Source: Moody Collective
Go Tell It: How – and Why – to Report God’s Stories in Words, Photos, and Videos, by Jim Killam and Lincoln Brunner, Moody Publishers, 2014, 165 pages.
This slim volume is designed to equip readers and writers to tell compelling stories that allow others to see what God is doing in the world. The authors, journalists who now work for the mission agency ReachGlobal, make a case for excellence in reporting. They cover responsibly researching and interviewing, crafting your story, engaging your audience, setting a scene with details and dialogue, and honoring your sources, as well as nuts and bolts like choosing equipment, preparing for a video shoot, setting up sound and lighting, and more.
Go Tell It includes lots of helpful examples and insights from the authors’ own work, a variety of photographers and videographers, and writers like David Aikman (who wrote the foreword) and the gospel writer Luke (who, they point out, is a master journalist).
I found this book inspiring – a refresher course on things I learned in journalism classes decades ago. Although it also comes recommended for short-term and long-term missionaries who write newsletters or give presentations, it has more to offer those who create communication pieces on behalf of a ministry or group – from a volunteer making the mission trip video for your church to an intern in a mission agency’s communication department. A narrow audience, perhaps, but one that may find this book a gem.
» Get this book from Amazon (or elsewhere) for US$10.35 (US$8.09 for the Kindle edition). See the publisher’s website to learn more or read a generous excerpt.
» See also The Art of Storytelling: Easy Steps to Presenting an Unforgettable Story, by John Walsh.