Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter Two News Values and Story Ideas 53 “Do we have neo-Nazis around here?” “Or at school?” “Do we have people with loaded guns in their homes? That seems more likely.” “What are the laws?” “Is it different for a hunting rifl e than for a handgun?” “What do people here think about guns? Would they have them in their own homes?” “There’s a kid in my sixth period whose dad teaches gun safety classes for the National Rifl e Association. I think he has earned some shooting medals.” Another student mentions the freshmen who spend hours grooming themselves before school, while seniors wander in at 7:59 in pajama bottoms and fl ip-fl ops or Ugg boots with a bed-head. Story ideas from this discussion might include the following: • a feature spread on students’ childlike belongings with short interviews and photos • an opinion column suggesting that the campus needs swing sets, so students can unwind • an article on what is cool for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors • a spread on hair by class, freshmen, sophomores and so on • a sports feature on the award-winning marksman • an investigation of out-of-date textbooks and curriculum These conversations do more than help new writers fi nd story angles. They also build the writing community, raise ethical and legal issues that need to be discussed, develop a sense of the publication’s audience and create a powerful bank of possible stories. While no idea is dismissed as worthless, the newer writers learn from their peers and the adviser about the paper’s mission and audience. Good journalists keep notes of these ideas. 1. Listed below are possible story ideas resulting from the imaginary brainstorming session that you just read. Choose one or two of these ideas and develop a local angle for an upcoming broadcast or publication. • students’ childlike belongings • opinion column advocating campus swing sets • how does “what’s cool” change from class to class • sports feature on award-winning marksman • report on out-of-date and inaccurate textbooks 2. Going Deeper. What news values could each story have? List and explain the news values. Your Turn 1 L