Write Like an Insider

By Dick Weiss
April 24, 2008

Normally, I like to feature stories from mid-size papers because I sense that’s where most of my readers work. But every so often, it’s hard to resist enterprisers from the big boys. This week we have one from The Washington Post and another from The Wall Street Journal, highlighting the special problems of the housing and restaurant industries. Though these publications have larger staffs and more resources than most, if you look at these particular stories, they highlight skills that any of us can bring to our stories -- good sourcing, research and storytelling.  My third pick does come from a reporter at a mid-size paper. Check out Jon Tevlin’s piece on copper theft from the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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3 The New Underground Currency
Jon Tevlin of the Minneapolis Star Tribune
One way to give readers a real sense of what’s going on is to hang out or spend a day with the people who are close to the action. “Welcome to my world,” says Richard Jackson who’s fighting the copper theft traffic in Minneapolis. Note how Tevlin – because of the access he’s gotten through Jackson and others – is able to provide a vivid description of how gangs are dismembering homes in their quest for an increasingly valuable commodity.

2 Buyer’s Revenge: Trash the House After Foreclosure
Michael M. Phillips of The Wall Street Journal
Many stories have been written about people losing their homes to foreclosure. Few have looked at what happens when the homeowners must move out. By getting in touch with the agents and inspectors who actually work with those residents, Phillips found a great story. Many homeowners are so angry they trash the places before they leave. The agents and inspectors try to intercede by offering bonuses to residents who leave the property intact. This piece is datelined out of Las Vegas and Phillips is able to give readers vivid descriptions of the homes that have been torn apart.

(Note: The Wall Street Journal Web site is for paying customers. If you don’t have access to an online subscription, I suggest you hunt up your office’s print edition. It ran on page 1, March 28, 2008. If that’s not possible, send me an e-mail – weisswrite@gmail.com – and I can provide. )

1Objects on Your Plate May Be Smaller Than They Appear
David Segal of The Washington Post
This story is by turns fascinating and hilarious, as Segal reveals how restaurateurs are scrambling to squeeze more profits from their plates. By getting in touch with consultants to the trade, Segal is able to show how chefs fixate on “plate coverage” so that less food looks like more and how managers adjust their menus to sell the higher profit items. (For instance, the consultants say that Thirty Four Dollars -- spelled out -- seems like a lot less to a diner than $34. Who knew?) Segal gives his piece an insider’s feel by talking to these consultants who are willing to be quite frank and don’t have to protect the reputation of any given restaurant.

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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism