Small Towns, Big Stories

10 tips for reporters

By Gregg McLachlan

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

1. Plan: If you want to pitch a big story idea to your editor, ask to sit down and discuss the idea you have (never do the drive-by pitch: "Hey, editor. I'd like to do a story on . . ." and then keep walking away). If you have an editor who tends to brush off your ideas, prepare an outline. Explain why such a story is important to your readership. Suggest who you'll interview. Most editors love reporters who are eager, prepared and show initiative.

2. Talk about juggling: In a small newsroom you've likely got a dozen items on your plate, all needing to be done yesterday. And now you've got this great idea for a big story. The problem is time. Talk to your editor about when you can have time to work on your story, how much time you need, etc. A good editor will evaluate the news value of your idea vs. other assignments and then plan accordingly.

3. Is this something the big papers would do?: I've used this way of thinking often when pitching ideas. "You just know the big papers would do this story if thought of it first," I'll tell a reporter. Reporters at small newspapers read the big papers. They often talk about the stories in those big papers. If you've got a story idea, think: Would the big papers do a story on this, if they thought about it first? Too often, small papers get story ideas from big papers. There's great satisfaction when you start to see big papers spinning stories from ones published first in your small paper.

4. Issues, issues, issues: Coverage of issues is a wide-open beat that's rarely tapped in small newspapers. Too often, we get caught up in the day-to-day assignments of general news. Issues reporting is about having the vision to look ahead at what will become news in the future, or how a current story can be evolved into a greater issue. The reporter who does so can carve out a real niche beat in a small market and make a big impact. Readers don't just want to know what happened yesterday when they read today's edition. They want to know what's on the horizon that will affect their lives. And they want a wider exploration of some current stories.

5. Don't forget 'real' experts: Stories can be enhanced when we also include outside experts who can give insight that may be more frank than 'local' sources. Sometimes, local sources can be guarded in what they tell local media. Readers may grow skeptical too of local sources. "What do they know, they're not experts!" some readers may argue. Getting second opinions from outside experts certainly won't hurt your reporting.

6. BYOB: Sorry, we're not talking beer. We're talking Beyond Your Own Borders. Readers love to know what's happening elsewhere for the basis of comparison. When your municipality hikes taxes, compare tax increases elsewhere. If politicians give themselves a raise, compare their salaries with neighbouring regions.

7. Conflict, conflict, conflict: It's one of the key ingredients in many big stories. People in conflict with the environment. A municipality in conflict with another municipality. Politicians in conflict with other politicians. Taxpayers in conflict with county collections agencies. People in conflict with the government. Consumers in conflict with what's happening in the marketplace (think gas prices). People in conflict with themselves. The list is endless. Conflict is like a boxing match. Readers like to know who's winning and who's getting beaten up. Then readers can decide if they agree. Most everyone likes a good fight (well, OK, reading about a good fight.)

8. The supermarket checkout: Next time you're waiting in line to check out at the grocery store, scan the headlines of magazines. It's a great way to get story ideas. Magazines are excellent at grabbing our attention with headlines about what's inside such as: Bicycle Helmets: If Only We Used Them. Why Canadian Adults Aren't Using Their Heads When It Comes to Safety. Or 25 Reasons Why You Should Live in Rural Ontario. It's themes like these that can easily be adapted for small markets. And you know what? They can be big news. That's why magazines with circulations of 300,000 make them their top stories.

9. Hunches can pay off big: Do you suspect something is happening in your community? Maybe you're not sure, but you have a hunch. During everyday office chatter, reporters will frequently share their theories on why something is the way it is in our communities. Some of those hunches may be worth exploring. Our readers have hunches all the time: "The lake water's too warm this year! I'm sure it's causing all this awful algae!" Find out if it's true. As Mark Twain once said . . . "Supposing is good, but finding out is better."

10. Small tips can lead to big things: Many big stories have been broken by what seemed at first to be a small tip. It's what you do with such tips that matters. Check them out. Even rumours. Over the years, I heard of many cases where reporters just flat out dismissed rumours. I have one reporter who is particularly effective at checking rumours heard on the street. He's often overheard telling sources, "Well, we have to check these things out every so often. We wouldn't be doing our jobs if we didn't at least see if there was any truth to the rumour..." As Mark Twain once said: Supposing is good, but finding out is better.