Strategically Communicating

There are countless ways to tell stories. As strategic communicators, it’s our job to make sure the method we choose to convey our stories will have the longest lasting impressions. In this week’s readings, we read: Images of Resilience: The Case for Visual Restorative Narrative by Nicole Smith Dahmen, this article brought up an interesting genre of storytelling – restorative narratives. Restorative narratives is media coverage that intends to explore the stories beyond the immediacy of the tragic event, and focuses on the individuals or communities and how they are moving from a place of disperse to a place of resilience.

The article examines several famous pictures taken during moments of tragedy in the world, one specific one was during the Vietnam War. In this picture we see a naked nine year old girl screaming in pain because the skin on her back has been scorched off by napalm.

“Photojournalism can certainly be a sustained endeavor that shows meaningful progression. Images can most definitely capture resilience and forge a human connection. In fact, the preamble to the code of ethics of the National Press Photographers Association speaks to the value of images as restorative narrative.”

Through restorative narratives we are able to take a more profound look into the journeys of people or communities who are cast into the national spotlight in the wake of tragedies. When we get a story from their perspectives, we find a story of resilience, one that is gripping and sheds new light on a story we thought we knew.