Chasing the Big Story

Words and numbers are different species, but they each have messages and stories to tell.

   The more juicy the story, the more it attracts news media attention. This is as it should be, but sometimes the journalistic wolf pack passes by other stories that are in some ways more important, and if they are covered at all they are relegated to the back pages.
   Often, these stories have to do with business and economics, and many reporters rationalize their non-coverage by saying they are "dull" or "too hard" to deal with.
   That's a reason, but not an excuse. No story is, in and of itself, "dull." It only becomes dull when the writer makes it so, or perceives it to be dull before making any effort to understand it and to write about in such a way as to attract reader attention.
   Therein lies the challenge.

   Granted, stories about crime, corruption and political machinations are juicy, easy to cover, and practically write themselves. That does not, however, excuse journalists from ignoring other stories that have as much, and sometimes more, influence on society.
   Recently, we have seen a national pack of journalistic wolves chasing one of the juiciest stories in a generation. And this is as it should be. The bigger and juicier the story, the more media attention it attracts.
  Meanwhile, there are other things happening in the nation and the world that the public needs to know about. To ignore them and chase down the easier story is certainly understandable, and the Big Story deserves all the attention it deserves.
   But there are other things happening in the nation and the world which the public also deserves to know about. They may be more difficult to dig out, but that's the challenge that good reporters enjoy.