Ordinary People: Concerns of Daily Life

Readers want to see the newspaper stories about their everyday concerns, government and institutional stories told through they eyes of ordinary people, and stories that explain what decisions, actions and events mean to them. Here are some approaches and examples of newspapers doing these things.

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Easy Ideas | Concerns of Daily Life | Everyday Heroes | Ask Readers | Keep Your Eyes Open

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel To ensure that the “what it means to me” information is prominent, the Journal-Sentinel takes this reader-oriented information from the text of its government stories and prominently showcases it.			Athens (Texas) Daily Review When post-9-11 rumors of gas shortages spread, lines developed and prices jumped. Many newspapers dryly reported those facts. The Daily Review went to the gas station and reported the experience. It takes extra effort to include ordinary people in institutional, government, business and political stories, but it pays off in reader interest.
Daily Express (London, England) This is a typical weekend celebrity supplement in a mass-circulation British newspaper, but one page of the magazine is devoted to births, deaths and marriages of ordinary people. Click on the thumbnail to see the ordinary people page.			The Gleaner (Henderson, KY) What’s bigger for parents and kids than the first day of school? The Gleaner’s Page 1 had a package of stories, one each on the elementary, middle school and high school experiences, quoting students, parents and teachers.
Petoskey (MI) News-Review The News-Review is following a teacher through her first year in the classroom, beginning with the first day. The stories will paint a picture of what actually happens in a classroom.			The Beaver County (PA) Times Another story that goes inside the classroom by focusing on one teacher’s particularly inventive way of teaching math concepts. RI research shows readers want more education coverage, and what they want are stories like those in The Gleaner, the News-Review and the Times that explain what is happening in the schools, not more school board coverage.
Chicago Sun-Times The fashion pages most newspapers publish don’t reflect the preferences — or proportions — of ordinary people. The Sun-Times uses real people to demonstrate real fashion ideas. Click on the thumbnail to see two examples, one showing how a slightly chubby teen can dress fashionably and another using an older, chic, upscale reader.			Virginia Pilot This award-winning story demonstrates that there are compelling stories in the ordinary concerns of daily life. The subject of the story loves hot dogs, but heart disease restricts his lunches to cottage cheese and fruit. Except once a year when he treats all his friends — and himself — to all the hotdogs they can eat at the local diner.
The Pharos-Tribune (Logansport, IN) Readers want information on everyday issues, such as this one on latch-key kids. It provided information on the question in the subhead, as well as a variety of alternatives.			Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau, MO) Ordinary people stories don’t always have to be uplifting or emotionally wrenching. This one is about a local woman finalist in a national Worst Bridesmaid Dress contest. Photos of other finalists were posted on the paper’s Web site.
Minneapolis Star Tribune After Columbine, the topic of school bullies was a regular part of the national conversation, but a conversation that focused mostly on what adult specialists had to say. The Star Tribune gave voice to a victim and his family.			Detroit Free Press Unemployment statistics are important by cold and lifeless. The Free Press put a face on the numbers during a period of heavy layoffs with a profile of one family.
The Denver Post The Post illustrated the full range of the economic life of Denver’s residents from the haves to the have nots by profiling one street that runs through the city, changing from upscale homes at one end to poor, hardscrabble existence at the other.

Easy Ideas | Concerns of Daily Life | Everyday Heroes | Ask Readers | Keep Your Eyes Open

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