The daily grind

In-depth stories are fun to do. When an editor assigns you or accepts a long-term assignment from you, and gives you time to make it exactly what you want, you take ownership. You get the photos set up. You suggest fact boxes so the presentation really stands out. But if newspapers relied on in-depth stories to fill their pages, they wouldn't get very far. That is where daily stories come in.

Whether the story tells of their village board's efforts to help the community become more environment-friendly or the village's plans to convert its wells to soft-water wells, the daily story helps readers keep up with the events that affect them personally and directly.

When the internship began, an adjustment period helped me get acquainted with the beat. Past stories on the beat tell what issues are important. A lot of times, those will give the daily stories. They are considered stories that move a particular issue along. At times, the editor brought stories that were months old and said, in no uncertain terms, "find out what's going on with this today."

Another place to find daily stories is village board and committee meetings. Although you'll need a follow to the meeting to let readers know the important events, other agenda items can turn into a story for the next day. It mimics a sidebar in sports. When a game finishes, a reporter writes the story called a gamer. As expected, the gamer describes what happened in the game. The second story focuses on a more specific aspect of the game. Reporters can use this same strategy for meetings. The meeting follow - or the gamer - is due the night of the meeting. The other story taken out of the meeting - the sidebar - can then be worked on and refined the next day.

This was something I almost learned the hard way. When I was at my first meeting, I thought "OK, just do the meeting follow and I'm done." That was until the next day when my editor asked what I was working on. I told him I had found a story idea from the meeting. This was true but I wasn't sure if he wanted me to work on it. I pitched it and got the OK.

A third way reporters fill their daily quota is frequent conversations with local officials. This part is a little intimidating until you remember it's part of the job. A phone call or three a week accomplishes two things: it keeps your name in the official's head so he feels comfortable with you when the news starts getting heavier. It also gives daily story ideas. Officials will talk to you at length about upcoming programs.

Finally, a fourth place to get daily story ideas is the community at large. Unfortunately, interns don't get business cards. But the more you throw your name out there, the more you keep your name in the forefront. People like to know they have a connection at a newspaper and will use it - and at times, try to exploit it - as often as they can.

Not all of these methods of getting stories are simple. In fact, a couple of them are still difficult even after working a couple of months on the same beat. Maybe some day it will be second nature to me the way it is to some of the reporters I work with. But I have time.

If these four things are followed, within a couple of months, the schedule will fill with daily stories. Put enough beat reporters together with enough daily stories, and a newspaper fills up quickly. Then add to that in-depth pieces and the newspaper is complete. Simple, right?