Don't forget the human side of business stories

John Schmid of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found a human angle to help tell the tale of the final chapter of a Milwaukee company.

Nearly 10,000 people once worked at the sprawling ruins known to some as the former A.O. Smith industrial site, to others as the deathbed of Tower Automotive.
Now it is down to a single worker, Rich Wendling. Wendling learned recently that his final shift comes in November, following the City of Milwaukee's decision to buy the mothballed property and create an industrial park.

John says he has covered the industrial site since 2004 as part of the ongoing story of Milwaukee’s industrial history. He maintained sources and was able to tell the story of the site's final days through the story of Rich Wendling.

Today’s Tip, as John says: “It makes no sense to do economics reporting in a vacuum that relies on statistics. Good econ reporting is both social, human and global.”

By talking to a person with whom most readers could identify, John made the story more accessible to a wide variety of readers. By intertwining Rich Wendling’s history and the company’s history, he helped draw a vivid picture of the impact the site had on the city and the employees.

What’s the behavior behind the numbers?

This segment from ABC News’ “Nightline” on the increase in bank revenue from overdraft fees offers a good example of how to transform dry survey data into an informative consumer piece. “Nightline” took a report from Moebs Services to shed light on how banks are maximizing their income from these fees at the expense of consumers.

At about seven and a half minutes, the segment is long, but the sources and visuals are varied enough to keep the piece moving. Particularly inventive is the use of a snippet of video from a “Seinfeld” episode about Jerry’s embarrassment about bouncing a check.

Note also the balance in the piece: both the American Bankers Association and the Consumer Federation of America offer comments.

Today’s Tip: Avoid the temptation to just report the numbers in survey releases. Consider how the numbers translate into human behavior.

One way to get at the human element is to think about how to illustrate the story with photos or video of real people. Another way is to brainstorm what the data means to your audience. Does the latest data on credit-card usage show that people are carrying more cash? If so, are ATMs running out of cash more frequently, and are small businesses’ cash deposits up? Are people canceling services such as Netflix that auto bill each month? Talk with experts about what the behaviors are behind the numbers.