Reading the text, the issue of finding story ideas came up. The simple option of basic observation was highly useful and made the point of using what is literally in front of you for a story. When looking for story ideas I think the task is intimidating to find topics worth writing about that are not already common knowledge. However as the text points out you can easily "look at the bulletin boards on campus or in local government offices...Does anything make you curious? Is there a program or event that might be newsworthy?" The power of observation in a reporter is maybe one of the most important one, it enables the ability to see a story in plain sight within the community and see where it goes rather than waiting for stories to find you.
We used the basic concept of observation when looking around campus for posters and flyers for story ideas. This was the basis for my article on the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" piece. Coincidentally it was also a main reference for volunteers of the race--most people who went heard about it the same way I did. While at the event I did several interviews with participants, but one of the most useful references I had was my own eyes in ears in capturing the tone and atmosphere for the event. In many ways my senses told me just as much as my interviews did. I'm going to continue to look in my basic community for story ideas.
I also used basic observation in my interview piece for Jackson. The first couple lines from the piece were all based on what I literally saw of him--"arms lying limp at his side, Reynolds uses a single duck-taped shoe to twirl himself in a circle from his swivel chair. Head lolling along the headboard, his eyes restlessly sweep the room." I used his physicality to paint a picture of him as a person before getting into any of the information from the interview. Observation is always a useful tool in writing stories for some purpose.
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