finding the perfect story

The golden question. How & where do you find a bigger than life, hard hitting investigative story that unfolds?

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It’s the question that has led to some of the best pieces in journalism, but there are multiple ways you’ll reach the answer.

Finding a great story begins with determining what type of story you want to pursue. Tech, crime, trafficking, government, etc.

You have to think about what really excites you. For me it was and always will be covering atrocities of the human condition. If there is an undercover story that people aren’t talking about, I want to find that story specifically.

When you truly find what lights you up, you know what Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole to dive into.

Just like Alice in Wonderland, the beginning of the journey is finding the rabbit that catches your attention. To find the character, topic, headline, or story that intrigues you to the point that you start to follow it.

Here are a few places I like to scout for potential rabbits.

local newspaper publications ~

These publications, have to churn through multiple stories to keep up with the news demand, and most of the time they don’t to do many deep dives. They can be found online & are a GOLD MINE for stories that still need to be worked on. If you find a story that piques your interest, the people that already received media attention are warmed up to the idea of answering questions. So go crazy!