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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.
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