Small Towns, Big Stories

10 tips for editors

By Gregg McLachlan

The following handout is from the workshop Small Towns, Big Stories at Wordstock 2005 at Ryerson University

1. Play it big: If you slap a 24-pt headline on a story you think is big, how will your readers ever know? Presentation is a major factor in communicating to your readers that a story is 'big'. Very likely, your reporter has spent considerable time working on the big story. Now it's your turn to complement the effort with effective presentation and layout. If you don't, readers will see it as just another story in their 'small' newspaper.

2. Grow ideas: If a reporter tells you he/she has an idea for a story, don't respond: "Sounds like a great idea!" and walk away. Take advantage of a reporter's enthusiasm. Show you're interested in their story ideas, not just yours. Go to the reporters desk. Invite the reporter into your office. Or talk about it in the newsroom to foster a wider discussion among reporters. Many great stories have been grown from reporters' simple phrases like "I think we should do a story on...." or "I wonder whatever happened to...." or "If I had the time, I'd like to investigate...."

3. The pitfalls of meetings, meetings, meetings: Yes, meetings can result in big stories. But if you have a small staff, and you're heavily weighted toward coverage of meetings, your staff will have little time to generate other big stories -- big stories that the competition won't have. Prioritize reporters' time. Is it better spent at a meeting, or working on a story that has far more impact?

4. Avoid 'One Phone Call Phobia': Not everyone will like your big stories. But don't develop a mentality that one angry phone caller represents the thoughts of 5,000 subscribers. Reporters need to know you support their initiative to do something big. Don't warn a reporter: "Yeah, but if I get one subscription cancellation..." Face it, you might get a cancellation. Maybe two or three. Keep it in perspective. Three cancellations from 5,000 subscribers represents .06 per cent.

5. You can have fun: Big stories don't always have to be serious. Reporters can have fun, and report big stuff. Give your reporter a tape measure and tell him/her to go measure the width of parking spaces to see if they meet the municipality's bylaw requirement. Make your sports reporter attend tryouts with the local peewee team. Have your intrepid reporter ride a ferris wheel at the local fair for 48 hours to collect canned goods for the food bank.

6. Celebrate the victories: Getting scooped happens. You scoop the competition. The competition scoops you. When you have something special in your edition (something that took time, initiative, and great news sense to gather), don't start the morning by looking at the competition and telling the reporter: "Hey, look at today's Herald! You should have got this story!" Hold up your newspaper and celebrate the end result of investing time to get something special in your edition that the other guys don't have.

7. A special day: Designate one edition each week to be a 'special' day. Friday or Saturday are great days, if you're a daily. Have a story that explores an issue. Maybe it's something like Our Hospital ER: The 'Other' Walk-In Clinic. How residents are straining the ER with non-emergency visits. Give your reporters the opportunity to try magazine-style writing. And give them the opportunity to do stories that can have impact. Who knows, maybe people with non-emergencies will go to the walk-in clinic and stop visiting the ER because of your story.

8. Have courage: Years ago, I remember a reporter who began working on a flashback story about the mysterious fate of a local rum runner who 'disappeared' while crossing one of the Great Lakes. His body was never found. His boat was never found. Rumours persisted that he faked his death and surfaced in the Caribbean. When a family member called the newsroom demanding that the newspaper stop working on the story, the effort was indeed spiked. Readers never did get the fantastic tale about a mystery that has become a legend in a small town. Ironically, it was a reader who contacted the newspaper to suggest that a story be done. It's a shame there wasn't courage to continue reporting.

9. Two key questions: When reporters want to work on something big, ask the following questions: 1) What's been done on this topic in the past? 2) What can we do that's new? These are two questions that can help steer a story in the right direction, or even revise the approach.

10. Give reporters time: Small-town reporters need to juggle several stories at once. It's just a fact of life in small newspapers. Recognize when a story requires extra time to gather. The result is often worth it. And the quality rises too. Be part of the process and have chats about progress. Beware, though, of reporters who take too much time. It may be a sign that they struggle with story focus, themes.