Inspired Life editor Allison Klein along with reporters Cathy Free and Sydney Page spoke with Poynter about the section’s mission to report on human moments and acts of kindness.
From the story:
You have the best job at The Washington Post.That’s what readers sometimes email Sydney Page and Cathy Free, the full-time writers for the Post’s Inspired Life section, which documents human moments and acts of kindness. Along with editor Allison Klein, the team scours the internet for viral feel-good stories they can expand upon for the Post’s readership.The stories they cover can be both touching and outrageous, like a story on a beloved emotional support alligator. Klein said an Inspired Life story has to be heartwarming and surprising.“There’s a million heartwarming things that go on in the world that we’re not going to write about because they’re just not that interesting,” she said.The readers, for their part, are responding well to that mission: Inspired Life stories are regularly some of the top-read articles on the site, Klein said. But it’s about more than metrics.“Success is also when your neighbor comes over and says, ‘that was a great story,’” said Free, a longtime features writer who would sneak off the police beat at The Salt Lake Tribune to interview interesting people.— Poynter
