Download PDF - International Center for Journalists

Making News Personal 

Covering Human Rights, Education, 

Health and other Social Issues 

by David Tuller

About the Author 

David Tuller has spent much of his journalism career writing about social issues 

and teaching others how to do so. Tuller is a freelance writer for The New York 

Times, The Washington Post, Salon.com and other publications. He previously 

was an editor and reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. He has covered 

health care, AIDS, business, labor and workplace issues, and gay/lesbian issues. 

He also has conducted training programs on basic reporting skills, interviewing 

techniques, AIDS reporting, business reporting, social issues reporting and 

ethnic diversity issues. He was a Knight International Press Fellow in Russia, 

and has conducted other training programs in Ukraine, Armenia, Hungary, 

Macedonia and Albania. 

About the International Center for Journalists 

The International Center for Journalists, a non-profit, professional organization, 

promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous 

media are crucial in improving the human condition. 

Since 1984, the International Center for Journalists has worked directly with 

more than 50,000 journalists from 176 countries. Aiming to raise the standards of 

journalism, ICFJ offers hands-on training, workshops, seminars, fellowships and 

international exchanges to reporters and media managers around the globe. 

At ICFJ, we believe in the power of journalism to promote positive change.

Contents 

1 

Preface 

4 Introduction 

6 

Getting Started 

10 

On the Beat 

12 

Cultivating Sources 

18 

Developing Story Ideas 

20 

Story Ideas: Going Beneath the Surface 

24 

Avoiding Stereotypes 

28 

Conducting Interviews 

33 

Choosing a Format for the Story 

37 

Finding Documents 

41 

Using Statistics 

44 

Moving Beyond Words 

48 

Following Up 

50 

Conclusion


Preface 

In its work teaching journalism all over the world, the International Center 

for Journalists has found that media—whether in the Americas, Africa, Europe 

or Asia—almost always give more ink or air time to the famous and the powerful 

than they deserve. When the president or the leader of an opposition party 

makes a speech, or when a movie star or a famous athlete is seen out on the 

town, it’s front-page news. 

Ordinary people—laborers and shopkeepers, nurses and students—often 

have only one way to get their names into the news: Commit a crime or be the 

victim of one. But their day-to-day lives are the lives of our readers, listeners and 

viewers, too. We can engage our audiences and make the newspaper, radio or 

TV report an essential part of their lives by covering things that matter to them. 

And we can positively affect our societies by shedding light on problems that 

would be more comfortable for us to ignore. 

International Center for Journalists

Preface 

Why are our schools turning out graduates who are not prepared for the work 

force? How are our medical facilities dealing with the growing number of people 

suffering from AIDS, malaria or cancer? Where are illegal immigrants to our 

country living, what kind of work are they doing and how is their presence 

affecting those who have been here their whole lives? How are ethnic or 

religious minorities dealing with discrimination and what efforts are under way to 

ease tensions between them and the majority population? 

We designed this manual to help journalists to better cover these kinds of 

issues, to elevate the beats that revolve around daily life to the same level of the 

politics, crime or entertainment beats. We have chosen to call these social 

issues because they deal with the way people in society interact with each 

other. 

Besides being neglected at many news organizations around the world, social 

issues involve special reporting challenges. Many of the issues are controversial 

or sensitive topics that some people would rather not discuss. They often 

require interviewing people who—unlike politicians and celebrities—have never 

been asked to talk to the media. Many of those people, such as victims of 

2


human trafficking, refugees or people with AIDS, may feel uncomfortable talking 

to the media about their lives. Covering these kinds of stories takes special skills 

and a commitment to very high ethical standards. 

This manual was born in a series of ICFJ programs teaching journalists how to 

better cover the issue of human trafficking, a growing problem in regions as 

diverse as the Balkans, the Caucasus, Southeast Asia—and the United States. 

Those programs, funded by the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. 

Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, aim to raise the 

level of media coverage of a problem that has received much international 

attention but is often ignored in the very countries where women are plucked 

from poverty, trafficked across borders and forced to work as sex slaves. 

We hope this manual will help journalists like those participating in the trafficking 

programs and other journalists who cover similar issues. ICFJ’s Knight 

International Press Fellowship Program, funded by the John S. and James L. 

Knight Foundation, and the Department of State funded the writing and 

production of this manual. 

Many thanks to author David Tuller, to ICFJ Director of Training Ann Olson 

for editing this manual with me, to Communications Manager Debbie Hodges for 

coordinating production, and to Jill Gallagher for the design. Thanks also to 

trainer Carolyn Robinson, to the Media Diversity Institute in London, to the 

Detroit Free Press, and to the Statistical Assessment Service for allowing us to 

reprint material in this manual. 

Finally, thanks to all the inspiring journalists around the world who struggle 

mightily to inform their readers, listeners and viewers about social issues like 

human rights, health care, education and diversity. By bringing light to those 

neglected issues, they help make our societies better places to live for all 

citizens. 

Patrick Butler 

Vice President, Programs 

International Center for Journalists 


Introduction 

Introduction 

Don’t Panic 

Take a deep breath. Your editor has asked you to take a social issues 

beat. Perhaps you’re going to examine human trafficking, a major problem 

in many countries. Or maybe the assignment is to cover the AIDS epidemic and 

other health issues. Or education, or homelessness, or the growing popularity of 

new religions in your region. 

Whatever the topic, you know nothing about it and you’re in something of a 

panic. Where do you start? How can you possibly learn about your new issue 

quickly enough to begin producing stories? You don’t know anyone who has 

AIDS, or has been a trafficking victim, or lives on the street. You’ve never met 

anyone who has joined one of the new religious sects sprouting up in the area. 

4


Perhaps your mother is a teacher or 

your neighbor is a doctor, but they’re 

not in 

a position to provide you with useful 

information. Or are they? 

Covering social issues can be an 

extremely exciting and challenging 

assignment, offering a chance to 

address topics of genuine importance 

and to affect the public debate. The 

possibilities for crafting compelling 

stories in a variety of formats are 

limited only by the journalist’s 

Covering social 

issues can be an 

extremely exciting and 

challenging 

assignment, offering a 

chance to address 

topics of genuine 

importance and to 

affect the public 

debate. 

creativity, skill and resourcefulness. 

This manual is designed to help you 

make the most of the opportunity. 

Following ethical guidelines is critical 

in any journalistic endeavor, but social 

issues reporting can present special 

challenges. Part of your time, of 

course, will be spent talking to and 

quoting politicians, experts and 

representatives of nongovernmental 

organizations—people who can 

provide you with crucial background 

information about the topic at hand. 

But if you are doing the job right, you 

will be interacting with real people who 

have real problems—a mother who 

has to beg for food for her children, 

someone suffering from drug-resistant 

tuberculosis, an ex-convict 

desperately seeking work. 

Such tales will make your reporting 

come alive. But presenting such 

information carries with it a great 

responsibility. By opening up their 

troubles and concerns to journalists, 

ordinary people make themselves 

extremely vulnerable and exhibit 

genuine courage. Journalists must not 

betray their trust. You must be careful 

to present sensitive material with 

nuance and understanding. You must 

learn to empathize with, rather than 

pass judgment on, people whose lives 

may be completely different from your 

own. And—perhaps most important— 

you must resist the temptation to 

stereotype, sensationalize and 

oversimplify the complicated realities 

of people’s experiences. These 

challenges are difficult, but rewarding. 




When you are first assigned to cover a beat relating to social issues 

whether the environment, education, the AIDS epidemic or the refugee 

situation—you may worry you are not qualified to do the job. You might even 

believe that only specialists or people with advanced degrees in that field should 

write about the subject. 

The truth, however, is that someone who knows little about a subject can, 

ultimately, be the person best able to present the information to the public in a 

way that is accessible to readers or viewers. Experts can become so immersed 

in the complexities of a field that it can be hard for them to judge what the 

general public may already know. They also may have difficulty explaining basic 

concepts and translating technical jargon into language non-specialists can 

understand. 

6


That doesn’t mean that learning all 

you need to know about a new topic is 

easy, or that you won’t make 

mistakes, particularly during the early 

stages. But taking over a new beat 

that involves such issues as 

trafficking, education or the homeless 

—or simply writing stories about such 

issues—can also be a terrific way to 

further develop your skills and keep 

your work interesting. Here are some 

tips for getting started: 

• Do a search of your newspaper’s or 

broadcast outlet’s archives to find 

out what kinds of stories related to 

your topic have been covered in the 

past couple of years. Critique as 

many as you can find. Were the 

stories well reported? Would they 

have helped the audience gain a 

greater awareness of the topic? Did 

they serve to increase 

understanding, or were they 

reported from a biased or one-sided 

perspective? If the topic was AIDS, 

for example, did they clearly explain 

how transmission occurs, or did they 

perpetuate common 

misconceptions? Share these 

stories with colleagues or friends 

and ask their opinions. 

• Examine, if possible, what other 

newspapers or stations have done 

and compare it with what your 

newsroom has done. In what ways 

is it better? In what ways is it 

worse? The answers to these 

questions can guide you as you 

start to prepare your own material. 

These stories also may give you 

ideas about some of the first issues 

you might want to tackle, either to 

follow up on a point left unexplored 

or to answer remaining questions. 

• Start calling some people involved 

in the field you will cover. These 

might be people mentioned or 

quoted in the stories you’ve read. 

They could be acquaintances of 

your newsroom colleagues, or they 

could be people you’ve already 

talked to in a professional capacity 

while covering some other topic. Ask 

them what they think of the local 

coverage and what aspects they 

think have been ignored. 

Someone who knows 

little about a subject 

can, ultimately, be the 

person best able to 

present the information 

to the public in a way 

that is accessible to 

readers or viewers. 

• When you find people 

knowledgeable about your new field, 

ask them if they would sit down with 

you and provide some background 

information. Assuming they agree, 

ask them whatever you wish. Don’t 

worry about appearing stupid; smart 

journalists know when they don’t 

know enough. Use these meetings 

to understand aspects of the subject 

that confuse you and to determine 



some of the key issues you will want 

to explore. 

• Take advantage of the Internet, 

which is an incredible resource 

available in almost every newsroom. 

Use it to locate specialists or nongovernmental 

organizations (also 

known as NGOs, or nonprofit or 

non-commercial organizations) in 

your geographic area, previous 

articles and studies on the topic, 

conferences of interest that may be 

taking place or government reports 

that have addressed the issue. 

• As you start to learn about the topic, 

many people will want to convince 

you to listen only to them. But 

remember that no one has the last 

word. Be skeptical of everyone you 

talk to. Everyone has a point of view 

they’re interested in promoting, and 

it is your job to sift through all those 

perspectives to present an overall 

portrait of the issue or debate. The 

more you learn, the easier that 

should become. 

• Each area has its own vocabulary, 

its glossary of key words and 

concepts. When people you talk to 

use phrases that you don’t 

understand, ask them to explain. 

Keep a list of these important 

expressions to help in your 

reporting. When you write stories, it 

will be important to explain 

specialized terminology. Don’t 

assume that your audience will 

understand without explanation. 

• Read, listen to and watch everything 

you can about the issue. This can 

be other newspapers, magazines 

and broadcast stations, specialized 

journals for people in the profession, 

scientific studies, reports from 

academic institutions or nonprofit 

organizations. Note the names of 

people quoted and interviewed or 

the authors if you think they might 

become good sources. 

8



On the Beat 

On the beat 

A social issues beat can span a broad, almost limitless, 

spectrum, so a journalist with that assignment may be called 

upon to report about a wide variety of topics. Here are some 

examples of story ideas in several different subject areas. 

Each suggestion could easily serve as a springboard to more 

than one piece. 

10


Education: What types of new school 

textbooks are being developed and 

proposed? What is the process by 

which they get approved, and who 

makes the decisions about which 

version of historical, religious and 

other events is included? 

Health: Is drug-resistant tuberculosis 

becoming a big problem in your area, 

as it is in many parts of the world? If 

so, where is it most prevalent? In 

prisons? In certain neighborhoods? Is 

it a particular problem among people 

also infected with HIV? And what are 

government agencies, local and 

international NGOs and others doing 

about it? 

Environment: How clean is the air in 

your area? What are the leading 

causes of air pollution? Has it gotten 

worse with an increase in the number 

of automobiles? What, if anything, is 

the government doing about it? Have 

local factories and industrial facilities 

started any efforts to reduce their air 

pollutants? 

Religion: Is a holiday celebrated by a 

religious minority in your area coming 

up soon? What is it? How is it 

observed? What does it mean to 

members of the group? Were they 

forbidden from marking it in the past? 

And now? 

Human Rights: Are unemployment 

rates in your region higher among 

members of an ethnic minority than 

among members of the majority? If so, 

what do minority members say about 

the issue? What efforts are being 

made to address these differing rates 

of unemployment? 

Poverty: What is it like to live below 

the poverty level in your area? Spend 

time with a homeless person or with a 

family living in the poorest section of 

town. Describe what life is like from 

that perspective. How much money do 

they receive from the government and 

other sources? How do they spend it? 




Good sources are critical to reporting on social issues, just as they are to all 

kinds of reporting. But finding and cultivating them does not happen 

automatically. It is easy to quote from government statements or to contact 

people whose names appear on a press release. But the key to great reporting 

on social issues is going beyond obvious sources of information. 

It is amazing how often journalists fail to report about the very people affected by 

issues in question. Why would you write about homelessness without talking with 

a homeless person, or at the very least with an advocate for them? Or report 

about teachers’ low salaries without asking teachers how they feel? 

This is a question not only of journalism but also of ethics. People have a right to 

be represented when their interests are being discussed and debated. It is 

critical, when reporting about anything, to get a response from those directly 

involved. This is a major reason that developing a full network of sources is 

extremely important. 

Another frequent shortcoming of journalists is to cultivate sources primarily from 

their own social or ethnic group. It is important to have a range of sources: 

official and unofficial, academic and political, experts as well as ordinary people 

whose personal histories can give the material substance, depth and credibility. 

Here are some suggestions on how to cultivate a diverse group of sources: 

• Start with the most accessible 

people. Meet with representatives of 

nongovernmental organizations who 

address your issue. Spend time with 

them to understand everything they 

do. Make sure you’re on their press 

list as someone to contact when they 

release a report or announce news. 

• Try to get to know government 

officials or spokespeople in the health 

ministry, the education department or 

whichever agency addresses your 

topic. They may be reluctant to meet 

with you, but if you can establish a 

decent relationship with them, it will 

help you down the road. Explain that 

your goal is to report accurately by 

gathering information from all sides, 

including theirs. 

• Some sources will be reluctant to talk 

to you because they are suspicious 

of journalists; perhaps they have 

been misquoted or they believe the 

journalists they’ve dealt with before 

have been biased. One way to 

overcome such reluctance is to show 

them stories that you have done on 

this topic or a similar one that have 

been fair and balanced. Another way 

is to use someone as an intermediary 

who already trusts you. For example, 

if you have successfully cultivated a 

relationship with the leader of a 

human rights group, you can suggest 

that reluctant sources contact the 

source who trusts you; she will tell 

them that you will treat them fairly. 

12


• At a university or a research institute 

in the area, find out if anyone there 

is involved in your field. If so, call to 

arrange a meeting and ask them 

about issues or controversies that 

you’re thinking of covering. Make 

sure to seek their ideas about 

stories that need coverage. You 

don’t have to write about something 

just because they suggest it, but it’s 

a good way to get yourself thinking 

about the possibilities of the beat. 

• To be effective, social issue stories 

must include real people with 

specific problems. Without them, the 

material is likely to be quite dull. 

Finding such people takes a certain 

amount of creativity. NGOs are an 

excellent resource. An AIDS 

organization might refer you to one 

of its members, for example. An 

ecological group might help you find 

someone suffering from the effects 

of an environmental problem. If 

these organizations are reluctant to 

lead you to people truly affected by 

an issue, show them how much 

more powerful the story would be if 

it included real people. If a television 

report includes no one affected by 

an issue, it will be buried at the end 

of the newscast, but if it includes 

real people telling compelling 

stories, it will be displayed much 

more prominently. 

• In recent years, journalists have 

relied heavily on Internet searches 

to find sources. In chat rooms and 

on bulletin boards, you might find 

people in your country or region 

involved in an issue and willing to 

talk or meet with you. Through the 

Internet, you can also find 

international sources with whom you 

can conduct e-mail interviews, if 

necessary. 

• Personal contacts also can help you 

find sources. Perhaps your mother 

or husband knows someone you 

could interview. Ask colleagues at 

work if they’ve come across the kind 

of person you’re looking for, either in 

their professional or private lives. 

Your network of acquaintances can 

be a great resource you should not 

hesitate to use. 

• Read past articles on the subject, 

either in your publication or other 

ones, and try to locate the people 

mentioned or quoted there. They 

may still have strong opinions on the 

subject and might be interested in 

talking again to a reporter, if they 

feel they were treated fairly the first 

time. 

• If you meet people at social 

gatherings with interesting thoughts 

about your topic area, explain that 

you’re a journalist and ask if you can 

call them to talk more about the 

subject. Make sure to get a 

business card or write down how to 

get in touch with them. And give 

them your business card and 

encourage them to get in touch. 

• If someone seems reluctant to talk 

to you, explain that you don’t need 

to quote him or her by name or 

mention him or her at all if they don’t 

want you to. And then make sure 

you keep that promise. Protecting 

the identity of sources who don’t 

want to be identified is one of 

journalism’s most precious ethical 

rules. If they still refuse, don’t berate 

them. Unlike government officials, 

who are paid by—and should be 

expected to answer to—the public, 

private citizens are not required to 

talk to the press. And you have no 

right to demand that they do. 



• Maintain thorough records of your 

sources, noting their contact 

information and their areas of 

expertise. Make a point of calling 

them from time to time to get 

updates or suggestions for angles 

that have not been covered. 

Maintaining an ongoing relationship 

with sources is a key part of 

covering a beat effectively. 

• When you talk to people, ask them if 

they can suggest others who might 

also be useful sources. Personal 

referral is one of the best ways to 

expand your network. People who 

feel uneasy discussing personal 

matters with strangers often feel 

much more comfortable talking to 

reporters referred to them by friends 

or acquaintances they already trust. 

• When you come across a report 

written by specialists, note their 

names. Then find out how to get in 

touch with them, no matter whether 

you’re writing an article about that 

particular report. Compliment them 

on their work, let them know you’re 

interested in the subject, and ask 

them to send you future reports on 

the matter. 

• Make sure people you meet know 

how to get in touch with you. Give 

out your business card freely. 

Encourage sources to contact you 

with story ideas or tips. Such calls 

can turn into some of your most 

important stories. 

• Encourage sources to call you when 

your articles appear. Tell them 

you’re interested not just in positive 

feedback but in constructive 

criticism as well. Are there aspects 

you missed? Did you leave 

questions unanswered? Did you 

make any key mistakes? Your 

openness will strengthen your 

relationships with sources and their 

respect for you and your work. 

• Invite some sources to meet you at 

your paper or broadcast 

organization. Give them a tour, 

introduce them to colleagues, 

explain how the business works. By 

offering them insight into how you 

do your job, you will help them gain 

a better understanding of what 

stories and information might pique 

your interest. 

• Remember that every person you 

interview has some reason for 

talking with you. Understanding their 

motivation will help you judge how 

much to trust the information they 

provide. Are they nursing a grudge 

against some individual or 

institution? Are they hoping for 

personal gain? Or are they simply 

seeking to inform readers or viewers 

of some important piece of 

information out of altruism? Asking 

yourself such questions will help you 

determine what to do with the 

material they offer. 

• The best reporters are often those 

who know how to find and maintain 

good relationships with the most 

well-placed sources. The longer 

your history with particular sources, 

the better you will be able to judge 

their information. Have they 

provided you with material that 

turned out to be true in the past? If 

so, you should feel more 

comfortable trusting them than 

someone you’ve just met for the first 

time. 

• If your gut feeling is that a source is 

misleading you, whether on purpose 

14


or inadvertently, trust that instinct. At 

the very least, make sure to confirm 

the page information through other 

contacts before using it. If someone 

has provided you with false 

information in the past and has not 

offered an acceptable explanation 

as to how that happened, do not 

trust him or her again. 

• While it is important to maintain a 

good relationship with your sources, 

never offer to act in ways that 

violate ethical practices. Don’t slant 

a story in a particular way or include 

questionable information just to gain 

favor with a source. You can be 

friendly and collegial with sources 

without behaving in ways that could 

compromise your reputation for 

accuracy and honesty. 

• Sources sometimes want to know 

what your story will say before you 

write it. They may even ask to see it 

while you’re working on it. This is 

not a good idea. You may not know 

exactly what the story will be until 

you’ve done all your reporting. You 

also don’t want sources to read a 

story before publication and demand 

changes because they’re not happy 

with the result. 

• While it may be tempting sometimes 

to lie to sources to get information, it 

is not a good idea. You can certainly 

tell your sources about the general 

theme or topic of your story. But it is 

unethical to assure them that a story 

will present only their point of view. 

They need to understand that your 

goal is to present information from 

multiple perspectives, not to provide 

them an unchallenged forum for 

disseminating their views. 

• You should tell sources that you are 

a reporter working on a story. It is 

often tempting to pretend to be 

someone other than a reporter to 

get access to places where 

reporters are barred. This is very 

dangerous. It can lead to a 

perception among the public that 

journalists are dishonest and use 

unfair tactics. While reporters who 

got their information under cover 

have done some very good stories, 

such tactics often do more harm 

than good. Consult your editors and 

your news organization’s ethics 

guidelines before using such tactics. 


Exercise 

Exercise 

You are pursuing a story about plans to build a chemical factory on the 

edge of a poor neighborhood in your city. Some environmental groups 

have said that the plant, owned by the Chemexco multinational corporation 

based in the United States, will pollute the air and water in the neighborhood. 

You have heard that Chemexco has paid a bribe to the mayor and other 

officials of your city to allow the company to ignore environmental regulations 

to build the plant. 

What sources will you turn to for the story? What other sources will you use 

besides the people you interview? Think not only about the first story that you 

will write but also about sidebars and follow-ups. List your sources here, then 

check on Page 18 for sources you might not have thought about. 

Sources 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

______________________________________________________________ 

16


List of possible sources for the chemical factory story: 

1. Officials with Chemexco, local and international 

2. City officials involved in reviewing the plans 

3. State, provincial or national officials involved in reviewing the plans 

4. Leaders of the poor community most affected by the plant 

5. Environmental groups, local and international 

6. Environmental regulators 

7. Pro-business groups that are trying to spur economic investment in 

the city or country 

8. Academic experts who know about the product being manufactured 

and its potential impact on the community 

9. Residents of the neighborhood 

10. Unemployed people who might want jobs at the factory 

11. Consumers of the product that will be produced at the factory (either 

individual consumers or other companies) 

12. The mayor and others in his administration 

13. Members of opposing parties or groups 

14. Records of the mayor and others accused of taking bribes, such as 

financial records, telephone records, travel records, etc. (if available) 

15. Local and/or state ordinances and national laws that will be used to 

determine if the plant should be built and how it will be regulated 

16. Internet research about Chemexco and the products it plans to 

manufacture at the plant 

17. Internet research about Chemexco plants (or other companies that 

make the same product) in other countries and any environmental 

problems they have caused 

18. Sources in communities near other Chemexco plants that your 

Internet research has turned up (including journalists in those 

countries who have written about Chemexco) 




When you cover a social issues beat, 

part of your job is not only to write or 

produce the most obvious stories but 

also to come up with interesting ideas 

or angles that haven’t been covered 

yet. In fact, if you’re doing your job 

well, you should be able to think of 

many more story possibilities than 

you could possibly have time to do. 

Some editors assign stories that 

they’ve thought of themselves. Many 

also like it when reporters propose 

their own ideas. After all, it is the 

reporter’s job to stay in touch with 

sources, experts and others involved 

with the beat. And such contact, more 

often than not, is how story ideas 

originate. 

The longer you cover a beat, the 

easier story ideas will come. You will 

understand better what should be 

considered news, why it is important 

or significant, and whom you should 

call to get more information. You will 

learn which sources to trust and 

which to treat with greater skepticism. 

Here are some tips for developing 

great story ideas: 

• Talk to as many people as possible. 

Call several sources a day—either 

ones you already know, or ones 

you don’t—and ask them about 

developments on your beat. Ask 

about any lawsuits filed, new 

legislation, studies being released, 

trends that haven’t been reported. 

Encourage them to call you if they 

come across or think of anything 

interesting. 

• Think of events in your own life or 

that of friends and family members. 

Do you have eyestrain from 

spending too much time reading 

from the computer? If you write 

about health, you might be able to 

do a story about computer-related 

eye problems. Does your child’s 

class have a textbook shortage? 

Find out if other schools are having 

the same problem. Some of the 

best story ideas arise from 

personal observations. 

• Keep up with how other media 

outlets cover your beat. If they 

report a story you missed, figure 

out if there’s a way to continue the 

story beyond their approach. If their 

story announces a new treatment 

for breast cancer, follow it with a 

story about how widely the 

treatment is available or whether 

the medication has possibilities for 

use against other kinds of cancer. 

• Anniversaries of significant events 

can make good stories. The 10th 

anniversary of the Chernobyl 

nuclear disaster in Ukraine, for 

example, was a good time to write 

about nuclear-safety concerns. If it 

has been a year since an important 

piece of social issues-related 

legislation was passed, use the 

anniversary to examine its impact, 

and how that compares to 

predictions made at the time. 

• Keep an eye out for conflicts, which 

can make compelling stories. 

Residents upset about a chemical 

factory in their neighborhood, 

someone fired for being HIVpositive, 

a controversy over sex 

education in the schools—these 

18


are all excellent starting points for 

stories. Lawsuits, in particular, are a 

great source for story ideas. 

• Keep an eye out for trends. If one 

person has been beaten up for 

being gay, maybe there are other 

such cases. If government officials 

are harassing representatives of 

one human rights group, perhaps 

it’s not an isolated incident. By 

digging a bit deeper, you can often 

turn news about a single event into 

a larger tale about a pattern of 

injustice or discrimination. 

• Keep your reader or viewer in mind. 

Social issues stories, in particular, 

should relate to their lives as much 

as possible. Always try to ask 

yourself what difference this issue 

makes to those you are telling about 

it. Why should they care? Why 

should it bother them? If you can’t 

answer, the story may not be worth 

pursuing. 

• If you see an issue discussed in a 

national or international publication, 

find out if the same problem exists 

in your area. The answer is likely to 

be yes. What are health officials in 

your region doing to protect 

consumers from mad cow disease, 

for example? Or how are national 

efforts to halt trafficking reflected in 

your community? 



Story Ideas: 

Going Beneath the Surface 

You have been assigned to cover the growing problem in your country of 

trafficking in humans, many of whom are women taken from one country to 

another and forced to work as sex slaves. You know some of the obvious stories: 

What is your government doing to stop trafficking? What is life like for women 

who are trafficked? But you want to go beyond these stories to explore facets of 

the problem that have not been reported. 

Here are some ideas, courtesy of journalism trainer Carolyn Robinson, that 

show how the problem impacts more than just the lives of individual victims. 

Nearly any other social issues topic will have a similar wealth of untapped story 

ideas. 

20


Business 

• What do traffickers do with their 

profits? 

• Are any international investors 

staying away from the region 

because of this problem? 

• How has the tourism industry been 

affected? 

• What respectable businesses are 

involved in trafficking, intentionally 

or unintentionally? 

Health 

• How is the health care system 

fighting the problem? 

• Is there any increase in sexually 

transmitted diseases or other 

illnesses because of trafficking? 

• What happens to pregnant trafficked 

women and their children? 

• What psychological methods are 

used against women, both to recruit 

and keep them? 

• What psychological treatments are 

used to help rehabilitate women? 

Education 

• What are schools doing to educate 

young people about this problem 

and prevent young people from 

becoming victims? 

• Do educational campaigns exist to 

make men aware that women they 

hire for sex may have been 

trafficked unwillingly from other 

countries? To make people aware 

that trafficked women and children 

are lured with lies and promises of a 

better life elsewhere? To help 

people understand that returned 

trafficking victims were not 

volunteers and need community 

services and support? 

Religion and Society 

• What are religious institutions doing 

about the problem? 

• How does trafficking affect the 

average citizen who is not directly 

involved? 

• What do residents of communities 

where trafficked women are forced 

to work think about the issue? 

Science and Technology 

• What new scientific or technological 

methods are being used to fight 

trafficking? 

• What kind of technology are 

traffickers using to conduct their 

business or evade law 

enforcement? 

Politics 

• Have any political groups or parties 

joined together in the fight against 

trafficking? 

• What legislation is being discussed 

to fight trafficking? 

• What legislation does other 

countries have? 

• What are the impediments to 

passing anti-trafficking legislation? 

International Relations 

• What international laws prevent 

trafficking? 

• What loopholes in international law 

allow trafficking? 

• How do international groups 

contribute to the problem? 

• What sanctions do aid donor 

countries employ to force 

governments to crack down on 

traffickers and how do such 

sanctions affect the country? 



• Do countries that share borders 

across which women are trafficked 

cooperate to end the practice? Do 

elements within governments 

cooperate to profit by it? 

• Has trafficking strained relations 

between different countries in the 

region? 

Labor 

• What industries use trafficked 

people other than sex-for-hire 

businesses? 

• Why do they turn to this source of 

labor? What legitimate workers are 

displaced when trafficked people 

are used? 

Transportation 

• How do traffickers transport their 

victims? 

• How do they organize travel across 

borders? 

• What routes do they use? 

Crime and Justice 

• How do people become traffickers? 

What are their motives? 

• How closely is trafficking in humans 

tied to trafficking in drugs and 

weapons? 

• How does corruption allow 

traffickers to work unpunished? 

• Are clients punished for patronizing 

trafficked women? 

• How much does it cost to 

investigate, prosecute and punish 

those involved in trafficking? 

Success 

• What approaches have worked 

against trafficking? In this country? 

In other countries? 

• What radical solutions have been 

proposed? 

• How do women escape from 

traffickers? 

• Where is trafficking least? 

successful? Why? 

22





When a category of people—an ethnic or religious group, for example—is 

portrayed as having one or perhaps several key characteristics, that is called a 

stereotype. The characteristic might be a physical trait, as in the belief that Jews 

have big noses. It might be a behavioral trait, as with the notion that all gay men 

are promiscuous or all Russians are alcoholics. While such beliefs may seem 

relatively harmless, they can in fact be very hurtful and even destructive. 

In one sense, it is completely understandable that we have stereotypes of certain 

groups of people. It’s part of how we come to understand the world. Most of us 

grow up in societies in which social, ethnic and economic groups are divided 

from one another, and people have little opportunity to learn about others who 

are not like themselves. 

24


When reporters write about social 

issues, however, they need to learn 

how to recognize the stereotypes they 

have. Social issues reporting involves 

covering people different from 

yourself, whether they are refugees, 

gays and lesbians, people with AIDS, 

the elderly or someone of another 

ethnicity. And unless you recognize 

the preconceived notions you may be 

carrying around in your head, it will be 

difficult to portray members of these 

groups as complex and distinct 

individuals. 

It’s not easy to examine your own 

prejudices, or even to acknowledge 

that you have them. In fact, such 

biases are frequently unconscious, 

and it can take courage and a certain 

amount of willpower to force yourself 

to challenge them. When you do, 

you’re likely to discover that these 

stereotypes are founded not on 

facts but on unfair generalizations. 

Admitting that to yourself can be 

painful. But it is a necessary part of 

the process of writing fair and effective 

stories about social issues. 

To avoid the pitfalls of stereotypes: 

• Don’t write about any category of 

people without spending as much 

time as possible with members of 

that group. You need to listen to 

what they tell you about their lives. 

You need to approach them with an 

open mind, so that you can actually 

hear what they are telling you rather 

than fitting everything into your own 

conception of who they are. 

• Think about the ways that other 

groups stereotype people of your 

own ethnicity, religion, economic 

class, profession and so on. Reflect 

on how that makes you feel. Are you 

angry? Upset? Hurt? Then imagine 

how people in other groups, 

especially disadvantaged groups, 

feel when they read articles or view 

programs in which they are 

portrayed in stereotypical ways. 

• It is always possible to find people 

who conform to stereotypes. There 

are definitely rich Jews, gay men 

who like to dress in women’s 

clothes, Roma who are thieves and 

Arabs who are terrorists. It’s not 

unusual for stereotypes to have a bit 

of truth in them. But finding such an 

example, and including it in your 

article or broadcast, does nothing to 

prove that a stereotype is true. What 

usually is more interesting, for the 

journalist as well as the audience, is 

to find examples that contradict the 

stereotype, and to write about those. 

• Pay attention to language. The 

words that people use to describe 

another social or ethnic group are 

often not the words that members of 

that other group prefer. Just 

because a word does not sound like 

an insult to you, or is not meant as 

an insult, does not mean someone 

else can’t experience it that way. In 

general, social groups should be 

called by the names that their 

members prefer. 

• Social issues reporting often 

involves describing a conflict 

between two or more ethnicities, 

religions or other groups of people. 

Even if you belong to one of these 

groups, avoid name-calling and 

stereotyping those on the other side. 

Most conflicts cannot easily be 

reduced to a right-and-wrong 

polarity. The truth is usually far more 

complex. As a journalist, your job is 

to move beyond your own 



Part of recognizing 

your own stereotypes 

is learning 

how to approach 

people with a 

sense of openness 

and humility. 

stereotypes and explore the 

nuances of a situation by talking 

with people involved on all sides. 

• Spend as much time as you can 

with people whose lives differ from 

your own. If you’re writing about the 

homeless, spend time with them on 

the street. If your story is about the 

lack of access to public buildings for 

the disabled, spend a day in a 

wheelchair or with someone who 

uses one. If you’re writing about the 

Jewish community, attend services 

at the local synagogue and have 

Shabbat dinner with a Jewish family. 

If you’re covering an emerging gay 

rights movement, spend time with 

members of a gay organization. 

• Don’t be afraid to ask people— 

politely, of course—about the 

stereotypes used to describe their 

groups. Find out how they feel about 

the language other people use. 

Many people will be willing to 

discuss why certain words or 

attitudes are hurtful. They may even 

be grateful to have an opportunity to 

explain who they are, what they 

believe, and why they feel the 

stereotype is unfair or just wrong. In 

fact, a story about the history of a 

particular stereotype, and the ways 

in which it does not conform to 

reality, could make a very interesting 

and provocative story. 

• Part of recognizing your own 

stereotypes is learning how to 

approach people with a sense of 

openness and humility. People can 

often sense if you have unfair 

prejudices, if you are holding onto 

damaging stereotypes. Your job is to 

try to understand the world from 

their perspective, not to tell them 

why or how they should change 

their behavior or lifestyle. 

• One way to avoid stereotypes and 

make sure your stories are culturally 

sensitive is to consult the people in 

your newsroom who are members 

of the group you are covering. If you 

are from the majority Christian 

population of a West African country 

and you are writing about the 

minority Muslim population, show 

your story to a Muslim colleague. 

She might notice that something in 

the story is insensitive to people of 

her faith, something that never 

would have occurred to you. This is 

one of many reasons why it is a 

good idea to have diverse 

population groups represented in 

your newsroom. 

26


Case Study 

Roma War in Szentpal 

In Somogyszentpal, the controversy between the Roma and other inhabitants of 

the village seems insoluble. The tension is permanent. Most people, particularly 

from the older population, do no even report anymore when someone breaks 

into their homes because they are afraid to do so. The local government has 

attempted to control the situation, yet until now all its attempts have failed. 

Dr. Sandor Berenyi, the major of Somogyszentpal, said: “Until now, the Roma 

living in the village have demolished several dozen empty houses; there is 

hardly a cellar that they have not broken into yet; they constantly steal from 

gardens and from the forest.” 

The local authority has tried everything to resolve the situation. It contacted the 

national organizations of ethnic minorities and it also asked the ethnic research 

group of the Hungarian Academy of Science to investigate the situation of the 

Roma in Szentpal and to suggest possible solutions. “All for nothing – they 

come here, look around and acknowledge that the problem is much more 

severe than anything they have ever seen,” said Dr. Sandor Berenyi. 

“None of those we have asked so far could give us any guidance as to how to 

resolve our problems. Now, more than 30% of the population is Roma, and 

public security is so bad that the entire future development of the village is in 

jeopardy. This is so despite the fact that there would be work for them in the 

village and that the local government spends nearly 30 million forints per year 

on their aid.” 

People in Somogyszentpal even attempted to form a “civic guard” in order to 

improve their feeling of security. However, even this did not lead to any 

improvement. After a few months, nobody was left who was willing to patrol the 

streets, everybody was too afraid. 

Dr. Sandor Berenyi said the local government keeps looking for an appropriate 

solution. However, if they are unsuccessful in the short term, they will resolve 

the long lasting problem themselves and they will expel from the village the 

families who cause most of the damage. 

Új Néplap, Budapest, Jan. 25, 2002 

*Reprinted with permission from Reporting Diversity Manual by David Tuller 

(Media Diversity Institute 2002). 


Case Study: Roma War in Szentpal 

This 

headline is misleading 

and inflammatory. The 

problem is not a Roma “war” but 

apparently a conflict between the 

Roma and other inhabitants. The 

headline makes the assumption that 

the situation is completely the fault of 

the Roma – and not just individual 

Roma but the village’s entire 

Roma population. 

Questions to Consider 

Keep in mind that language 

is very important when trying 

to avoid stereotypes! 

What is 

the evidence for 

this? How can he be sure 

that the Roma are 

responsible for all the 

problems? 

Why 

did the reporter not contact 

the Hungarian Academy of Science 

directly to ask about the situation? Why 

has he not made contact with the Roma 

themselves to find out their 

perspective? 

Why? 

What happened 

after a few months? 

Was someone attacked? 

If not, what changed? 

Why were they willing 

to patrol at first but 

not later? 

What 

kind of work would 

be there for them? What 

efforts have been made to 

help them? What is the aid that 

they receive? Answers to 

these questions would 

improve the article. 

Is 

it just a problem 

with a few families? If 

so, why is the reporter 

blaming all the Roma? 

28





Talking to people is at the heart of good reporting, but it can pose special 

challenges in social issue beats. Whether the subject is religion, education, 

poverty, prisons, ethnic conflict, health care or environmental problems, your 

stories will succeed or fail depending upon the people you find to populate 

them—and whether the tales and information they are willing to disclose to you 

are compelling. 

Readers and viewers want to learn about someone they can relate to. Without 

revealing personal accounts, stories about social issues remain flat and lifeless. 

It is your job not only to find those people but also to elicit from them material 

that will keep your audience’s attention. Remember that even if your interview 

subjects are not experts in the academic sense, they are the experts when it 

comes to their own lives. 

28


Beginning journalists often find 

themselves intimidated at the prospect 

of talking to people they don’t know. 

But they frequently find, to their 

surprise, that many people like being 

asked their opinion about something 

or to tell their own stories. While some 

may refuse to talk to you, others may 

be more than willing to share their 

ideas, thoughts and personal 

experiences. 

Here are some strategies to help you 

get the most out of your interviews: 

• Prepare as much as possible in 

advance for an interview. Draw up a 

list of questions that you’d like to 

ask. It is important however, to 

remain flexible enough to move in a 

different direction, depending upon 

the answers you receive. If an 

unexpected but promising line of 

questioning develops, pursue it. 

• If possible, try to meet people in 

their office, home or somewhere 

they feel comfortable. When people 

are at ease, they often disclose 

more than they would in other 

contexts. Visiting them in their own 

environment will also give you a 

better sense of who they are, how 

they live and what they value. 

• When arranging an interview with 

subjects who say they are extremely 

busy, always ask for less time than 

you really want. If you ask for too 

much, they are likely to refuse. But 

more often than not, the allotted 

time will pass and they won’t even 

notice. 

• It is sometimes a good idea to start 

an interview with small talk. If you’re 

in someone’s office, ask about a 

memento or a family photo on the 

desk or a piece of art on the wall. 

This will encourage the person to 

start talking on a neutral subject and 

can be an effective way to defuse 

defensiveness or reluctance to talk. 

• With the exception of some 

bureaucrats and public figures, no 

one is obligated to talk to you, so 

those who take the time and open 

up are doing you a favor. Treat them 

accordingly. Remember that they 

may never have talked to or even 

met a journalist before, and they 

could be very nervous. Be gracious 

and accommodating. Greet them 

warmly, make lots of eye contact 

and thank them. 

• Approach interviews with an open 

mind and accept people on their 

own terms. Especially when it 

comes to social issues, many of 

your sources will have lives 

completely different from yours. 

They may be of a different religion, 

sexual orientation or ethnicity. If they 

feel like you’re judging them or 

preaching to them, they’re much 

less likely to open up to you and 

provide you with material you can 

use. 

• Don’t assume you know what 

someone is going to tell you. 

Otherwise, you may not hear the 

little nugget of information that 

would surprise you or send you 

down a different but fruitful reporting 

path. Most interviews should be 

viewed as an opportunity for you to 

learn something new and not just a 

chance to verify something you 

already know. 

• Take meticulous notes, even if you 

are tape recording the conversation. 

Recorders have a nasty habit of not 

working just when you need them 



most, so it is important to have 

handwritten notes as a backup. It is 

also much less time consuming to 

pull a quote from a few pages of 

notes than to find it on a long tape 

recording. 

• Illuminating, entertaining or unusual 

quotes always enliven a story. 

Readers want to know how people 

express themselves, and quotes 

allow them to hear in their minds 

how people talk. Listen for phrases 

and sentences that convey both 

interesting information and a sense 

of the person’s speaking style. 

• Leave the most difficult or hardhitting 

questions until the end. It 

does happen that someone being 

interviewed might halt an interview 

rather than respond to a tough 

question. So it is more strategic to 

start with softer, easier ones just to 

make sure you get something out of 

the interview. This gradual approach 

also may help relax the person, 

which could make them feel more 

comfortable answering more difficult 

questions later on. 

Some people say the 

most interesting 

things once the formal 

interview is over. 

• Some people say the most 

interesting things once the formal 

interview is over. Just because 

you’ve shut your tape recorder off or 

closed your notebook doesn’t mean 

you should stop paying attention. If 

someone takes that moment to start 

divulging information, open your 

notebook again and continue the 

interview. 

• Public officials understand the 

consequences of talking to a 

reporter, but many people 

interviewed for social issues stories 

have never talked to a journalist. It’s 

best to avoid using anonymous 

sources whenever possible, but 

sources for social issues stories 

may have good reasons to ask that 

you not use their names. Illegal 

immigrants or victims of sexual 

violence, for example, may suffer 

severe consequences if you use 

their names. You need to make sure 

they understand that you intend to 

use what they tell you in a story and 

to quote them by name. If they are 

not comfortable with the 

consequences, try to find a different 

source who doesn’t mind being 

identified, because that always 

makes your story more credible. 

• If you do decide to quote someone 

anonymously, it is always important 

to explain as clearly as possible why 

they don’t want to be identified. That 

will help the audience determine 

whether the source might be using 

the cloak of anonymity to advance a 

particular political perspective or 

criticize someone unfairly. You also 

should include as much information 

about them as they feel comfortable 

with—for example, their profession, 

city of residence or whatever—as 

long as it wouldn’t be possible to 

identify them fully from that 

information. That will also help the 

audience determine how credible 

the information is. 

30


• When the interview is over, always 

ask whether the person knows of 

anyone else you might interview, 

whether a friend, colleague or family 

member. Also explain that you might 

get in touch again if you have any 

further questions. Except for cases 

when the interview has been 

confrontational, the person probably 

will readily encourage you to do so. 


Asking the Questions 

Asking the Questions 

Let’s say you’ve arranged to interview someone with AIDS. You want to 

approach the person gently, of course, but you also want to get as much 

information as possible for your story. Here are some suggestions for 

questions you might ask. When conducting interviews, it’s important that you 

remain flexible and depart from your planned list of questions if the interview 

takes you in an unexpected direction. 

1. How are you today? What feelings do you have about talking to a 

reporter? 

2. What have you told people close to you, such as your parents, siblings, 

children and friends, about your health? 

3. What kind of health care have you been receiving? How is your 

relationship with your doctor? 

4. How is your health generally these days? What specific medical problems 

have you had recently, if any? 

5. How many other people know about your condition? What problems has 

your condition caused at work, or in the building or neighborhood where 

you live? 

6. What did you know about HIV/AIDS before you found out you were 

infected? What was your impression about how it was transmitted? 

7. What stereotypes did you have about people infected with HIV before you 

found out? Has that changed? 

8. How do you think you became infected? What was your first reaction 

when you found out that you were infected? 

9. How have you coped since finding out? What changes have you made in 

your life, if any? 

10. How have your values in life—for example, spiritual values or attitudes 

toward family, love, work and so on—changed since finding out? 

11. Have you become involved in HIV-related organizations? 

12. Can you suggest any other people—including others with HIV, family 

members or health professionals—who would be useful to talk with? 

32


Choosing a 

Format for the 

Story 

Stories about social issues can take 

many forms. Some are basic news 

stories—a study on cancer rates is 

released, a politician takes a stand or 

makes a speech for or against 

immigration, a conference on povertyfighting 

efforts begins. Other pieces 

focus on trends, such as a change in 

social attitudes toward an issue or 

other developments occurring over 

time. Profiles of people or institutions 

are a common approach, as are 

investigative stories. 

One of the exciting aspects of 

covering social issues is that stories 

can be in practically any format. And 

as you gather your material, you’ll 

need to think about what approach 

would work best. Often this will be 

self-evident; other times you may 

have several choices. The decision 

will depend upon the amount of 

information you have, how much time 

you have to prepare the piece, and 

which part of the material you would 

like to emphasize. 

Here are some suggestions to help 

you make that decision: 

• News stories are the most 

straightforward approach and are 

frequently the most appropriate. If 

someone were giving a speech 

about a social issue, this would 

most likely translate into a news 

piece. A story about a new study or 

report would also be likely to fall into 

the news format, but it could also 

take an explanatory approach. Even 

a news or explanatory piece, 

however, should include comment 

from other sources—those in the 

audience who disagree with the 

speechmaker, for example, or 

scientists whose research 

contradicts what the new study 

claims. 

• A news feature is generally a story 

about a trend or a development 

happening over time. The impetus 

for the story might be an event—the 

same study, for example, that could 

serve as the basis for a simple news 

story. But a news feature could 

develop the information into a larger 

theme. If a report suggests that a 

particular lake is polluted, for 

example, it could be a key element 

in a larger story about pollution 

throughout the region. 

• People love reading about or seeing 

other people, so profiles are often 

the best way to convey important 

information. The key is to pick 

someone through whom you can 

address a particular issue. This 

could be an environmental activist, 

for example, or a politician whose 

prime interest is fighting 

discrimination against a religious 

minority. By focusing on an 

individual, you can draw the reader 

or viewer in while addressing a 

larger issue. 

• A question-and-answer interview 

format can be especially effective 

when it allows sources to express 

thoughts in their own words. The 

way they talk and their choice of 

expressions can convey a great 

deal to the audience. But this 


Choosing a Format for the Story 

approach works best if the 

interviewer is extremely well-versed 

in the subject and has the 

knowledge and skill to ask the 

person difficult questions. If other 

sources are not included, it can 

become a forum for a person to 

present one view unchallenged. 

• Sometimes you might want to profile 

not a major newsmaker but an 

ordinary person affected by events. 

Spend the day with an illegal 

immigrant, for example, and 

describe what life is like from that 

person’s perspective. Or spend time 

with a family that lives in the shadow 

of a chemical plant. People are 

interested in learning not just about 

authority figures or experts but also 

about others struggling to get by. 

• Whatever the format, the piece 

should be well rounded and include 

information from all sides of a given 

question. No one should be allowed 

to disseminate his or her 

perspective unchallenged. It is the 

reporter’s job to ask tough and 

probing questions, to give the issue 

a thorough airing, and to allow 

anyone criticized— even a 

government official—a chance to 

respond. 

• Social issue stories also lend 

themselves to investigative pieces. 

Investigative journalism usually 

refers to stories that require a great 

deal of digging for information and 

interviews with multiple sources. 

Investigative stories may uncover 

official wrongdoing, a pattern of 

corruption or systemic problems at 

an institution. An example might be 

a story about how tribal leaders are 

stealing aid money meant to raise 

the living standards for indigenous 

people. Because these kinds of 

stories can take a long time to 

report, it is usually essential to have 

the full support of the managers of 

your organization. 

• The format you have chosen for 

your story will help determine the 

style you use to write it, including 

the crucial lead sentence. If you are 

writing a news story, your lead and 

the rest of the story will be written in 

a very straightforward style that 

conveys the most important 

information first. If you are writing a 

feature story, your lead might tell the 

story of a person who illustrates the 

issue you are covering, and it may 

be several paragraphs before you 

give the reader the most important 

information. 

34


Case Study 

Here are four different first paragraphs for a story about a social issue: a 

refugee case in Canada complicated by the practice of female circumcision 

in Nigeria. Each represents a different approach to covering the story, using 

a different format. 

The first is a news story about an announcement: 

Immigration Canada announced Wednesday that a Nigerian refugee who 

has spent seven years in Montreal will be granted refugee status. 

Luzy Nasharo, 38, won her appeal to stay with her 7-year-old Canadian-born 

daughter, Hester, said Nancy Castillo, spokesman for Citizenship and 

Immigration Canada. 

Although Nasharo has no memory of a village elder circumcising her in her 

native Nigeria, she feared the same fate befalling her daughter if she were 

deported and returned with Hester, who is the subject of a court order 

allowing her to remain in Canada. 

This feature approach on the hard news gives the reader 

more of the flavor of the refugee’s story and struggle: 

Just a day after a Nigerian refugee and 20 members of the Montreal 

Coalition Against Poverty stormed two immigration offices, the appeal to halt 

her deportation was granted. 

“Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this wonderful country,” said a 

teary Luzy Nasharo, 38, after hearing she had won her appeal to stay with 

her Canadian-born 7-year-old daughter. 

This version takes a profile approach, from the perspective 

of an interview with the refugee and her daughter, the 

main characters in the story: 

All day long at her Catholic school, 7-year-old Hester Nasharo prayed silently 

with one thought on her mind. “I said, ‘God please let us stay in the country’ 

and it did work,” the girl said Wednesday. 


Case Study 

After school, Hester’s mother, Luzy Nasharo, who was to have been deported 

to Nigeria, told her daughter the good news. “I told her they want us to stay in 

Canada,” Nasharo said. “She said, ‘God, thank you so much, my wish came 

true.’” 

Nasharo, 38, and her Canadian-born daughter had been dreading having to 

abandon their lives here. The single mother is a failed refugee claimant. She 

said she feared returning home with Hester because female genital mutilation 

is routinely performed on girls in her native Edo state. 

This version tells the story by exploring the issue at the 

heart of the refugee’s appeal. In this story, the refugee 

personifies the issue. The decision about her case is not 

the main thrust of the story. 

In some African cultures, female circumcision is seen as a way to curb sexual 

promiscuity. In the face of long-held tradition and custom, new laws on the 

books have had little success in doing away with the practice. 

The practice in Nigeria and current laws have become part of a very public 

immigration case, as a Nigerian woman seeking to remain in Canada 

appealed that her return would jeopardize her 7-year-old daughter. 

Luzy Nasharo, 38, argued that as a single mother, she would have no choice 

but to live with her elderly and traditional father if she returned to Nigeria. She 

said her father and community elders would demand that the little girl undergo 

the procedure, particularly since Hester was born out of wedlock. 

A 2003 report by the World Health Organization estimated that about 60 

percent of Nigeria’s female population has endured female genital mutilation. 

The report says that according to local experts, the “actual prevalence may be 

as high as 100 percent in some ethnic enclaves in the south,” which includes 

Edo State, which is Nasharo’s home. 

36


Finding 

Documents 

Documents are not a necessary 

component of all social-issues 

reporting. But they can add depth and 

authority to your stories, especially 

when combined with personal tales 

from those affected by the situation or 

issue at hand. And they can be used 

not just in large-scale investigative 

pieces but also with stories in other 

formats as well. 

Different countries, of course, have 

different policies and laws on 

government and corporate papers and 

information. And even when the law 

requires public disclosure of certain 

documents, that doesn’t mean that 

officials willingly make them available, 

especially if no effective legal 

mechanisms force their release. 

Confidential informants are often the 

best sources for obtaining files and 

documents that expose some official 

wrongdoing or deception. It is critical, 

however, to verify that documents are 

authentic before basing your material 

on them. It is also important to 

determine whether you are within your 

legal rights to have them and, further, 

to disseminate them. 

Here are some suggestions about 

what kinds of documents might be 

available and how you might use 

them: 

• Government materials can be 

among the hardest to obtain. But in 

newly emerging democracies, as in 

developed countries, official 

agencies often produce reports, 

studies and other documents 

available for scrutiny. Even if these 

documents portray a false reality or 

feature excessively optimistic data, 

you may be able to prove that the 

claims in them are misleading by 

citing studies or statistics from 

NGOs and other sources. 

• Not all documents are hidden away 

and accessible only through leaks. 

A country’s constitution, for 

example, is a public document, and 

it may guarantee certain rights in the 

area covered by your beat. 

Legislation before elected bodies, 

either national or local, is also 

generally public, but few reporters 

take the time to read such 

documents closely. Comparing what 

the law requires against the reality 

can make a very effective story. 

• The health ministry may conduct 

evaluations of hospitals and clinics. 

The environmental ministry may 

examine how effectively businesses 

clean up their wastes. Get to know 

the people in the public agencies 

that deal with your subject area. 

Find someone who can explain how 

things work and what documents 

are created in the course of the 

institution’s regular functioning. That 

will help you decide what materials 

might help your reporting. 

• Private companies are springing up 

even in the most closed societies. 

And private companies all produce 

reams of documents on their 

operations. Many will be 

confidential, of course, but 

depending upon your country’s laws 

on corporate governance, 

companies may be required to 

disclose some of this material. Find 

out exactly what you have the right 

to see—and then ask for it. 


Finding Documents 

• Consulting with a lawyer, especially 

one familiar with media law, is often 

an important part of the process. 

First, you want to protect yourself by 

making sure that it is not illegal for 

you to obtain and disseminate 

information from certain documents. 

Second, you want to know what 

your rights are to see certain 

documents so you can feel 

comfortable demanding them. 

• Don’t ignore personal documents 

that people can give you 

themselves. If you’re writing about 

someone with AIDS, perhaps they 

can give you a copy of their medical 

records. If someone has filed a 

lawsuit, they or their attorney may 

be able to provide you a copy, as 

well as supporting documentation. If 

you’re writing about juvenile crime, a 

parent might give you their child’s 

court documents or an NGO may be 

able to help you access police 

statistics. 

• If you’re writing a profile, quoting 

from letters, diaries and other kinds 

of personal papers can help the 

story come alive. Such documents 

enrich and humanize a person’s tale 

and can help authenticate what you 

have been told. And don’t forget 

about birth, marriage and death 

certificates to verify dates, 

relationships and other facts. 

• Depending upon the story, there 

might also be a use for such simple 

items as phone bills, receipts for 

purchases made or services used, 

restaurant menus, insurance 

records and bank account 

statements. Creative reporters have 

found ways to take advantage of all 

these documents, although their 

relevance to the story must always 

be definitively established. 

• NGOs can be an excellent source 

for documents, either from within 

your country or outside. They can 

also help with advice on what else 

might be available and how you can 

get it. In addition, many 

organizations produce documents— 

reports, analyses, critiques—that 

can be useful. 

• If you use documents or quote from 

them, be sure to describe them fully 

and accurately. That’s the only way 

readers or viewers can judge the 

information for themselves. If you 

obtained them through a confidential 

source, you can keep the person’s 

identity a secret. But if the person 

has a vested interest in having the 

information made public, you should 

inform your audience of the 

motivation for the disclosure. 

• Even if you have difficulty obtaining 

local documents, you might be able 

to find relevant material from 

international NGOs. They produce 

reports and analyses, and some 

may relate to the situation in your 

country or community. Local NGOs 

can lead you to affiliated 

international groups. 

• The Internet is becoming an greater 

resource for documents. In many 

countries, much information formerly 

included only in printed reports is 

now available online. Even if this is 

not true where you live, you may be 

able to obtain documents elsewhere 

and use those if they shed light on 

situations at home. The Web sites of 

international organizations like the 

United Nations, the World Bank and 

the U.S. Agency for International 

Development, for example, contain 

a wealth of information on every 

country in the world. 

38


Finding Documents Online 

Your assignment is to cover poverty in your country. Where do you begin to find 

documents? Many international and local NGOs and government bodies provide 

written reports and analysis on social issues, and much of this information can 

be found on the Internet. Below is a sample of the types of statistics you can find 

on poverty in your country, which could provide greater depth to your reporting 

or generate new ideas for stories. The same organizations offer a wealth of 

information on their Web sites for all kinds of social issues. 

The World Bank — www.worldbank.org 

The World Bank produces annual reports and analysis on poverty (among other 

social issues). PovertyNet (http://www.worldbank.org/wbp/) includes regional 

and global statistics and trends, as well as poverty and health indicators. Here is 

a sample: 

• Almost 20% of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina lived below the poverty line 

in 2001-2002 (13.8% in urban areas; 19.9 % in rural areas). 

• In 2000, the estimated percentage of population with access to improved 

drinking water sources in Congo was 51% (71% in urban areas; 17% in rural 

areas). 

• In Algeria, 6% of children under 5 are malnourished. 

• China’s current gross domestic product rose from 946.3 billion in 1998 to 1.2 

trillion in 2000; however, growth was not significant from 2000 to 2002 reports. 

Life Expectancy of People in the Caucasus 

Countries 2000 2001 2002 

Armenia 74 74 75 

Azerbaijan 65 65 65 

Georgia 73 73 73 

Source: World Development Indicators database 


Finding Documents Online 

UNESCO Institute for Statistics —www.uis.unesco.org 

UNESCO’s Web site contains illiteracy rates by country, like El Salvador, and 

predicts future rates. 

Illiteracy Rates in El Salvador, Ages 15-24 (%) 

Year Total Male Female 

1990 16.2 14.9 17.4 

1995 13.9 12.9 14.8 

2000 11.8 11 12.7 

2005 10 9.4 10.6 

2010 8.4 7.9 8.8 

2015 7.1 6.8 7.4 

UNICEF — www.unicef.org 

The annual State of the World’s Children report provides poverty data by 

country. The Under-5 Mortality Rate for 2004 is the probability of a child dying 

between infancy and 5 years old (expressed per 1,000 live births). Here is a 

sample: 

Belarus: 20 

Eritrea: 89 

Mongolia: 71 

40



Statistics, including surveys and polls, can add a great deal of credibility to your 

stories about social issues. But they can also be misused and misinterpreted. 

Like all information, numerical claims must be verified. The source of the 

statistics should be disclosed, as well as any potential biases of the source, so 

your audience can judge how reliable or biased the figures might be. Statistics 

can form the basis of news pieces if they shed light on some important social 

problem. Surveys of unemployment rates, for example, tend to be widely 

reported in many countries. Polls of public opinion on major issues, such as 

attitudes toward refugees, also can be very revealing. But effective use of 

statistics can also strengthen social issue stories in any format. Here are some 

suggestions on using statistics to bolster your reporting: 

• Don’t trust every figure or poll. Many are presented or sponsored by 

organizations that have a significant interest in the outcome of the debate. That 

doesn’t automatically invalidate a statistic, but it should increase your 

skepticism. If you have real doubts about whether figures are accurate, you 

should decline to use them until you can verify them. 

• Learn how to evaluate a poll’s methodology. It is easy to design survey 

questions that generate desired responses. A different set of questions could 

yield apparently contradictory answers. If you’re not sure of a poll’s validity, ask 

the researcher to explain the design. If a set of statistics seems too good to be 

true, it might be. 

• Cultivate a source who is a statistician and who understands how to evaluate 

statistics and surveys. That way, when you have a question about a set of 

figures, you can get an objective answer as to how much weight to assign 

them. 

• If an issue is controversial, as many social problems are, any survey or set of 

statistics is likely to please some people and upset others. Opponents will 

undoubtedly attempt to challenge the methodology or the political or social 

perspective of a source. Such objections, if realistic, should be a part of your 

story and can be a starting point for discussions with the pollster. 

• When you’re using figures, make sure they add up. Double- and triple-check 

the numbers. Nothing is more embarrassing than a reader or viewer accurately 

pointing out that a poll’s percentages add up to more than 100 percent or other 

simple—and completely avoidable—mathematical or methodological mistakes. 

• Place figures in some sort of context, whenever possible. Numbers often make 

more sense when compared to something else. If the average farmer’s income 

declined by 50 percent last year, for example, make sure you also note from


which level it declined. If a new 

study shows that a certain 

percentage of heavy smokers 

develop diabetes, include what 

percentage of non-smokers develop 

diabetes. 

• Try to compare figures that you use 

in a story to something your 

audience can relate to. For 

example, if farmers in a jungle 

region of your country deforest a 

certain number of hectares per year 

to plant crops, tell your readers or 

viewers how big that is. The size of 

10 football fields? The size of the 

province that includes your city? 

Such comparisons help the 

audience understand numbers. 

• One common mistake is confusing a 

percentage change with a 

percentage point change. For 

example, if the poverty rate in your 

country increased last year from 20 

percent to 22 percent of the 

population, it did not increase by 2 

percent. It increased by 2 

percentage points, which is very 

different. It actually increased by 10 

percent. (That is, 10 percent more 

people lived in poverty last year 

than did the year before.) 

• Don’t overload your story with 

statistics. Figures can be a powerful 

element of your material, but it is 

hard for readers and viewers to 

absorb too many at once. Pick the 

most telling numbers and use them 

to prove your point, but try not to 

include more than a couple of 

statistics in a sentence or 

paragraph. 

• Use figures as a starting point, not 

as the only point. Statistics can 

guide you in preparing your 

material, but only the most 

surprising or unexpected should 

form the core of your story. Flesh 

out the figures by finding real people 

who embody the issues, problems 

or dilemma represented by the 

numbers. 

International Center for Journalists 

42


Case Study 

Reporting on social trends based on the latest 

statistics can be tricky. Unless research data is 

carefully scrutinized, it is easy to misinterpret results 

or make false assumptions about what statistics 

mean. 

For example, on Feb. 27, 2000, The Washington Post reported on an upward 

trend of women making more money than their husbands.* “In a striking 

rewriting of the age-old compact between husbands and wives, the proportion 

of couples in which the woman is chief breadwinner has been increasing so 

markedly that nearly one in three working wives nationwide now is paid more 

than her husband, compared with fewer than one in five in 1980,” the Post 

reported. 

The front-page article contained anecdotes from several high-powered 

women in the area, including a lawyer, a cardiologist and an economist, who 

earned a larger salary than their spouses. What’s wrong with this story? The 

Statistical Assessment Service (www.stats.org) in Washington, D.C., keeps its 

eyes open for incorrect reporting on statistical information, and they found 

two major flaws: 

1. Is this really a trend? The study showed that the number of women who 

were paid more than their husbands did rise— from 7 million women in 1980 

to 10.5 million in 1998. However, this number had barely increased since 

1993. Should this be considered a trend because the statistics hadn’t 

changed much in the previous seven years? 

2. Are these women accurately represented? The article portrayed women 

who earn more than their husbands as being lawyers and doctors. If the 

numbers in the survey were broken down correctly, the majority of women 

who made more than their husbands were not in high-powered jobs, but held 

working-class jobs, like waitressing. Only 9 percent of married working 

women had a graduate-degree education. 

* Reported in “Gender Income Inequalities” on www.stats.org, March 1, 2000, 

http://www.stats.org/record.jsp?type=news&ID=329 

17



The word is only one part of a story, whether that story appears in a newspaper 

or on TV, radio or the Internet. Words are powerful tools, but the images, 

graphics or—in the case of radio, the sounds—that accompany them can either 

enhance their impact or detract from it. Many print journalists believe that 

illustrating their stories is solely the job of the photo or graphics department. TV 

reporters, for their part, sometimes think that the one holding the camera should 

make all the decisions about the image. 

They’re right, in a sense, but such a limited perspective of a reporter’s 

responsibility does no one any favors. Because it is in your interest to reach the 

maximum number of people with your work, it makes much more sense to take 

an active role in making it appear attractive and informative in all respects. After 

44


all, there’s no point in working on a 

story exposing trafficking networks or 

detailing why schools are not 

receiving all the money they are 

supposed to if no one pays attention. 

Advance planning and coordination 

with others in the newsroom is critical 

to effective presentation. 

Stories about social issues concern 

people and factors that affect their 

quality of life. It is good to enhance 

such stories with images—and sounds 

—that explain or give life to the 

concepts and ideas they describe. 

And because statistics are often 

included—budget numbers, 

demographic figures, polling results— 

it is critical to think about displaying 

those details on the page or screen in 

a way that makes them clear and 

attractive. 

All too often, however, newspaper 

reporters develop a story having given 

no thought to how it will look on the 

page. At times they haven’t even 

informed their editor, much less other 

departments, about their work. While 

this may enhance the reporter’s 

feeling of independence, it 

undermines the possibility that the 

story will receive attention it deserves, 

both within the newsroom and among 

the general public. 

While TV journalists are often more 

aware of the importance of the visual 

element, they, too, should think 

carefully about how to present stories 

in the most arresting ways, and they 

should involve producers and camera 

operators early in decisions on how to 

report a story. 

Radio stories, of course, don’t use 

visuals, but reporters should try to use 

natural sound in their stories to make 

the listener feel he or she is actually 

there. This means capturing the 

sounds of a busy street in a story 

about homeless people, the chattering 

of children in the classroom in an 

education story, or the background 

sounds of a forest in a story about 

preserving natural habitats. 

Here are some tips to ensure that 

material is presented in the most 

effective and eye-catching—or earcatching—manner: 

• As soon as you begin working on a 

story, start thinking about the visual 

or aural possibilities. Discuss what 

you are exploring with your editor or 

producer. If possible, meet with the 

staff photographer or camera 

operator, the graphics person and 

anyone else who will be involved in 

the process of preparing the story 

for publication or broadcast. Even if 

you have no definite ideas about 

visual and aural possibilities, 

including colleagues in the process 

gives you the chance to hear their 

ideas or suggestions about what 

might work best. 

• While you gather material, keep an 

eye out for the possibilities. If you 

receive a statistical report, decide 

early which figures are the most 

important or the easiest to present 

in a chart. Pass the information to 

the graphics department so 

someone can start on the design. If 

you’re producing a radio piece, it’s 

best to keep statistical information to 

a minimum. 

• As you interview people, think about 

photo, video and sound possibilities. 

A portrait or film of someone sitting 

in a chair or behind a desk is usually 



static and boring. Are any of your 

sources engaged in some sort of 

dynamic activity, such as teaching, 

exercising, treating patients? Do 

some sources have particularly 

expressive or animated faces or 

voices? Tell them that you’d like to 

take their picture, film or record 

them. Then make the arrangements 

with your appropriate colleagues so 

that the details can be arranged well 

before deadline. 

• If you’re working in radio, keep your 

ear open for aural possibilities. 

Listen for sounds that augment and 

illustrate your story—an illegal 

immigrant washing dishes, for 

example, or machinery noises for a 

story about plants that generate 

pollution. Pay attention, too, to the 

quality of people’s voices. If you 

have to choose between including 

tape of one person or another, make 

your decision based not just on what 

they say but on whether their 

intonation or the timbre of their voice 

is interesting. 

• Every photo or graphic should have 

a caption explaining who or what it 

is. It is very frustrating to readers to 

see a beautiful photo or wonderfully 

designed chart without any 

explanation of what it means or how 

it relates to the story. The journalist 

should write or at least approve of 

the captions to ensure accuracy. 

• Every photo should indicate who 

took it, and every graphic should 

include the source of the information 

or statistics, whether it’s the 

government, an NGO, a hospital, a 

school or whatever. That offers 

readers guidance for interpreting the 

material. 

• It is a major principle of journalistic 

ethics that photos and video should 

not be manipulated or electronically 

altered, even if doing so makes the 

image more startling or compelling. 

Photos of criminal suspects should 

not be darkened, for example, 

because that could influence people 

to believe more strongly in their 

guilt. And it is wrong to combine two 

photographs to make it appear that 

people who never met are actually 

talking to each other. One exception 

to this principle is protecting 

people’s confidentiality by obscuring 

their faces. But make it clear to the 

reader or viewer that the image has 

been manipulated. 

• Because images can have such a 

powerful impact, it is critical that 

they accurately convey the essence 

of the story. Sometimes a photo or 

video image is what people will 

remember most; it may be the only 

thing they remember. So when 

selecting the visual elements, you 

want to be sure that they reflect 

what is actually being reported. 

• Just as you should avoid 

stereotypes in your portrayals of 

people from different demographic 

groups, it is important to follow the 

same principle when it comes to the 

visual aspect of your story. Use 

photographs, video and sound to 

challenge or surprise readers, not to 

reinforce biases and prejudices. If 

the piece is about the Roma, for 

example, include images of one of 

them at work rather than begging. 

Consider less common forms of 

graphic presentation of your 

material. Look through other 

publications for ideas. A map of 

some sort is often an effective way 

of showing exactly where something 

46


is taking place, for example. Think 

about what kind of charts—bar 

graphs, pie charts, tables—would 

present the material in the clearest 

and most effective manner. 


Following Up 

Following Up 

Once you’ve written your first few 

pieces on a social issues beat, you’ll 

want to take stock of what you’ve 

done and decide how to proceed 

further. Hopefully, your initial stories 

will provide you with both sources and 

ideas for additional reporting. Perhaps 

you’ve received some calls with 

further tips to check out. Or maybe 

some action has been taken to 

address the problems covered in your 

work. 

In any event, a key aspect of 

successfully covering poverty or 

immigration or any social issue is 

knowing how and when to follow up. 

Here are some suggestions for doing 

so: 

• As you gather and prepare material, 

it will often become apparent early 

on that you will not be able to fit 

everything you’ve learned into one 

story. Other aspects of an issue can 

become the basis of follow-up 

pieces. They may require significant 

additional reporting, or you may 

actually have enough with just one 

or two extra phone calls. 

• In the course of reporting, you are 

likely to come across other ideas 

you want to pursue later. These 

clues to additional stories might 

arise, for example, from offhand 

remarks your sources make, or 

something you notice in a document 

search that is interesting but not 

relevant to the story at hand. Keep a 

running list of such ideas, and when 

you’re done with one story, review 

the list and pick the most interesting 

one as the next. 

• Pay attention to any changes that 

occur after a story has run. Perhaps 

some new legislation has been 

introduced, or an NGO has 

launched a new initiative. Once 

you’ve reported on a topic, sources 

will often contact you to keep you up 

to date, but you should also make a 

point of finding out what has 

happened since the piece appeared. 

• Continue to read everything you can 

about the subject, in both the local 

and national press. Keep track of 

specialized journals, reports issued 

by NGOs and information 

disseminated through the Internet. 

The best way to come up with new 

story ideas is to remain current and 

in touch with trends and issues in 

the area you’re covering. 

• Once you start covering a topic, you 

are likely to receive phone calls, e- 

mails and letters from people with 

an interest in the subject. They may 

suggest stories themselves, or they 

may simply tell you about their lives 

and experiences. Either way, such 

contact is an invaluable source of 

ideas for future efforts. Consider 

putting your e-mail address or 

phone number at the end of the 

story to make it easier for people to 

contact you. 

48


Futures File 

If you’re covering education and the summer break is ending, you might 

have a list of stories that you can do as the school year progresses. Here is 

an example of what some reporters call a futures file—a list of reminders, 

potential news items and stories an education reporter might do in the future: 

1. September 1st: Start of the academic year. How are schools preparing? 

What is this year’s education budget compared to last year’s? What are 

the feelings of teachers and students as they get ready to return? 

2. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, takes place in early fall. Do 

Jewish students in your region observe the holiday? Do they take the 

day off? Does the school take note of the event in any way? 

3. October 10th: The local school committee is expected to hold a hearing 

on how to increase access to schools for those in wheelchairs. You 

might think about covering the issue before the hearing and then report 

what happened—or didn’t—at the event itself. Then follow up a few 

months later. 

4. Last year members of two ethnic groups clashed at several schools. 

How have school administrators handled such problems this year? Have 

they made any efforts to calm the situation? Have the clashes 

continued? 

5. A professor at a local university mentioned last year that she was 

researching the role a parent’s interest in reading plays in a child’s 

acquisition of language skills. Call her to find out if it’s time to report on 

her findings. 

6. Last year you profiled a first-year teacher. Maybe it’s time for a follow-up. 

How is he doing this year? Has he learned any new approaches to 

teaching? Is he encouraged? Discouraged? What do his students think? 

7. November 7 is the one-year anniversary of a major protest by high 

school students regarding classroom overcrowding. The administration 

promised to hire more teachers and open temporary classrooms, but 

said change would not happen immediately. How much progress has 

been made? Are the leaders of the protest satisfied? 


Conclusion 

Conclusion 

Social issues stories are among the most challenging a journalist will cover 

because they often deal with sensitive, controversial topics. But those same 

challenges also make these stories more important and more interesting than 

many other stories that appear in a newspaper or a broadcast report. They are 

important because, almost by definition, they relate directly to the lives of 

readers, listeners and viewers. And they are interesting because more than 

almost any type of journalism, they provide the reporter an opportunity to tell 

compelling stories about real people. 

Reporters who cover social issues sometimes struggle to get their stories onto 

the front page or the top of the broadcast. That’s because the people who make 

decisions about which stories will get the biggest play often think that the only 

important stories are political stories, and the only stories that will entice people 

to buy the paper or tune into the broadcast are grisly crime stories or gossipy 

entertainment stories. 

The tips in this manual are designed to push to the forefront important stories 

that deal with real people rather than just the famous and the powerful. By 

reporting these stories thoroughly and fairly, and by telling them in a compelling 

manner, social issues reporters can make their stories the ones that audiences 

want to read, hear and see. They can impact policies on everything from 

education to poverty to religion to health. 

Then, perhaps, reporters who cover parliament or the presidential palace will 

clamor for the opportunity to cover refugee camps and AIDS clinics, rather than 

the other way around. 

50

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Washington, DC 20006 

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