Tim Wieland of KCNC in Denver has some guidelines if you are a reporter who REALLY wants to report political stories in your market.
He has these five tips on pitching political stories:
- Know how the story directly relates to your audience.
- Answer the question, “who is affected/” and include a personal example.
- Research your story. No “half baked” ideas.
- Don’t wait for the news conference. Pitch stories that anticipate compelling political topics.
- Be passionate about politics. Fight for your story.
Also a list of five ways NOT to pitch political stories:
- Do not suggest personalizing a political story by gathering man on the street.
- Do not use the word “caucus”
- Do not suggest stories that must be filled with file video and graphics.
- Do not allow a news conference or legislative hearing to be the focus of your story.
- Do not get defensive about a bias against political reporting if there are questions about your story. Argue for a story based on its merits.