2. Agenda
What is enterprise?
Why is it important?
Incorporating enterprise in everyday stories
Developing sources
Improving interviews
Descriptions
Context is key
3. Defining enterprise
What enterprise is not
• A story written from a press release
• A story written from an event
• Breaking news
NOTE: Event coverage, meeting coverage, breaking
news, info from releases are necessary and not always
bad. But they are not enterprise.
4. Defining enterprise
What enterprise is
• Proactive
• Reader-centered
• Observant, descriptive
• Story with context
5. Defining enterprise
Write stories no one else is telling
• See what others missed
• Answer an original question
• Find the scoop
• Surprise the reader
• Tell stories what would go untold
• Take the reader to an unfamiliar world
Source: Chip Scanlon, Poynter
6. Why enterprise?
Why is enterprise important?
“When most readers say they expect
journalists to tell them what’s happening
– whether that’s the latest outrages in
Kharkiv or city council in Kalamazoo –
they mean connect the dots. No, they
don’t want opinion – they want to know
how the facts fit together to make an
understandable whole.”
-- Ken Doctor, news industry analyst
7. Why enterprise?
Industry trends
• NYT’s Upshot
• Washington Post’s Storyline
• Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight
• Ezra Klein’s Vox
8. Everyday Enterprise
Focus on everyday stories
Most stories: Explanatory stories:
• Who?
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Why?*
• How?*
Source: Ken Doctor
10. Everyday enterprise
Industry trends
• NYT’s Upshot
• Washington Post’s
Storyline
• Nate Silver’s
FiveThirtyEight
• Ezra Klein’s Vox
“At their best, these explainer sites are much more than a fad or a trend.
They are a siren call to add greater intelligence to the journalism we do
day in and day out.”
-- Ken Doctor
11. Everyday enterprise
Smarter stories start with better reporting
• Diversify your sources
• Ideas: Assistants to important people, regular
people at any event, anyone who will be affected
(knock on doors). To write for your town, you need
to get to know the people in it.
• Why? You’ll get great off-the-beaten-path ideas for
stories.
12. Everyday enterprise
Changing your approach: examples
• Meeting coverage: Arrive early or stay late. Talk to
people who are there, and listen to their stories.
Goals: Find at least one off-beat story from your
time at the meeting. Find your next-day lead.
• Event coverage: Take this opportunity to meet
regular people, the ones with families and
mortgages. Hand out business cards. Laugh with
them. Goal: Find new sources.
13. Everyday enterprise
Changing your approach: examples
• Interviews: Be as prepared as possible. Make a list
of questions ahead of time. Keep asking why. Allow
more time to talk. Goal: Look for context,
perspective, understanding.
• Writing: If you can’t explain something without
relying on a quote, get more info. Goal: Write
simply. Write for readers.
14. Everyday enterprise
Ask better questions
• What else should I know?
• Who else should I talk to?
• If you were me, where would you go next?
• What kinds of records or pictures are there of this?
• What kind of data has been collected?
Source: Al Tompkins, Poynter
15. Everyday enterprise
Generating fresh ideas
• Seek “truths.” Don’t focus on just
extremes.
• Avoid the pack. Where is the
story going next?
• Stick with important stories. Don’t quit too soon.
• Keep your own calendar. Readers love follow-ups.
• Drive a new route home. See what you see.
Source: Al Tompkins, Poynter
16. Everyday enterprise
Look for comparisons
• When you report on a problem, ask sources if anyone is
doing it well. Track down anyone who is and find out
how they approached the solution.
• Look for your own comparisons. Find towns that are
similar. How are they tackling the problem.
• If your town is doing something that has been done
before, find out how implementation went elsewhere.
17. Everyday enterprise
Look for standards
• Did an official break the law?
• Did an official violate professional
standards?
• Did an official violate standards specific to the
department or local government?
• Was the official inefficient? Is there a poor use of
resources?
Source: Michael Roberts, newsroom trainer
18. Everyday enterprise
Look for numbers: Census
Age & gender
Employment
Health insurance
Poverty
Same-sex couples
Children
Families
Income
Public assistance
Seniors
Commute
Geography
Migration
Race
Check out Knight Lab’s CensusReporter.org
19. Everyday enterprise
Look for numbers: Agriculture
• Farm Bureau
• Ag extension office
• USDA: Census of Agriculture
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/
20. Everyday enterprise
Look for numbers
• Check out Journalist’s Toolbox, maintained by the
Society of Professional Journalists for hundreds of links
to websites: http://www.journaliststoolbox.org/
21. Everyday enterprise
Examples
• Farm Bureau
• Ag extension office
• USDA: Census of Agriculture
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/
22. Everyday enterprise
Examples: Reading laws
• Would be good to offer
state percentages to offer
perspective on the new
laws. Are there similar
numbers being held back
throughout the state?
23. Everyday enterprise
Examples: Schools closing to polls
• Would be interesting to see
if this is coming up on a
bigger scale. I imagine this
area isn’t the only one
thinking of school safety.
24. Everyday enterprise
Takeaways
• Turn every assignment into an opportunity to meet
people, hear their stories. Do your story, but then look
for other opportunities.
• Hand out business cards if you have then.
• The Zen of enterprise: Be truly present when you listen
to people. Honor their stories. You may be surprised at
how many contact you later with a tip. Besides, it’s the
right thing to do.
