Finding Story ideasJennifer Cox

http://cmat240summer.wordpress.com

objectives

• Discuss ways to find stories

• Discuss ways to manage “big picture” ideas to make them more workable

• Go over project one requirements

Finding stories

• READ • Calendars• Web pages• Newsletters• Blogs• Other articles

• Have a time peg• Awareness months• Upcoming events (races, fundraisers, festivals)• Seasonal (fall, winter)• Historical milestones (anniversaries, etc.)• Recent findings/studies

Finding stories

• Attend meetings/look at agendas• What items are committees working on?

• Talk with school teachers/administrators/kids• Professors love to talk about their research!

• GET OUT THERE!

Places to look online

• Profnet.com

• Al’s Morning Meeting • http://www.poynter.org/category/latest-news/

als-morning-meeting/

Getting started

• Paring down your idea• Draw a Web

(Broad subject) (Find a smaller audience) (Find a time peg)

Obesity Obesity at SU

Obesity and

summertime

Obesity – are people

working out more to fit into bathing suits?

Obesity – how does it affect

students’ mental health

to see swimsuit models

Obesity – how does summer

heat affect obese people

differently?

Where to begin

• Start with a question; not a statement• Don’t use a question as a lede, though!

• Don’t generalize• Most obese people feel pressure to slim

down during bathing suit season.

• Let your source generalize• Nutritionists at SU have noticed an

influx of obese students beginning in June. They attribute the rise in clientele to a need to get in shape for bathing suit season.

Obesity – are people

working out more to fit into bathing suits?

Who to talk to

• Find an expert first to get an overview• Call them often; they have no

obligation to call you back

• Ask the expert general questions about your topic

• From what he/she tells you, try to narrow it down further

Obesity – are people

working out more to fit into bathing suits?

Obesity – the health

clinic is offering low cost training sessions for obese students

this month

• Ask the expert for “real people” sources• This could take time to find, so start

early

Starting to write

• Organize and highlight your notes• Figure out the order in which you will tell the story

• Identify your good quotes

• Write your nut graph FIRST• Will help you focus your story and stay on track

• Remember – you’re writing an article, not a research paper

• Figure out your lede:• Summary or feature lede?

Nut graph

• Two parts• What is the main point of the story?• Why are you telling me this now? (“time peg”)

• Main point of your story• Don’t over-generalize• Stay on topic – don’t veer too far from the nut

graph

• Why is this important to the reader?

Some tips

• Start EARLY! Call OFTEN!

• Stay objective – present all sides, when possible

• STAY FOCUSED

• Look at examples to establish a rhythm to your article• Narrative• Sequential/chronological • Inverted pyramid

• Establish the conflict• Some people say this; others believe this

Some tips

• Show, don’t tell

• Remember, you are NOT the expert; let your sources tell the story!

• Statement, evidence, quote

• Group like ideas/sources together

NO: Working out is a good way to lose weight…

YES: Karen Smith lost 20 pounds when she began a strict workout regiment this summer…

Experts agree working out can help students lose weight when coupled with a healthy diet.

SU student Karen Smith, 20, said she used to work out multiple days a week but wasn’t losing weight. When she started making better dietary choices, she lost 20 pounds in five months.

“I felt great, and it really wasn’t that hard,” Smith said.

tips

• Your story MUST have a time peg (no evergreens)

• Color stories• Live event coverage• Preview of an event (preparation)

• Reaction piece• Take a larger issue and get local reactions• How are people reacting to local items?

• Trend story (tricky!)• Look at trend affecting locals/students• Need sources to identify trend – not hearsay!

project

• DUE July 27, 5 p.m.

• 2-3 pages

• At least three quoted sources• NO friends, family or work sources• Turn in phone numbers for all sources

• Focus on one topic – don’t write an essay

• Aim to publish!

• Email me topic and set up phone conference with me for Thursday

announcements

• Homework: email me story idea

• Current events/readings quiz tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. • You will have 10 minutes

• No lecture tomorrow – phone conferences