Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter Two News Values and Story Ideas 51 Developing Your Story Ideas Developing Your Story Ideas Not all of your observations or all of your articles from other publications can be turned into strong stories for your publication, but many of them hold more promise than you may realize. Staff meetings provide an opportunity to work as a community to develop story ideas (Figure 2.12 on the next page). Those observations and articles can provoke fruitful discussions like this: One reporter observed two sophomore football players on a game day, revved up and unable to concentrate in class. Another staff member adds, “Yeah, there was a guy in my fi fth period too who…” Another says, “I heard the girls team members always braid each other’s hair. It’s like a good-luck thing.” “We could do a feature on pregame jitters and include the frosh-soph and JV players. We don’t cover them enough.” “How about other traditions? Or superstitions?” Kernels of Story Ideas from a Reporter’s Notebook • Two sophomore boys in game jerseys were so jittery about their game that they didn’t get any work done in math fi fth period. Story idea: game day jitters. • Girls are carrying these great big purses, but they won’t put them on the fl oor. If a girl isn’t really thin, there isn’t room to hold the purse on her lap. Besides, teachers think you are texting if you have something on your lap. Story idea on the big purses? Ways students text in class? • How come some teachers allow us to eat in their classrooms and others don’t? Story on why it is a good or bad idea. • What’s with all the dangles hanging from backpacks? Feature on what the dangles say about you? • Why do only seniors get to go off campus for lunch? • I heard two girls saying that a guy—John Lee, maybe—was going to make his date’s dress for the Winter Formal. Who else sews? Any other guys? • Quarter grades came out and three guys are off the frosh football team. Some guys on the team were saying that’s why we lost. Story on grades and athletics?