I love your question. I create visual stories for nonprofits and recently shifted my business slightly to help include story design early in the process. Why? Because not every story is interesting or visual. As you said above if the information doesn't move, motivate, or inspire then it's time to find a different story. During story design with a recent client I actually talked them out of hiring me because all the data I uncovered said that an animation or comic would work better with their audience then a documentary film piece would. I'm proud of that because I don't think you should just create a story because you're hired to. You should create it because it's awesome and deserves to be told. Keep sharing articles like this!
RE: Digital Storytelling: How to Tell Stories with Your Energy.