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Stop! Story ideas needed

One of the ways journalists exercise their brains is thinking up story ideas. You are not alone if it sometimes seems like a marathon. Story ideas – the good ones – are hard to find. Worse, they don’t always pan out. Keep a notebook handy and jot down ideas, observations and anything else that strikes you as interesting. Read community bulletin boards and posters on lampposts. The more ideas you can generate the better shape you will be in come deadline time.

Here are some questions to ask when generating story ideas:

  • What do people care about?
  • What are people talking about?
  • What can I say that readers don’t already know?
  • What’s happening when the assignment is due?
  • What would explain or help someone understand an ongoing or recurring issue?
  • Who is my target audience?
  • What tone or emotion do I wish to convey?
  • What is the best way to convey the information?
  • What are the different tools (digital and otherwise) I need?
  • How can I get the audience to connect with my content?
  • What do I want people to do with my story?
  • What can I reasonably accomplish based on my workload and schedule?

Still stumped …. Check out this SITE from the Poynter Institute.

Aggregate, aggregate, aggregate

Keeping up with the news is a journalistic imperative. The question today’s journalist needs to ask is how to keep up when there is so much? In the good old days of Web 1.0, we went to individual news organization websites. Now, you will want to consider aggregating your news feeds. It is an increasingly popular and efficient way of staying up to speed.

This is a good READ from Nieman Labs.

I have been using FLIPBOARD. Try it to source your favourite news sites and topics. If you find an alternative aggregator, we would love to hear about it.

Need inspiration?

When you do, don’t waste your time on mediocre works of journalism. There is too much of the good stuff to chew on. Below are a few award sites, journalism foundations and institutions showcasing top stories, new tech and overall thoughtful ideas. I know I have learned a lot by signing up to the daily newsletters and following some of the big players on twitter.

Association of Electronic Journalists

Poynter Institute (Journalism think-tank based in Florida)

Niemanlab (Harvard’s journalism and innovation site. Lots of cutting edge ideas here!)

Nieman also makes some interesting PREDICTIONS about the future of journalism.

Sunlight Foundation (dedicated to government transparency; really great free tools for data visualization)

Guardian Labs (Branded content journalism from one of the world’s best)

Play and Experiment

There are many storytelling platforms and tools to play with. Here are a few I have come across. Let me know if you found any to add to the list.

Platforms

  • Atavist
  • Racontr
  • Shorthand Social
  • Readymag
  • Storehouse
  • Exposure
  • Storify
  • Pictograph
  • Wix

Tools

  • StoryMap
  • WireWax
  • Touchcast
  • HapYak
  • Vidzor
  • Mattermap
  • Timeline J.S.