Mine for Nuggets

We live during an information gold rush. With Google as your tool, you can chisel away at the internet to find nuggets of info that will make your story sparkle. The nuggets give your writing depth, context, intrigue, and make your viewers feel better informed (maybe a little smarter) because they watched your show.

Let’s examine a basic fire story.

“Fire destroyed a home in Portland today. Crews arrived at Fremont near 33rd Avenue early this afternoon. It took them 20 minutes to control the flames. The fire started in the attic. Firefighters said it appears to be electrical.”

That’s a straightforward story with all the information you got from the PIO or press release. So where can you mine for nuggets?

• Search your archives and Google to see if the location has a history of fire or crime or is publicly known for another reason.
• What does the video show you? Are the flames twice the size of the home? Is there any action worth describing to viewers?
• Who is affected? Find out if children, the elderly, or animals were in the home. If the home is destroyed, find out how many people and critters will be helped by the Red Cross.
• What are the weather conditions? Did rain help firefighters? Did wind make the flames more difficult to control? Were the firefighters exhausted and sitting around resting because of extreme heat?

Any of those tidbits can improve your story by developing a more thorough narrative. Let’s say you call fire dispatch and ask if anyone important was impacted. They say, “Yeah. We rescued and gave oxygen to three cats.” Here’s how that information transforms a boring fire story:

“Firefighters saved three cats from a burning home in Portland today. They were called to Fremont near 33rd Avenue early this afternoon. The fire started in the attic. The cats were in another part of the home. They were not seriously hurt. Firefighters gave them oxygen once they were safe outside. Firefighters say the cause of the fire appears to be electrical.”

It’s those narratives that make people care about what you’re reporting. That care is what will motivate them to tune back in tomorrow.