December 20, 2007
Story Formula #42: The Social Trend
Okay, let’s suppose you’re a reporter and your editor gives you this assignment: Find out how people who get their news from Jon Stewart are getting their news during the writer’s strike.
How will you cover this? Perhaps as Verne Gay did for Newsday.
Step one: Find young people who will claim they get their news from The Daily Show. Avoid anyone who claims something more complicated. What you want are provacative quotes that support your assumption.
Step two: Call experts who won’t question the assumption of your story.
Step three: Bury what’s really interesting and deserves coverage: How do fans use these shows in civic and political ways, and how do you know?
Posted by acline | December 20, 2007 | Posted in: Journalism | Comments Off
