In the News: Stories to localize for your community 10.16.22
Of course, this is just a sampling of current stories that your staff could localize. The list is ongoing, and links to previous weeks are at the bottom.?
Posted: Oct. 16, 2022
Plastic bag use has unintended consequences
The banning of plastic bags in many communities, coupled with ecologically-minded customers looking for more environmentally-friendly ways to tote their goods, is having the unintended consequence of revitalizing the jute industry in India, and in turn, is lifting families out of poverty. It’s a win-win.
Even if your city has banned plastic bags, they may be available in the next town over. Where are discarded bags most obvious in your community? Do they litter the roadside, under freeway overpasses, parks, rivers or lakes. Do they fly away at the dump, borne aloft by breezes, wind or even the movement of air caused by trash-burying equipment? Aside from being unsightly, how do discarded plastic bags affect wildlife? How are they causing health issues for humans as they degrade into microparticles? What is the lifecycle of a plastic bag? Is reuse really a solution? And as for those little plastic bags and cling wrap used in sack lunches, are there alternatives? What are the issues that keep people from using them? Are there more eco-friendly — and affordable — alternatives?
Environmental issues are typically covered in April, but it’s not too early to begin research and interviews for comprehensive coverage on what many see as simply? a throwaway issue. (This is also a great “evergreen” story that could be filed away until there’s a staff emergency at deadline.) Visit your local dump and recycling center.? What issues do plastic bags cause there? Can they be recycled, and what percentage of plastic bags actually do find their ways to a new life? What are the problems in recycling plastic bags of all types? How can one tell the difference between plastic bags and cellophane wrappers, which are also widely used for food?
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Meet your readers, news consumers on the platforms they use
Over half of adults 18 years and older get at least some of their news from social media. TikTok is one of the? highest-used platforms, especially among teens, according to several new polls by Pew Research. Even the White House is inviting TikTok influencers to its press conferences.
From which social media sites or apps does your community get its news? Conduct a poll on your website, via social media, or perhaps at a school assembly using a free polling app (even Kahoot!), or if you’re a Google-using school, you can create a poll that limits participants to one unique (unrecorded) email address using Google Forms. Develop stories on the social media platforms that your audience uses most that refers uses back to your website for a fuller story.
Pew Research: Social Media and News Fact Sheet
All Things Considered (NPR): The White House is turning to TikTok stars to take its message to a younger audience
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It may be a cold, cold winter
Fall is in full swing in most of the country, and winter isn’t far behind according to the adage “frost on the pumpkin.” With the price of gasoline rising again in the U.S, “sabotage” of a Russian pipeline to Europe, and threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin, much is the Northern Hemisphere is worried about having enough fuel to see them through the winter, which will bring about higher prices for heating public and private buildings and homes. How is your community coping with higher prices for fuel? How does your school district plan to compensate for higher fuel prices (or inflated prices in general)? What cuts are already being made in your school to compensate for higher prices for school supplies — and food in your cafeteria? This could be an ongoing story through the spring.?
Native Amercians push for repatriation of ancestors, belongings
Many states celebrated Indiginious Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day last Monday, but with the Thanksgiving legends of? “friendly Indians” sharing a multi-day feast with “Pilgrims,” makes this item relevant:?
Native American tribes and nations have been asking for human remains and burial items taken from the graves of their ancestors and now held by universities, museums and private individuals to be returned to them so that? the relics can be reburied in sacred grounds. The University of California, Berkeley is beginning a repatriation process, but roadblocks are common for tribes that do not have recognition by the U.S. government, a process that often takes hundreds of thousands of dollars and is out of reach for Native Americans whose tribes were subject to systematic assimilation and extermination. (The Ohlone, who once occupied the San Francisco Bay Area, are one such tribe that do not have national recognition, although the tribe’s name is common in the? Bay Area.)??
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Are the universities and museums in your area holding (and possibly displaying) human remains and artifacts of native peoples who once lived in your area — or do they hold any relics of Native Americans? Are local nations asking for repatriation of their ancestors and their associated objects? How would white inhabitants feel if their ancestor’s skeletons and burial items were on display?? Is there a process in place for repatriation, and if so, why not??
This is a complex story and it behooves writers to consult the AP Stylebook for proper terminology in referring to Native Americans. When interviewing individuals from local tribes or nations, become aware of these terms in advance and ask interviewees how to refer to them and their people of origin. (The Tohono O?odham of Arizona and northern Mexico were named “Papago” by Europeans, and although this name is still in usage, they prefer to be referred to by the name they chose.) Writers and editors should also consult the Native American Journalists Association for their style guides. (Note that there are multiple guides for downloading and then perusing on the site.)
PBS Newshour (video): University of California, Berkeley repatriates cultural artifacts to Indigenous tribe
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Runners, bikers with a GPS are making virtual art
Runners, bikers and even swimmers are determining their routes before exercising, not for the length, but for the images the paths create. What images are your teams or community members creating when they workout? What has inspired them to do this? How are they created? Do they share patterns and routes with others? How and why?
New York Times: Runners and Cyclists Use GPS Mapping to Make Art
And finally (x2) …
A rerelease of NPR’s “Fresh Air” host’s Terry Gross' 2010 interview of Loretta Lynn commemorated the country-music legend who died this past week at the age of 90. Even if you’re not a fan of country music (and I admit it took the movie? “Coal Miner’s Daughter” to make me a fan of Lynn’s music, if not the genre), this interview is a great example of asking follow-up questions, especially with a self-effacing interviewee. The transcript and recorded interview are a masterclass worth examining.
A few days following Lynn’s death, the New York Times released a video interview with Angela Lansbury who died on Oct. 11 at the age of 96. The piece is remarkable for Lansbury’s candor about her life and career — and that she agreed to the interview on the grounds that it would only be published after her death. The Times made good on its word, making it a topic that’s worth discussing among budding journalists, along with the possible ethical and legal implications of making “deals” with sources.
New York Times: The Last Word: Angela Lansbury
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If you’re using these ideas, let me know.
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