Friday, June 22, 2007

Flash! You're interesting

We have been talking in the newsroom the last few days about the way we cover stories. I can't go into the particulars, but part of it is based on this concept of Public Insight Journalism, and part of it is based on an idea MPR's news bosses have for me to give up the online editing gig, and go write about what I see; more or less.

One of the problems that's been keeping me up at night is I can't think of a way to cover things in the way that's been described.

Here's how I'd do it and, trust me, I'm not stealing this idea. Throw a dart at a map, go to the town, let the phone book fall open, pick a name, do a story.

Why? Because I've always felt that if you give me 6 questions, I'll find something interesting about you that others will find interesting too.

Almost without exception, people think they are not "newsworthy." Almost without exception, they are wrong.

What kind of story would I like to do before I die? This kind.

1 comment:

DaveG said...

I had to LOL at the little throw-away quote: "Wife willing, of course." I broached the subject of selling PapaGolf and upgrading to a very nice 180 hp IFR-capable RV-6 (14 years to build, and it shows in the incredible attention to detail) that will be coming on the market soon. It's what I consider to be a no-brainer bargain, but wife unwilling is a force that cannot be ignored.

Also, sort of on topic, I watched October Sky again over the weekend - I get a lot out of that movie.