Reporting and Writing ISourcing stories

Using quotes

"When deciding between academic pathways such as A Level and vocational options such as Apprenticeships, it is important that young people are offered support to help them understand the key features of each option, the relevant provision available in the local area, and guidance as to how this relates to their own individual situation."Academic and vocational or work based options are very different, but if the correct choices are made, both can offer excellent opportunities to develop new skills and experiences that enhance employability."

Sourcing stories

Health trends, warnings, and warm-hearted features about survival against the odds are a staple of journalism, particularly tabloids.Sources include charities, NHS statistics, campaign groups, lobbying firms (e.g. for tobacco or alcohol industries) etc.

Click icon to add picture

Health stories

Click icon to add pictureWhy do them? Public information – they can

carry serious advice on health and safety

Investigation – they can expose areas of treatment or research that are underfunded

They tend to make for very strong stories about people’s lives – narratives that readers find irresistable.

Health stories

Angles Something unusual –

a rare condition or illness that affects someone’s life in an profound way

Big numbers – trends of certain conditions going up or down in a significant way

Zeitgeist – a trend with a health risk attached to it – e.g. the Wii or Zumba

Remember…

MagnitudeBut generally big numbers help… a big rise or fall in cases of an illness gives you an easy starting point for a story.

RarityJust one case of an illness can be big news, if it is an extremely rare disease – or if someone reacts to it in a very unusual way.

PeopleStories should always be about them – you have to find a case study to build your narrative around

PatternsNumbers alone aren’t enough, they need context. Look at previous years to see if a number is out of the ordinary.

Health stories

SourcesOnce an angle is identified, you need to flesh out the story An expert – a doctor,

therapist, councillor, scientist or charity worker who can explain the issue and account for the trend

A case study – someone whose story will bring the issue to life.

StatisticsThe NHS publishes hospital admission statistics online. Police publish crime stats, etc. Many government statistics are collected on the Office for National Statistics website. Make sure the figures are the most recent.

Putting it together

ExpertsBig numbers need to be put in context – sometimes what appears to be a big story has a rather boring explanation (and vice versa). Make sure they are an authority – and get them to explain the issue in a simple way.

Case studiesEssential to telling the story, but hard to find. Think about people you know. Charities are often able to find suitable case studies for interview. Use them to bring an essential human element to the story.

Example

In 2008, the Kent Messenger interviewed a girl who could not keep any food down because of a mystery stomach complaint.

The story would not have been good without the key detail…

The only food she didn’t throw up was tic-tacs.

"I can’t remember exactly when I found out. I used to be able to eat mints after food; when they started to come back up I started reducing the size of the mints."I went from Trebor Extra Strong Mints to Polos and ended up with tic tacs. They give me a bit of energy but I eat them mostly to get rid of hunger; it’s a psychological effect."

Writing it

A statistic by itself does not make a strong angle for the story – look for a way to turn it into a narrative.

That could mean a call for more funding, research or awareness from an expert.

Or

An amazing detail drawn from your case study.

E.g.

21 boys in the UK have been diagnosed with maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), a very rare and fatal digestive disorder.

Is not as good as…

Hamburgers are a guilty pleasure for most teenagers, but for 21 boys in the UK one bite could be fatal.They suffer from maple syrup urine disease – a digestive disorder that makes protein toxic.Even with a controlled and restricted diet, most sufferers die before they reach adulthood.

Crime stats

Click icon to add pictureWhy do them? Can expose failings in police

policy Important public safety

information Can expose regional

differences in crime or enforcement

Can expose regional differences in punishment

Identify trends

Sources

Incidents Look out for crimes happening, and examine if there’sa wider trend (e.g. gun crimes, metal thefts)

Fishing Or just grab hold of some recent statistics and see ifanything’s gone up or down – and find out why

Click icon to add picture

• People you know• Charities for victims• Probation service• Neighbourhood Watch

General stories on high-crime areas:• Shop workers, pubs, postmen,

local residents etc

• www.police.uk• www.crime-statistics.co.uk• Home Office• Office for National Statistics

Facts and stats Case studies

Sources

www.police.uk

For neighbourhood stats

http://www.crime-statistics.co.uk/football-stadium/

For stats near UK football grounds

http://tinyurl.com/6kavyqy

This links to the Hospital Episodes Statistics website.It contains admissions figures for the last 10 years.The column on the left of each document gives a brief description of the condition, then the figures.

Hospital stories Crime stories

News conference next Tues

By next Tuesday’s lecture, you should have identified an interesting statistic and thought about how you can find an expert and a case study.