What makes a News Story? First, figure out whether you have a
newsworthy story to tell. Is it timely? Significant? Is there a
local angle? Is there a human interest or interesting visual? In
short, news is about people and what they do or how current
events/issues affect their lives. - A news story must also
answer the five W’s of journalism: Who, What, When, Where and
Why, and more importantly How? - When deciding what story to
pitch to the media, be clear as to why your story is news and
why “others” should care. - Remember reporters report on news
that will be of interest to the general public. If you decide to
contact a reporter or news outlet to pitch a story idea: - Be
concise. - Be able to sum up the news worthiness of your story
in two sentences. You should follow up with facts. - Make your
story relevant; connect it to local/national issues. - Don’t
pitch a story to more than one assignment desk or reporter at
the same outlet. - Be clear as to why your story is news. When
to call a Press Conference P