Finding new angles on developing news stories is essential. Journalists must explain how news events impact their audience’s lives. This exercise will help reporters find out how.
Welcome to this Media Helping Media (MHM) exercise about how to find and develop important news angles. You are invited to complete the exercise either on your own or with a colleague. Please ensure you read the article above before proceeding.
MHM exercises are a chance for those who are new to journalism to learn skills and test what they know against fictional scenarios. The articles on which the exercises are based have been created from the experience of journalists who have shared their knowledge in order to help others learn the fundamental principles of robust public service journalism.
The first requirement of any piece of journalism is that it should be accurate. Although this is an exercise involving fictitious material, not for publication, trainees must take everything they are told in the exercise to be factual and they must stick to those facts. If one thing they produce in the exercise is inconsistent with those facts, their whole work is discredited. Accuracy comes first.
Task one: Applying the “so what?” test with context
In a busy newsroom, an editor will often stop a reporter and ask, “so what?” This isn’t being rude; it is a test to see if the story has a point. If you cannot answer that question in one sentence, you haven’t found your angle yet.
Context: Imagine the local government has announced a 15% tax on all imported cooking oil. The event is the announcement. The angle is found by looking at who pays the price.
Your task: Choose one of the events below and write three different “so what?” answers. Each answer should represent a different perspective (e.g., a poor family, a business owner, a government critic).
- Event A: The city’s main bus terminal is moving 10 kilometres outside the city centre to reduce congestion.
- Event B: A local youth centre is losing its government funding because of budget reallocations.
Format: “so what? Because [Group X] will now have to [action/consequence]…”
Task two: Mapping stakeholders for accountability
To ensure fairness, you must look beyond the official news/press release. Journalists often use a stakeholder map to ensure they aren’t just a mouthpiece for the powerful.
Context: A story about a new hospital being built with public funds isn’t just about the building. It’s about the patients who need it, the nurses who will work there, the taxpayers paying for it, and the construction company winning the contract.
Your task: Take Event B (the youth centre losing funding). List four stakeholders and describe their relevance.
- Stakeholder 1: (e.g., A local parent) – Relevance: They may now have to quit their job to provide childcare.
- Stakeholder 2: (An official) – Relevance: They must explain where the money is being moved to and why.
- Stakeholder 3: (A local police officer) – Relevance: Will they see an increase in street crime if the centre closes?
- Stakeholder 4: (A youth worker) – Relevance: They are losing their livelihood and a community connection.
Task three: Drafting the report
Once you have your angle and your voices, you must present them clearly. A good news report should start with the most important impact, not the date of the meeting or the name of the committee.
Context: Avoid starting with: “On Tuesday, the council met to discuss budget cuts.” Instead, start with: “Hundreds of teenagers will be left with nowhere to go after the city slashed funding for…”
Your task: Write a 90-second news script (approx. 200 words) for a radio report.
- The lead: Focus on the strongest “so what?” you identified in Task One.
- The body: Incorporate the perspectives of two stakeholders from Task Two.
- The finish: End with a forward-looking statement (e.g., “The council will vote on the final budget next Friday”).
Summary and learning outcomes
By adding this context, you are learning to navigate the ethics of storytelling. You are ensuring that your work has integrity by looking for the truth beneath the surface. You should now be able to:
- Identify whose privacy needs protecting vs. whose actions need public scrutiny.
- Recognise bias in official statements.
- Maintain impartiality by giving a voice to those ignored by the event.
Self-assessment quiz
- Why is the “so what?” test essential for public service journalism?
- To make the story shorter for social media.
- To ensure the story addresses a real need or concern of the audience.
- To find out if there is any offence being caused.
- To prove the journalist is smarter than the editor.
- In the context of the youth centre closing, who is the most important stakeholder for a human interest angle?
- The building’s landlord.
- The teenagers who use the service.
- The person who prints the council’s leaflets.
- The bus driver who drives past the building.
- What does accountability mean when reporting on public funds?
- Counting how many people read the story.
- Asking how much money was spent and if it was spent legally and effectively.
- Promoting the government’s new financial plan.
- Calculating the journalist’s travel expenses.
- When writing a lead, which of these is the most effective angle?
- “A meeting was held at 4:00 pm today.”
- “Local residents say they are terrified of rising crime following the closure of the youth club.”
- “The budget is 400 pages long and very detailed.”
- “The Mayor was wearing a blue suit during the press conference.”
- How does finding multiple angles help ensure impartiality?
- It allows the journalist to pick their favourite side.
- It ensures a variety of viewpoints and impacts are considered, rather than just one.
- It makes the story so confusing that nobody can take a side.
- It helps the journalist avoid doing any real research.
Answers
1: b | 2: b | 3: b | 4: b | 5: b
Related material
