Finding & PursuingOriginal Stories

Steve Buttrythe Penny Hoarder

July 14, 2016

Continue the conversation• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.net/stevebuttry• @stevebuttry• stephenbuttry@gmail.com

Your best story ideaIntroduce yourself by giving your name, what you cover for Penny Hoarder and how long you’ve been working here. And tell how you came up with the idea for your best story (recently or ever).

Find story ideas from …• News• People• Social media• Paper• Websites & blogs• Conflict

Find story ideas from …• Context• Impact• Repetition• Questions• Technology• Inquiry

Find story ideas from …• Ask each source for a story idea• 5 W’s (& So What? & How Much?)• Story elements• Different perspective• Silent voices• Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing• Your own social media & newsletter• Special-interest Facebook pages & groups• Hashtags• Specific requests• General requests

Beyond your FB page• Find interested FB pages & groups &

pose crowdsourcing questions there• Would a hashtag reach an interested

audience?• Create a Facebook group around a story

or topic you cover?

Pursuing your story• Find sources• Experts vs. real experts• 5 W’s (& So What? & How Much?)• Story Elements• Data• Story form (paragraphs, graphic, video …)

Continue the conversation• stevebuttry.wordpress.com• slideshare.net/stevebuttry• @stevebuttry• stephenbuttry@gmail.com