3 Developing Story Ideas

How to generate story ideas (adapted from Paul Bradshaw’s Long Read)

1. New data releases

Follow scheduled data releases by public bodies and international organisations

2. News events

What’s already made the news?

3. Recycling story ideas 

Journalists are always looking for new ideas from old stories. Can you find an old data story in your area about something specific such as car accidents. Can this be updated and/or expanded? Can you renew an FOI request to include recent data and perhaps do a time-based analysis. Are car accidents up or down at specific locations? Can you look at the same issue across the country? Can you link it to any new laws?

4. Got a question? 
Questions can be gateways into data stories but be careful that you don’t get too invested in a question that can not be answered easily. For example, a question like “How many cups of coffee does the typical student drink during the day?” is not easy to answer!

5. Tip-offs

6. Exclusivity-driven ideas

7. Ideas driven by play

1. New Data Releases 
2. News Events Sparking Ideas
   • News events as triggers for data-driven follow-up stories.
   • Different types of news events and the questions they generate.
   • The urgency and simplicity required in news event-driven data stories.
3. Using Examples as Templates for Ideas
   • Adapting existing data journalism stories to new contexts, places, or times.
   • The challenge of making such stories newsworthy.
   • Strategies for adding value to adapted stories.
4. Questions as Inspiration for Data Journalism
   • Starting with a simple question to explore data stories.
   • The importance of scoping data availability and practicality.
   • Approaches for collecting and utilizing proxy data or conducting original data collection.
5. Tip-offs as a Source of Ideas
   • The value of ideas from external tips.
   • Assessing the feasibility and potential of tip-off based stories.
   • Similarities and differences between question-driven and tip-off driven ideas.
6. Exclusivity-Driven Ideas
   • Obtaining exclusive data sets as a source of unique stories.
   • Evaluating the newsworthiness and motivation behind exclusive data offers.
   • Balancing skepticism and exploration in handling exclusive data.
7. Ideas Driven by Play and Exploration
   • Playful and interactive approaches to data storytelling.
   • The technical demands and resource-intensive nature of interactive stories.
   • Selecting ideas based on passion and long-term relevance, such as sports or climate change.