I saw a lot of blank stares out there when I mentioned the numbers stories. Let's extend that first deadline -- I don't want to be reading a bunch of stories crying out for "just a couple more days!" Your first draft, worth 60 percent of the grade for this piece, is due by noon on Friday the 21st. I will get them back to you by class on Monday. The final draft, then, is still due Dec. 3, which shifts the burden onto your Thanksgiving holiday, something I tried to avoid. If you want to turn your first drafts in early, feel free, just make sure they are complete.
That said, I'd like to see a fairly robust sharing of ideas in the comments to this post. Share your ideas, give feedback on others', help each other refine the best story idea you can. These stories should follow data, or money, to tell a story of change over time. A story, I hope, with a news hook and an impact.
Here are some links to reports that take their inspiration in whole or part from numbers that tell a story. I'm not suggesting you tackle stories this complex in the next two weeks. I am suggesting you open your mind and explore your beat with an eye to what data is available and the stories that data might tell.
- From the public health and safety beat: Chris Halsne of KIRO in Seattle focused on fatal crashes involving high-end recreation vehicles. He used a variety of investigative techniques, including tapping into federal safety data.
- From the education beat: Education funding fraud was the focus of reporting by Thomas Hargrove and Gavin Off who followed the money to find millions of dollars being paid to private charter schools for students who rarely, or never, showed up.
- From the crime beat: Federal funding for rape kit analysis is being withdrawn from strapped police departments nationwide because they haven't spent money from past years and the backlog of analysis just grows and grows. In practical terms, a bureacratic log jam appears to mean that lots of bad guys are going free for want of evidence.
7 comments:
One snag I've already run into is that one business won't give me any data pertaining to its sales. The guy I spoke to said that they're a privately owned company and that he doesn't have to. Is there any way I can work around that?
Kimball
I'm thinking about seeing how the state of the US economy affects university enrollment. For key sources, I plan to interview professors in the economics department, students, Mick Hanson from the FinAid office, and maybe some members of the administration.
I don't really have a backup plan at the moment, but I'm pretty sure I could get enough good information for this one.
These are broad ideas, but I'm going to call sources to see if they can turn me in a direction (I couldn't get a hold of anyone Monday or Tuesday).
-something with the flu (with increased vaccinations, are there less people who get the flu? has the number of people who get the flu each year decreased?)
-or some other disease besides the flu (talk to Brigid O'Connor, infectious disease nurse from health department)
-something with water quality (talk to the health department-Travis Ross, or Garon Smith)
-I was thinking I could call WVE and see if they have any numbers to go with their mercury project, such as if mercury levels have gone down and how that has changed things (maybe health is better, not as many people with mercury-related health issues, water quality better, etc.)
-poverty
-preventive health care, at the University?
-health fairs
I will be making calls today to see if anyone can help me get numbers and get a more specific idea for my story.
o i have a few ideas, but i dont really know what to go with,
1.So completely broad, and there is a ton on information, but the price of gas, especially after prices have dramatically fallen recently. Look at how Montana, and Missouls's number relate to the rest of the country. Any correlation with price falling in response to people useing alternatives more often? I think this may be too broad, and is too often written about. But i think the falling prices is kinda random, to find why they've fallen, and what is going to happen in the near future. Source from Missoula may be tricky, and bring a direct relation to Missoulian may be a reach.
2. The affects the bike-pedestrian programs have done to increase the number of alternative commuters, especially bike programs. Missoula has this huge bike promotion going on in the community. Bike shops, Bike groups, Alternative travel programs. How do these programs affect the number of bicyclists in Missoula? How have the number of bikers grown in the past years? In response to these groups? When and why did these groups form? I could talk to program directors, individuals involved, bikers, and city workers in city programs and board related.
3. The growing number of city and county jobs related to Bicycle-pedestrian programs, like the bike-pedestrian board. Why did these positions come about? Recently? In response to community programs starting up, after requests and interests from citizens? How many positions in these fields? Growing?
any suggestions of ideas would be awesome. Good luck everyone.
For those of you casting a very broad net, I advise talking with the right people on your beat about what data is available -- then look for the stories the data might tell you. The opposite approach, dream up a story and start searching for data, may well be a dead end or take too long.
Kimball -- You might try advocates, educators or special interest groups that compile industry data and so aren't so sensitive. Then you can approach local dealers for quotes, not specific data.
After doing a bit of research, I found that there isn't enough hard data to do my original story. Fortunately, I have something else.
On Jan. 1, the Montana minimum wage will be raised to 6.90 an hour. Many of the student jobs on campus pay minimum wage--such as the Food Services, UC employees, RAs, etc.
This seemingly small pay raise can really add up after a while, so I plan to see how this will affect on-campus student employers. Will they have to hire fewer people? Will they have to increase food prices? Tuition?
For those who read this comment, does this seem like a good story?
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