Writing the Trend Article

Writing the Trend Article

OK, so we’ve written some “softer” features for our last two assignments. It is now time to jump into more serious reporting and writing. Your final assignment is going to be what is called the “Trend” story.

When I was at the Cincinnati Post, we often called these “enterprise” stories. Think of these types of articles as investigative feature pieces generated by the reporter, based on his or her perception of why this topic is important and relevant to our readers.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

Example 1. Before being assigned to the national political beat, I spent a few months covering the suburban school districts in the Cincinnati metro area. One day I made a stop to see the psychologist for the Three Rivers School District. I was there to get some info for a story I was working on, but had to wait a while until my contact was available. When we finally spoke, she apologized and explained that she had been dealing with a kindergarten student who was presenting as suicidal. Surprised, I asked why someone that young would have those issues. My contact gave a fairly lengthy explanation. Buried in that explanation, was some comments about the pressures that some of these young children felt because they simply were not ready for school. I said, “It is just kindergarten. Crayons and naps, right?” Then my contact went on to explain how she felt we should push back the age for when children should start school.

This prompted some questions that lead to a “trend” article that I pitched to my editor. I was given the green light. The article raised the question about what is the appropriate age for children to start school. Turns out, this is a big issue and a lot of experts have a lot to say about it. I interviewed children and families, as well as leading educators from Yale and other child psychology experts. When the story ran, it was a big deal. It even became the focus of a local call-in talk radio show in Cincinnati.

Example 2. I have always considered myself a technophile of sorts. You have to remember that I was at the Post in the mid-1980s, when what we know today as the Internet and the WWW were in the development stages. One of the early pioneers in the online communication industry was CompuServe, which was in its infancy. I ran into some computer geeks (this was about in 1986) that were using computers (they were at the University of Cincinnati) to create what they called a “discussion board.” Sounds funny now, but this was way, way out on the cutting edge. So I pitched the idea and wrote a piece about this new technological advance that these guys said was going to revolutionize communication (they were right, by the way). This enterprise piece was published right after I left the Post. Ironically, I left the Post to go to Toyota USA to edit their magazine, Toyota Today. We were using Wang Writers there (we didn’t have PC’s yet).

Defining the “Trend” Article

The trend article goes by lots of names: the “issue” story, the “controversy” story, or the “enterprise” article. Simple put, it is a feature piece that has an investigative side—an article that addressed a serious issue that could include, health, public health, the economy, personal finances, public safety, and general welfare. It can explore in depth issue in sports, science, nutrition, politics, culture/society, or even religion. The point is that the article addresses highly salient concerns that readers might have, or even for those things that they are not even aware of yet.

Let’s break it down further. Here’s some definitions from Sumner and Miller:

Trend: A phenomenon that is increasing or decreasing in frequency; something that has a quantifiable dimension and can occur in society or pop culture.

Issue: A phenomenon or development that poses a risk or danger to the public or a segment of the population.

Controversy: A prolonged, intense debate bout a public issues that does not have an easy or immediate solution. An intense version of an issue.

Writing the “Trend” Article

This is where you show your journalistic chops. This is all about cultivating expert sources and doing your legwork. The trend piece requires interviewing authorities, presenting both (or multiple) sides of the issue or controversy, including anecdotes by those affected. They key is multiple sources and good background. Sumner and Miller write, “These stories are more challenging to report than others because they can’t focus on a single person nor rely on a single interview.”

The key is to find the right angle to tell the story. When I was at the Post, I was handed one day a press release from a county organization noting an increase in reported cases of domestic violence in Hamilton County, Ohio. It was a noticeable increase. It begged the question, “Why?” I spent several days talking to county health care professionals, local psychologists, sociologists at the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. They led me to an organization called “Parents Anonymous,” a group that follows a 12-step model to help people who are physical abusers. I was able to interview members of that group, some of who let me tell their stories (in exchange for protecting their real identity). I wrote the piece about the trend by focusing on why this was becoming a serious trend (poor, changing economy, higher urban unemployment), who these abusers where, and what was being done locally to help them.

It took time, work, effort, and ingenuity. But it turned out to be one of the better pieces I think I ever wrote (and it all started with a short press release). I had data, explanatory info from experts, and good anecdotes to bring the story to life.

Your Assignment

This will be your final assignment for this class. Consider it your journalistic tour de force, or your Comms 324 masterpiece. Your audience for this article is the local community (the Wasatch Front). It might be best if you wrote to a college-age or college-community audience. Your assignment is to find a significant, meaningful, salient trend, issue, or controversy and produce an enterprise piece. This article should be 4-5 pages in length and should include multiple sources and multiple anecdotes.