Media training Hot Tips and Secrets - What makes a good story?

In John Ford’s 1962 film ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,’ the central character, city lawyer and hopeless shot Ransom Stoddard, is mistakenly thought to have killed the notorious and eponymous gunslinger in a shootout. He tries to persuade the local newspaperman, Maxwell Scott, not to print a fictional account that portrays him as a hero.

Ransom Stoddard: You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott?
Maxwell Scott: This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

The Media Training Company would be the last to advise you to, er, ‘embellish’ the truth. But it’s worth remembering that the story that makes it into print or onto air is the one with as many of the following characteristics as possible.

Excitement. Does the story make you edge towards the front of your seat? Or call your family to come and watch, listen, or read it? If not, most other people are likely to be indifferent to it as well.

Topicality. Is this a story of today? Old news is not news at all. Is the piece saying something new and fresh?

Relevance. Is it saying something that means something to you, and to the other members of your local community?

Humour. Does it make you laugh?

Human stories. Do we hear directly from the people involved? After all, their experiences and opinions are what make the story newsworthy.

Anecdotes. Are there relevant anecdotes and stories that bring the item alive?

Flow. Does the story have a beginning, a middle, and an end. And does it demand that you read all of it? If you’re bored by the second paragraph, so will everybody else be.

Truth. Despite what we implied at the beginning, it's important that the story has the ring of truth. And does it feel researched in depth, not just a superficial scratch at the surface of usually complex issues?

Context. Does the story give you the supporting information – historical, cultural, facts and figures – you need to make sense of the issue? Or are you more confused at the end than you were at the beginning?

Stimulating. Will the story provoke others to engage in the discussion of the issues raised? If so, it can be a very good kick-start mechanism for getting issues of community cohesion aired. If not, it is likely to disappear without trace.

Not all stories will have all these elements, of course. But The Media Training Company knows that by showing journalists that you have taken the trouble to read, listen, or watch carefully, and that you understand what they need from you, you’ll be much more likely to get your stories into their publications or broadcasts.