Hey Folks,
Sorry to keep harping on story ideas, but the ability to come up with, refine and pitch story ideas is one of the most important skills we have as journalists.
So let’s talk about pitching an idea to your editor:
– How do you decide what to say in your pitch (What you’re going to tell your editor about the idea, or as Bob Seger sings, “what to leave in, what to leave out”)?
– How and when do you make the pitch (face to face, e-mail, leaving a print-out on her desk)?
– What do you do if your editor says no to the idea?
Please share an experience that addresses as many of the above questions as possible.
Due on the Fourth of July. 
Thanks,
Coach Col
Madoree Pipkins
06.30.10
When it comes to pitching story ideas. I feel lucky. I have the cutest cubile (my opinion) and I sit directly beside the Features Editor, across from the City Editor, and diagonal from the Assisting Features Editor.
When I want to speak to them about anything — get advice, talk about a story, or pitch an idea — it’s not a walk across the room — just a look over. Most times when you stare or look at someone they can feel it, so when I look at them, they look at me back and WA-LA ….. instant conversation.
Unfortunately I haven’t had many of my ideas picked up and at first it was discouraging but I realize now that it’s not the idea, but the structure of the paper so I can’t get too upset about it.
I write features and this section for the paper is “entertainment-driven” which at first sounds like an exciting concert or a fabulous party. Thats not really the case though. It’s mainly becuase there isn’t a Sunday paper. This means Saturday events are a NO GO — simply becuase by the time someone writes anything to publish on Monday it’s not news anymore.
The bright side to that is by being a features reporter I still get the press passes to the events so I can go for lesiure with some of the other interns. That’s way cool!
Phillip Lucas
06.30.10
If a story idea is pretty complex I usually lead with explaining the human element of it and why it might be important to “everyday” people.
I typically send a message asking my editor if they have time to talk about a story idea if I KNOW they’re busy, but if I walk by their desk and catch them watching tv or something, I’ll just ask if they have a minute to talk right then and there. I try talking with editors as early in the day (and as far from deadline) as possible.
If my editor says no to an idea, I just ask if there is an element of the story they think is missing or if the idea itself is just not, interesting or newsworthy overall. Either way I try not to take it personally.
Alejandra Matos
06.30.10
Hi all,
Sorry I have not kept up. I was at my internship in DC (with Scripps Howard and Hispanic Link) for about a week and then turned around and left for the NAHJ convention in Denver.
By now, especially at Hispanic Link, I know what my editors are looking for. For example, Charlie will always ask what the Hispanic angle is to a story. So, when looking for ideas I know I will always have to answer that question. That’s what I start off with saying. At Scripps, I know it has to be timely and relevant to a bigger picture, so I make sure I am looking for that element as well.
I perfer to talk to my editors in person. They sit about 5 steps away from me in each office, so there really is no reason for me to send an email. It it’s a story that I know other interns might want to, it’s a lot faster to just walk up and talk to my editors about it.
If my editor says no, I usually just take it as it is, unless it’s a story that I really want to cover. In that case then I dig deeper and try to make it more relvant and interesting. In other words, I try to look for an angle that hasn’t been covered.
Sophia Li
07.01.10
How I make a pitch depends on what my editor’s doing. If he’s busy or talking to someone, I’ll send him an e-mail. If I stop by, I always ask if he has a moment before I start, to make sure that I’m not interrupting something important.
If my editor says no, he usually explains why — which is useful for me to learn what he’s looking for and how to improve my story ideas!
Bethany Mollenkof
07.01.10
I have found that other photographers are good sounding boards for my ideas. I try to talk through my ideas with them first to gauge how well the subject might be received by my editor.
Also, my editor is pretty laid back so I don’t feel too much pressure and doubt that he would totally shut me down.
Taryn Luna
07.01.10
I am a breaking news intern and the majority of my stories are related to crime. For the most part, I’m bombarded (in a good way) with stories from the moment I arrive at work at 8 a.m. until I leave. As I quickly learned, a lot of crimes occur in Dallas.
I find my stories by reading over what our guy who listens to the scanner all night noted, by reading active call lists in police departments websites, by talking to public information officers and by browsing the websites of our competitors. Thus far, my pitches have been very successful because my editors would be crazy to tell me not to cover a murder or shooting.
I try to keep an eye out for an opportunity to turn those crime stories into bigger trend stories. For example, I noticed that there were 25 muggings in one weekend handled by the DPD. I started to wonder how many were solved, as in the suspect found, and how many occurred the previous weekend. At the moment I honestly don’t have enough time in the day to work on this type of story, but when things slow down I hope to.
colleen
07.02.10
Hey Scholars,
Great stuff! I’ve never tried Madoree’s method of getting an editor’s attention through telepathy, but I’ll give it a go in my next workplace. (Maybe I’ll practice on my cats. Or husband.
)
As Phillip and Sophia remind us, timing, and being able to read your editor, is really important when making a story pitch.
Who has sat in on a news meeting and who reads the daily (and Sunday) story budgets in the computer on a regular basis? Who has to write their own story budget lines? (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please ask in this blog or shoot me an e-mail.)
Even if you don’t write your own budget lines, it’s a useful exercise because it teaches you how to think about, focus and pitch your story ideas.
A budget line (usually 1-4 sentences long) has three essential elements. It conveys:
— what the point of the story is (the specific focus/angle, NOT THE GENERAL TOPIC);
— which readers care and why (story impact); and
— why the story needs to be told now (urgency).
A good pitch (budget line) answers those questions and helps your editor quickly understand both the story and how s/he can pitch it to other editors. Remember, your editor has to carry your story idea up the chain — without it losing its potency. So the pitch (budget line) must be as specific and compelling as you can make it.
Anyone have to write their own budget lines? If so, please share one you wrote. Or share one you wish you’d written.
Coach Col
Mark Mock
07.02.10
Hahahahahaa @ Madoree’s methods and the Voilà effect.
If a have an idea there are up to three editors I could talk directly to. The main one I go through is really cool and whenever I have had a story idea she lets me go with it.
I just see if she is busy, and then explain to her what I want to do. I mainly do this at night when there are less bodies floating around and we can really chat the idea out. My most recent idea has been about immigration. I told my editor what I wanted to do and she put me in touch with another writer who has written about immigration before.
Other than that I cover breaking news like Taryn and general assignments so they normally have so much stuff for me to do I mainly just choose between stories they have lined up.
So I would say instead of pitching ideas I am forever asking “can I use video?” And then they will look at what is on my plate and say yay or nay.
I am about to pitch doing video to go with the PR pageant. So I am hoping for the best…
OH! And I have written budget lines but it is almost always for stories they told me about but I will keep this guide in mind for when writing a budget line…
M2
Molly Young
07.03.10
When I have an idea to pitch to my editor, I usually write a budget line and e-mail it to her. Usually, I’ve mentioned an idea about it earlier, but a budget gives me a chance to sell my story. I also try to keep it short and emphasize why readers would care.
My editor helps me refine and focus my idea.
Shannon Epps
07.03.10
Hi everybody,
These story idea questions are a little harder for me because I’m copy editing this summer. I love copy editing, and the internship is going really well, but my job comes a lot later in the process than pitching story ideas does. I like reading everyone else’s comments, though. It’s nice to read about how everyone’s internships are going, and if I end up doing some reporting in the future, I’ll keep in mind some of the strategies everyone has mentioned.
June Wu
07.06.10
Oops, sorry for not responding to this sooner. I usually do my research — google, make a few preliminary phone calls, check with beat reporters to make sure i’m not encroaching on their beats — before pitching a story to my editor so I am able to answer any questions he or she has. that way, my editor knows i’m not going to waste my time on a wild goose chase, since i already did my homework.
Marie De Jesus
07.19.10
I had an idea for a story to run during one of the many festivals in Rochester. Casually I brought it up during a conversation with my editor, and he liked it right away. After sharing my vision with him, he asked me to keep developing it and to share it with him later on so he could pitch it during a budget meeting with the other editors. I did as he asked me, and the story already is scheduled to run during the last week of July.