High School Journalism Institute » story ideas http://hsji.org Hosted at the Indiana University School of Journalism Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:36:24 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 The Search for a Story http://hsji.org/student-work/the-search-for-a-story/ http://hsji.org/student-work/the-search-for-a-story/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:53:46 +0000 Kourtney Liepelt, Bartlett High School http://hsji.org/?p=778 Many might believe that the chatter in the high school halls consists entirely of pointless gossip and whimsical stories. Journalists, on the other hand, crave these random conversations.

Why, you might ask?

Because, for the most part, the best article ideas stem directly from the people for which we write.

I learned from the beginning that a journalist’s main task is simply to listen and the rest will follow after. I was told that if I paid attention to all that occurs around me, I would discover stories that interest our readership.

Sure enough, this advice was dead-on. As I made my way from class to class each day, I uncovered issues that my peers truly seemed concerned about. From there, I’d  return to my newspaper staff overflowing with topics on brainstorming days. Each and every story that made it to print for the month’s edition was based solely on issues and events from within the school.

Perhaps some articles will not intrigue us as much as the next. We all can agree that writing about test scores may seem significantly less thrilling than exploring the state-bound football team, for example.

Still, if it is being discussed by our audience, then we must report it so that we can deliver the facts and the truth. And essentially, that is our true role as journalists—to shed light on various situations.


]]> http://hsji.org/student-work/the-search-for-a-story/feed/ 0 Share your newspaper ideas! http://hsji.org/idea-sharing/share-your-newspaper-ideas/ http://hsji.org/idea-sharing/share-your-newspaper-ideas/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:05:02 +0000 Lori Henson, HSJI instructor http://hsji.org/?p=117 Lori’s section editors have spent lots of time brainstorming story ideas, as have many of the other classes at HSJI! No need to keep them a secret! Share your great ideas in the comments for this post, so that your fellow HSJI-ers can take home some solid ideas for the school year.

Some things Lori’s section editors name up with were finding fresh approaches to events that happen every school year at every school in the country. Namely:

  • Success tips for incoming freshmen
  • Profiles and stories about graduating seniors
  • Profiles of alums returning for homecoming
  • Stories about preparing for and attending prom
  • Profiles and behind-the-scenes looks at big theater or musical productions
  • Explanatory stories about new construction or other changes at your school
  • Profiles of new teachers and retiring teachers

What are your ideas?

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