ABSTRACT
This chapter teaches the reader how to research stories, determine a story’s newsworthiness, look for a central character, find the story focus and pitch the story idea in the newsroom editorial meeting. We focus on traditional and updated news values, explaining their role in rating the newsworthiness of a story. We go through the step-by-step process of pitching a story and also discuss the power of the “sell”—how to sell your story to newsroom management. Readers learn about the importance of staying current by reading and viewing a diverse variety of news sources. This chapter emphasizes the importance of getting to know your community. Also included in this chapter is an introduction to different types of interviews including the man or person on the street (MOS or POS) interviews, active interviews and the importance of diversity and balance in stories and interviews
