Everyday Enterprise

GateHouse MediaNews & Interactive

Agenda

What is enterprise?

Why is it important?

Incorporating enterprise in everyday stories

Developing sources

Improving interviews

Descriptions

Context is key

Defining enterprise

What enterprise is not

• A story written from a press release

• A story written from an event

• Breaking news

NOTE: Event coverage, meeting coverage, breaking news, info from releases are necessary and not always bad. But they are not enterprise.

Defining enterprise

What enterprise is

• Proactive

• Reader-centered

• Observant, descriptive

• Story with context

Defining enterprise

Write stories no one else is telling

• See what others missed

• Answer an original question

• Find the scoop

• Surprise the reader

• Tell stories what would go untold

• Take the reader to an unfamiliar world

Source: Chip Scanlon, Poynter

Why enterprise?

Why is enterprise important?

“When most readers say they expect journalists to tell them what’s happening – whether that’s the latest outrages in Kharkiv or city council in Kalamazoo – they mean connect the dots. No, they don’t want opinion – they want to know how the facts fit together to make an understandable whole.”

-- Ken Doctor, news industry analyst

Why enterprise?

Industry trends

• NYT’s Upshot

• Washington Post’s Storyline

• Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight

• Ezra Klein’s Vox

Everyday Enterprise

Focus on everyday stories

Source: Ken Doctor

Everyday enterprise

Industry trends

From Vox, FiveThirtyEight, Upshot, Storyline

Everyday enterprise

Industry trends

“At their best, these explainer sites are much more than a fad or a trend. They are a siren call to add greater intelligence to the journalism we do day in and day out.”

-- Ken Doctor

Everyday enterprise

Smarter stories start with better reporting

• Diversify your sources

• Ideas: Assistants to important people, regular people at any event, anyone who will be affected (knock on doors). To write for your town, you need to get to know the people in it.

• Why? You’ll get great off-the-beaten-path ideas for stories.

Everyday enterprise

Changing your approach: examples

• Meeting coverage: Arrive early or stay late. Talk to people who are there, and listen to their stories. Goals: Find at least one off-beat story from your time at the meeting. Find your next-day lead.

• Event coverage: Take this opportunity to meet regular people, the ones with families and mortgages. Hand out business cards. Laugh with them. Goal: Find new sources.

Everyday enterprise

Changing your approach: examples

• Interviews: Be as prepared as possible. Make a list of questions ahead of time. Keep asking why. Allow more time to talk. Goal: Look for context, perspective, understanding.

• Writing: If you can’t explain something without relying on a quote, get more info. Goal: Write simply. Write for readers.

Everyday enterprise

Ask better questions

• What else should I know?

• Who else should I talk to?

• If you were me, where would you go next?

• What kinds of records or pictures are there of this?

• What kind of data has been collected?

Source: Al Tompkins, Poynter

Everyday enterprise

Generating fresh ideas

• Seek “truths.” Don’t focus on just extremes.

• Avoid the pack. Where is the story going next?

• Stick with important stories. Don’t quit too soon.

• Keep your own calendar. Readers love follow-ups.

• Drive a new route home. See what you see.

Source: Al Tompkins, Poynter

Everyday enterprise

Look for comparisons

• When you report on a problem, ask sources if anyone is doing it well. Track down anyone who is and find out how they approached the solution.

• Look for your own comparisons. Find towns that are similar. How are they tackling the problem.

• If your town is doing something that has been done before, find out how implementation went elsewhere.

Everyday enterprise

Look for standards

• Did an official break the law?

• Did an official violate professional standards?

• Did an official violate standards specific to the department or local government?

• Was the official inefficient? Is there a poor use of resources?

Source: Michael Roberts, newsroom trainer

Everyday enterprise

Look for numbers: Census

Check out Knight Lab’s CensusReporter.org

Everyday enterprise

Look for numbers: Agriculture

• Farm Bureau

• Ag extension office

• USDA: Census of Agriculture http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/

Everyday enterprise

Look for numbers

• Check out Journalist’s Toolbox, maintained by the Society of Professional Journalists for hundreds of links to websites: http://www.journaliststoolbox.org/

Everyday enterprise

Examples: Reading laws

• Would be good to offer state percentages to offer perspective on the new laws. Are there similar numbers being held back throughout the state?

Everyday enterprise

Examples: Schools closing to polls

• Would be interesting to see if this is coming up on a bigger scale. I imagine this area isn’t the only one thinking of school safety.

Everyday enterprise

Takeaways

• Turn every assignment into an opportunity to meet people, hear their stories. Do your story, but then look for other opportunities.

• Hand out business cards if you have them.

• The Zen of enterprise: Be truly present when you listen to people. Honor their stories. You may be surprised at how many contact you later with a tip. Besides, it’s the right thing to do.

Everyday Enterprise

GateHouse MediaNews & Interactive