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The easiest way to get ordinary people into the newspaper
is to ask readers for help. Here are examples of fascinating stories
from newspapers who asked their readers to participate.
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Easy
Ideas | Concerns
of Daily Life | Everyday
Heroes | Ask Readers | Keep
Your Eyes Open
| Cleveland
Plain Dealer
In the last decade, tattoos have gone mainstream, so the Plain
Dealer asked readers to show off their body art. Everyone
from teenagers to quite elderly grandmothers were included in
the spread.
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The
Contra Costa Times
Like the Plain Dealer, The Times also asked
readers to share their tattoos, but narrowed the concept to patriotic
body art. |
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Palm Beach
Post
The Post asked readers to nominate candidates for a feature
on fabulous women over 50, then ran photos and profiles on the
most fabulous 50 nominees. More than 500 readers responded. The
Post consistently develops high-quality ordinary reader
story concepts.
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Palm Beach
Post
The Post did a lengthy widowhood survey. More than 250
women and some men responded, talking about the death of their
spouse and how it affected them spiritually, psychologically,
socially and financially. The paper used their answers and the
readers themselves for stories on love and loss and moving on.
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South Florida
Sun-Sentinel
Editors asked readers to tell them about the teachers who made lasting
impressions. The heard from people ages 6 to 92. |
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Raleigh
News and Observer
The N&O gives ordinary people a consistent voice.
Every Tuesday the newspaper runs a column called Our Lives that
is written by four local people who appear in rotation. The first
set of columnists included a teacher with a husband and father;
an ex-hippie father of two who owns a bookstore; a suburban, stay-at-home
mom and a female graduate student who is single. A patient and
demanding editor helps them say what they really mean. |
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The
Contra Costa Times
Every Saturday the Times runs a first-person story by
a reader and often turns it into a centerpiece. The story of some
real-life Ya Ya sisters worked well, and the forum also was used
for post 9-11 essays as well as more lighthearted fare, such as
“Heaps of Love,” in which writers wrote about and
sent pictures of their favorite old clunkers. |
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Minneapolis
Star Tribune
For Valentine’s Day, the Star Tribune asked couples
to talk about what keeps them close, then combined their words with
reporting to create mini-profiles.
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East
Valley Tribune (Mesa, AZ)
On President’s Day, the Tribune ignored the pundits
and gathered a group of thoughtful first-graders to talk about
the nation’s highest office. Amusing and, at times, moving.
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Wisconsin
State Journal (Madison, WI)
The Journal asked readers to thank their moms in just one
sentence. The response was overwhelming — almost 1,000 replies.
By limiting the response to one sentence they made this an easy
and accessible read.
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The
Miami Herald
The Herald asked readers to nominate their favorite home
cook and heard from hundreds of people. The winners were profiled
and their favorite recipes were published. |
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The
Palm Beach Post
Does romance last? The Post asked couples who had been
married 50 years to share their thoughts, and published the couples’
wedding photos along with current studio shots. |
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Minneapolis
Star Tribune
For Father’s Day the Star Tribune asked readers
to submit father-son look-alike photos and were overwhelmed by
the response. The pictures made a great two-page photo package
of ordinary people. |
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The
Palm Beach Post
The Post asked readers to submit photos of kids with dimples
and got two pages of smile-inducing pictures. |
Easy
Ideas | Concerns
of Daily Life | Everyday
Heroes | Ask Readers | Keep
Your Eyes Open
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©2005 Readership Institute
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Road • Evanston, IL 60208-2110
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