SOURCES AND RESEARCH There's always more to a story. So at several steps of the editing process, we make sure our stories reflect multiple perspectives. Can we find a second opinion on this healthcare policy? How does a high school counselor's POV differ from an undergraduate admissions counselor? For a story about a student whose father was deported back to Mexico, we sourced not only the affected family but the local ACLU branch, Sheriff's Office and immigration law professors from the University of Michigan, in addition to extensive research on immigration statistics, ICE program policy (influenced by newer executive orders) and U.S. asylum law. For a story on gun safety measures, I spoke extensively to the district Executive Safety Director, as well as ALICE protocol instructors. For a story about lead levels and school safety, I reached out to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to corroborate data sent out by the school district. I even borrowed air quality gauges from the city library to test humidity and CO2 levels at different points in the school. With COVID-19, we have pushed ourselves across multiple online platforms to truly become a breaking news team -- being the first to get constant updates out, we are always fact-checking announcements with multiple sources. We're adapting really quickly to send out new alerts within hours, sometimes even minutes. STORY DEVELOPMENT
This year, I started working with writers and editors to create issues with cohesive content. So far, we've had two such "themes": an immigration issue, which featured stories about deportation and multiculturalism, and an Auto Issue, which had stories about our school's auto shop, female mechanics, new self-driving car developments at the University of Michigan's MCity and more. |
Top: This year, I instated regular pitch meetings for the entire staff (I'm the one crouching in the striped shirt). Bottom left: I show two new staff writers, Ivan and Will, different ways of social media can inform and inspire our coverage. Bottom right: The news team discusses the finer points of headline writing to avoid potential sensationalism. Photos by Sara-Beth Badalamente STORYTELLING STORYBOARD
Stories are built from quotes. I've noticed that oftentimes, my fellow journalists already expect a certain story going into an interview, which fosters leading and closed-minded questions. I like to keep the interview dynamic - open-ended. That's how you build up the ammunition. Then, I can choose quotes with the most voice. I find that my writing style will oftentimes echo the spirit of these key quotes, which make wonderful leads if not idea-springboards. Click through to see the steps behind "Crossword Celebrity" |