THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 25, 1996 TAG: 9608260700
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LYNN FEIGENBAUM
LENGTH: 94 lines
You've got a great human-interest story to pass along to the newspaper. Or maybe a serious problem you think needs to be investigated.
How do you go about getting that information to The Pilot?
It's a question that comes up every day, as readers fearlessly pick up their phones in hopes of reaching a helpful editor or an encouraging reporter.
``We love getting stories from readers,'' said editor Fred Kirsch. ``In fact, some of the best stories we get are from readers. They are often our `eyes' out there.''
But some tales make his eyes close. ``Many times I start furiously writing as they begin to tell me their `story,' '' said Kirsch. ``About three sentences later I've put down my pen. And then I put my head down. Zzzzzzzz.''
Or it's the reader who falls asleep, or goes ballistic, after being transferred from reporter to editor to voice mail.
There has to be a happier ending to this story business, so I asked staffers for advice. Here are a few do's and don'ts from the folks on the receiving end:
Fred Kirsch, who edits the Real Life section, advises readers to keep these things in mind before dialing him at 446-2484:
We get a zillion pet calls. A bird out in the yard is not a story. A rhinoceros in your yard is a story.
A good story transcends your neighborhood. Would you be interested in this story if it happened to someone else?
A good story elicits an emotional response - makes you laugh, makes you sad, makes you angry, etc.
Editors take a dim view of story ideas that are blatantly commercial or benefit the caller. Stay away from suggestions like, ``I think you should do a story on my aluminum siding business.''
Don Naden, metro editor, says that for a story to have truly broad appeal, it should involve heroism or overcoming adversity; uncommon generosity or acts of kindness; exemplary citizenship or wonder and discovery.
Or you just saw an aircraft carrier run aground at 39th Street in Virginia Beach.
If your story suggestion contains at least one of these elements, take a look at our ``How To Reach Us'' box on Page A2 and determine which news department looks like the best place to tell us about it.
Starting with the correct reporting team will help keep you from being passed from one editor to another.
Larry Brown, reporter, public safety team, stresses timeliness:
You may have been ``wronged'' by someone, but if it happened months or even years ago, sorry. Unless it has a current peg it will not be of interest to many folks.
Also, just because we take your call, some notes and your phone number, that doesn't guarantee a front-page story. Often we'll have to talk the idea over with editors first.
Finally, when you call, have an idea of the type of story it would be. Your call will be sped up if you ask to speak to a police reporter or business editor rather than just asking for ``The Editor.'' We have many.
Mike Mather, also a public safety reporter, is drawn to stories about people who make a difference. He says:
When a vandal defaces parts of a neighborhood and upsets homeowners, it's costly and annoying, but common.
But it is interesting to me when a neighborhood bands together and helps police catch the vandal. That doesn't happen every day.
Also, I'm always looking for the humorous side of the police beat, and believe me, there are a lot of laughs on this turf. Like the bank robber who left the keys to his getaway car with the bank teller. Or the woman who found a wayward boa constrictor in her living room.
John Pruitt, Suffolk editor, has some practical advice:
I'd like to suggest that, whenever possible, readers fax or write story ideas to specific people (providing they know whom to write to). It's easier that way to pass along ideas to the right person or to place them in an idea file.
I often compile them in a list and provide them, at staff meetings, as ``for the taking.'' Generally, ideas are gobbled up.
Daily Break columnist Larry Maddry put it simply:
If the the subject matter is humorous or weirder than Dennis Rodman's lifestyle, it sounds like something for me.
Brown Carpenter, editor, Real Estate Weekly, summarizes some of the points made by others:
Know the beat or field of interest that the reporter or editor handles. Show that you have read previous stories.
Don't ever say you need publicity.
Convince the newsperson that the story has universal appeal.
And finally, Hans Noel worries about callers who get bounced around the newsroom, particularly during the deadline crunch.
``I'm a copy editor,'' he said, ``pretty far removed from the story-assigning stage of things.'' But he still fields calls and, if it's not breaking news, often lacks time to deal with them.
To solve that problem, national editor Bill Henry and regional editor Tom Warhover suggest that anyone with a story idea call the metro desk at one of several numbers: 446-2947, 446-2346 or 446-2707.
No one around? Call my number and leave a message on the voice mail. Good luck! MEMO: Call the public editor at 446-2475, or send a computer message to
lynn(AT)infi.net by CNB