Gannett has several examples of alternative story forms (or charticles, the annoying name they go by there) available here in .pdf format. Some are more successful than others, but all are worth a look. (Thanks to Carl Schierhorn at Kent State for this link.)

This one on daylight-saving time, for example, wisely uses a Q&A format. The topic makes that approach a natural — especially in time-confused Indiana. But this page also shows what happens when there's no intro text, making it unclear where this starts and ends. Which question do you read first? Better design and use of photos could help too — this is where collaboration between editors and designers is important.

UPDATE: Read what some students think about these forms here.