Journalism of Ideas: Brainstorming, Developing, and Selling Stories in the Digital Age

384 Pages·2013·4.96 MB·English

by  Daniel Reimold

Journalism of Ideas
Journalism of Ideas is a comprehensive field guide for brainstorming, discovering, reporting, digitizing,
and pitching news, opinion, and feature stories within journalism 2.0. With on-the-job advice from
professional journalists, activities to sharpen your multimedia reporting skills, and hundreds of story
ideas ripe for adaptation, Daniel Reimold helps you develop the journalistic know-how that will
set you apart at your campus media outlet and beyond.
The exercises, observations, anecdotes, and tips in this book cover every stage of the story planning
and development process, including how news judgment, multimedia engagement, records and
archival searches, and various observational techniques can take your reporting to the next level. In
addition to these tricks of the trade, Journalism of Ideas features an extensive set of newsworthy, timely,
and unorthodox story ideas to jumpstart your creativity. Reimold also provides tips about how to
successfully launch a career in journalism, including the ins and outs of pitching stories, the process
of getting published, blogging and social media, internships, and the post-graduation job search.
The conversation continues on the author’s popular blog, College Media Matters.
Daniel Reimold is an assistant professor of journalism and a student newspaper adviser who has
taught reporting, editing, and new media courses at universities in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. He
maintains College Media Matters (www.collegemediamatters.com), a student journalism industry
blog affiliated with the Associated Collegiate Press, the largest and oldest U.S. student media
organization. He is also the “Campus Beat” columnist for USA TODAY College and a contributor
to Poynter, PBS MediaShift, and The Huffington Post. He is the author of Sex and the University: Celebrity,
Controversy, and a Student Journalism Revolution.
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Journalism of Ideas
Brainstorming, Developing, and
Selling Stories in the Digital Age
Daniel Reimold
First published 2013
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2013 Taylor & Francis
The right of Daniel Reimold to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without
intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Reimold, Daniel, 1981–
Journalism of ideas: brainstorming, developing, and selling stories in the
digital age/Daniel Reimold.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Online journalism—United States. 2. College student newspapers
and periodicals—United States. 3. Web publishing—United States.
4. Citizen journalism. I. Title.
PN4784.O62R45 2013
302.23(cid:2)0973—dc23
2012039558
ISBN: 978-0-415-63466-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-63467-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-09432-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Aldine 401 BT and Helvetica Neue
by Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
For Jacqueline Koch and Rosemary Boccella,
my favorite teachers, who challenged, energized,
and inspired me
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xv
Chapter 1 The Idea Stage 1
WOW Stories 3
Published Gold 5
Journalism of Ideas, Online 5
A Thumping Pulse 6
A Standout Story Idea 7
Chapter 2 A Journalism Life 9
Curiosity is King 12
Assignment Alert: The Wallet Exercise 13
Three Notes 13
Ideas, Online: College Problems 16
The Stuff of Life 17
Assignment Alert: A Dirt-Level Report 18
Assignment Alert: The Reporter and the Record Egg 19
Chapter 3 People Stories 20
People Often Profiled 21
Assignment Alert: The Graveyard in the Garden 25
Stereotyped Sources 25
viii CONTENTS
Assignment Alert: A Trip to the Corner 26
Ideas, Online: The Gavin Project 27
The Little Guys 28
Assignment Alert: Quiet Campus Heroes 29
Ideas, Online: Crowdsourcing 29
Assignment Alert: Overheard on Campus 30
Chapter 4 Fresh Perspectives 32
Three Perspectives to Seek Out 35
Assignment Alert: The Groundhog Day Story 37
The Opposite Attraction 38
Assignment Alert: The Game of Opposites 38
The Inanimate Perspective 39
Assignment Alert: The Story Ideas Sack 40
Phantom Story Syndrome 41
Assignment Alert: Same Old Stories 41
An Exchange of Ideas: A Matter of Opinion 42
Assignment Alert: One Word Focus 45
Ideas, Online: One Word 46
Chapter 5 Words, Letters, and Lots of Ideas 47
Some Word Stories 48
Assignment Alert: Brainstorm Something 50
Post-Mortem: WKU, A to Z 52
Ideas, Online: Wordy Web Checks 54
Read Everything 54
Assignment Alert: Cover to Cover 56
An Exchange of Ideas: From One Word to 1,500 Words 57
Ideas, Online: Six-Word Memoirs 59
Chapter 6 Timely Ideas 61
Times Worth Featuring 62
The Power of Old 64
Assignment Alert: Time for a Follow-Up 66
CONTENTS ix
Special Days 66
Assignment Alert: A Special Edition 67
Assignment Alert: Harness the Strangeness 71
The Long News 71
Assignment Alert: The Next Millennium News Game 72
Ideas, Online: Real-Time Reporting 73
Chapter 7 Trendy Ideas 76
Common Trend Stories 78
Spring Cleaning 80
Assignment Alert: Reexamine, Reinvent, or Scrap 81
Trendspotting Fever 81
Assignment Alert: Cure the Fever 82
Ideas, Online: The Spirit of the Times 83
Chapter 8 Criminal Ideas 84
An Exchange of Ideas: Paper, People, Victims, Context 85
Everyday Crimes 87
Assignment Alert: Everyday Crime Report 89
Ideas, Online: Interactive Campus Crime 90
Post-Mortem: Move the Story Forward 91
Criminal Elements 94
Assignment Alert: Nearby, Offenders 95
Post-Mortem: The Tweetalong 96
Chapter 9 Location, Location, Location 99
Some Featured Places 100
Assignment Alert: The Dartboard of Observation 103
Over & Back 104
Assignment Alert: The International Exchange 105
Questionable Places 106
Ideas, Online: Worlds Without People 108
Mapping 109