ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses finding and developing news stories, both those initiated by reporters themselves and those assigned by the news desk. Every day in every newsroom begins with a series of story possibilities. Extra stories will emerge while some of the original ones will fall out of consideration. In many newsrooms, pitching stories is seen as fundamental to each reporter's daily routine. If a story is assigned to a reporter by the news desk, the reporter will be briefed on the way they should approach it. To find potential news stories, reporters need to develop a series of habits. First, they need to develop good contacts with people who are, or might become, sources of information. Reporters need to go beyond the obvious story and ask questions about the repercussions of issues and events. A news story can begin with information from a single source, but it's rare that it can proceed on that basis alone.
