Compiled by Jimmy Boegle
All,
Here’s the list of 50 (52, actually) story ideas. Thanks to everyone who participated here in Charleston!
1. local “food fight” (example banana pudding from two restaurants)
2. birds!
3. weekly legislative roundup leading up to vote, followed by compilation of what bills covered made it/died
4. “walk a mile” reporter+photographer walk a mile around different parts of town, catalog history+photo gallery
5. mother’s/fathers day focus on specific segments of parenthood (ex. single mothers, black fathers)
6. compare bicycle infrastructure to another municipallity
7. “potters fields” historic cemeteries, poor/unidentified people, identifying burials, telling stories
8. pet cemetaries
9. local police fleet investigation
10. obituaries for the unhoused
11. lesbian/gay bars by the numbers
12. “You are so XTOWN NAMEX if” reader submissions, illustrate/interview winners
13. weekly profile on non-profits
14. “affordable-ish” housing in your town, local listings, weird homes for sale/rent at a reasonable price
15. interview people at finish line of races
16. favorite bar tenders in your town+their favorite drink recipes
17. cannabis testing industry, deep dive into the science/labs
18. 350 facts about _insert city name_
19. Salary guide for city employees
20. pedestrian deaths
21. accessibility at music venues, guide/ranking
22. “field trips” to small towns nearby that don’t get coverage
23. voter guides, focus on the process, Spanish translation, infographics
24. “in the club” report on local interest groups/clubs (sumo, golf, model air planes, etc)
25. local government agendas rundown
26. “weekly why” explainers for niche/unclear things
27. “the future is now” ideas that have shifted around specific issues
28. “love, sex and marriage”
29. community portraits, pop-up at a local event to take portraits of locals
30. “point in time” count of unhoused follow-along
31. “council quickies” city council meetings, rundown on important tidbits from city council meetings
32. different type of ride-along, ex. rural fire dept, biker gang, off-beat groups not likely to be covered
33. wedding resource guide
34. person of the day, average person from community
35. rant issue, ridiculous things that piss your writers off
36. abortion access, small barriers even in states with abortion legal in the constitution (ex 24-hour rule)
37. crowd source the rant issue
38. water hogs, profile biggest water users “eat the rich”
39. public records issues
40. mailings from congresspeople
41. historic cookbooks
42. “boner awards” worst local/state politicians actions over the year
43. “horniest bars” in your town
44. “boozing on a budget” bar crawl with a local celebrity, transcribed
45. track attendance of city council members
46. bathroom accessibility
47. healthcare acquisition christian/catholic entities acquiring smaller providers
48. budget cuts to social service programs
49. “how to survive the summer” traffic, hornets, construction etc.
50. “gives” campaign
51. heat map of your city/area, which regions are more affected
52. historically black cemeteries neglected