Look around. Things happen every day. Story ideas are everywhere. A newspaper's role is to be reflective of, and helpful for, the community it covers. To make community happenings and news relevant - relevant enough to grab readers and keep them reading - you've got to make it fit in with their lifestyles.
Consider your readers. Are they active, on the go from class to class? Is it a conservative town or traditional school? Is it really progressive? When not in class, are they often out doing stuff? To be a part of their lifestyles, your publication must be active and quick enough to keep up with readers. It should be a place they check to see what's happening and look for the stuff they're going to go out and do.
Here are a few common story types and how to tips for tackling them:
Reactive
Do: Be brave enough to localize a national or regional event or trend story with reactions from local experts. Do this only if the event impacts your readers and you can advance the story with local comments. Consider what this story means to your readers. What is happening locally as a result of this story? What happens next? Consider design and presentation. Maybe the national or regional story is strong enough to stand on its own, and your local addition to it is a set of quotes and mug shots. Or maybe everyone has heard about the story, and your publications' role is to break down the story into key facts, questions, photos or things every reader must know about it.
Don't: Just because it's happening doesn't mean you have to cover it. Oftentimes when readers hear of an event, they turn on the TV or head to the Net for the latest updates. Consider if this story matters to readers beyond the basics. If it does, in what respect? Write to that, but go further. Don't just recap what happened if they've already heard all about it. Instead, look forward to what it means to their lives and the future. If you can't do that, does it deserve a spot in the newspaper? Can you justify giving your precious news space to that event, idea or issue? If it's not local, does it warrant coverage? If it does, why? Again, give your readers information that matters to their lives.
Trends
Do: Cover hot and up-and-coming ideas, issues and trends - in entertainment, sports, local culture, etc. - growing in local popularity and that reflect what's also happening on a national or global scale. Be confident in readers intelligence and knowledge of what's happening. Do talk to and photograph local, active participation in the trend or issue.
Don't: Be careful not to use language that condescends to readers. Don't spend too much time explaining the trend. If it's worth covering, it probably has already created a buzz.
Walk-ups
Do: Indulge in the hype surrounding big games, events, concerts and shows, especially those taking place locally and/or involving local people. Do advance it, give readers go and do information and make that easy to read. Make sure the when, where, how to get tickets is set apart from the story in its own presentation. Do give extra info, fun facts, what fans must know.
Don't: Sometimes you can't do enough with a really huge event. Sometimes you can. Be careful not overdo it by considering what the story is and how important it is to your readers. How many people will attend? Is it an event that is already sold out? How much buzz has it created in the community? What additional information or angle can you offer readers that they don't already know?
Steph Bernat is a consultant for J&S Solutions, a resource for student media. Need more advice on the workings of your student publication? Find information on J&S Solutions at http://www.J&S Solutions.net.
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