “Your story on [x location] is fascinating and the work you’ve done so far is greatly appreciated. Would you happen to have a source for [x fact]? Thanks!”
Editing:
How to adapt or excerpt an existing local history essay for Explore Baltimore Heritage?
If the original is too long:
- What is the focus of the story? Is the story trying to cover too many topics at once? Use your discretion to find the heart of the story and cut unrelated/marginally related writing.
- Could it be turned into multiple stories?
- Is it possible to make the story more concise by cutting empty words?
If the original is too short:
- Could the story be paired with other related stories?
- Is there additional context that could be used to expand the story?
- Is there a need for more research?
How to edit a contribution?
Here is what we’re looking for in a good story:
- Correct grammar, spelling, etc.
- Clear organization: Does the story have a good flow to it? Is it disjointed? If so, how can you make it more cohesive?
- Accurate and factually sound: Be on the lookout for unsubstantiated facts, contributor opinions, and exaggeration.
- Appropriate voice and tone: Is it written from an objective point of view?
- Engagement: Is the story interesting? Remember, an Explore Baltimore Heritage story is not an encyclopedia. We want our readers to feel connected to the stories. An article that is no more than a list of dates and events is incomplete.
On Telling The Truth
There is a fine line between truth and fiction and often times writers take liberties in order to tell a good story. Who’s to say it was a fine April morning or a chilly November day? This sort of scene setting with unsourced specific details, or speculating how a person felt during a specific moment is inappropriate. Take this sentence for example: “With a recent unsuccessful novel and his wife now interred at an asylum, F. Scott Fitzgerald fell into a deep depression and turned to alcohol. He had become a threat to himself and those around him.”
What’s wrong with this sentence? There’s no way of knowing whether Fitzgerald’s alcoholism was linked to depression or whether it was a “threat” to anyone. Such statements need to be sourced. Here’s a better version from Nathan Dennies’ article on Fitzgerald:
While Zelda was in the hospital, Fitzgerald’s dependency on alcohol grew. Writer H.L. Mencken, a friend of Fitzgerald who lived nearby in Mt. Vernon at the time, wrote in his journal in 1934: “The case of F. Scott Fitzgerald has become distressing. He is a boozing in a wild manner and has become a nuisance.”
Here the troubling nature of Fitzgerald’s alcoholism is substantiated by his close friend and fellow writer, H.L. Mencken. The same point is made, but instead of the author taking liberties, the judgment on Fitzgeralds behavior is backed by a source.
On Bias
History is rife with conflict and it’s important that articles take a neutral stance, especially when dealing with topics relating to current issues and the recent past. Here are some things to look out for:
- Personal Opinion: Sentences where the author of an article asserts an opinion of their own. Look out for the use of the pronoun “I.” Also look out for adjectives that present biased viewpoints like: good, bad, cruel, evil, etc.
- Tell All Sides But Take None: It’s important to show all sides of an issue. Of course, this doesn’t mean that all sides deserve equal attention. For instance, the perpetrators of a terrible atrocity arguably deserve less attention than its victims.
- Know The Difference Between Analysis and Opinion: Analysis can help readers discover deep insights into historic events. Good analysis is substantiated by facts. Opinions are personal judgments. Example from Richard Hardesty’s and David Patrick McKenzie’s piece on the Watson Monument:
Given U.S. activity in the Caribbean at the time, and the monument’s connection to the U.S.-Mexican War, the memorial presented a counterpoint to the overall anti-imperialist sentiment that existed in Baltimore. By highlighting the valor and honor of Baltimore’s U.S.-Mexican War heroes, the public viewed the veterans as heroes of a conflict which greatly benefited the United States, as opposed to participants in an unjustifiable land grab. Thus, the monument served to legitimize the United States’ imperialist endeavors of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.