Inside Story: Elements which make a story
NEWSPAPER stories are made up of a few key elements; headline, picture, story.
That formula will form the basis of every good story, but when one of those elements is exceptionally strong it can lift the story to another dimension.
We saw two good examples of this in yesterday’s paper. Normally, Northampton South MP Brian Binley commenting on a Government decision on national policy would not be the sort of thing to get pulses racing here at Chron Towers. But when that level of criticism is on an almost unprecedented scale, our ears pricked and the story gathered momentum.
The veteran politician emailed over the contents of his latest blog on Thursday morning. The contents of the 384-word statement were extraordinary.
He said: “The time is fast approaching when the Prime Minister needs to get a grip and cease leaving the impression that his agenda is determined by the imprint of the last Liberal Democrat who sat on him.
“This rotten episode smacks of all the worst elements of a shady, back-street second-hand car dealership, and is an utterly shameful way to make policy.”
Quotes such as these are journalistic gold. Here was a backbench MP launching a withering attack on the Prime Minister and his own party.
Far too often, politicians simply toe the party line and churn out sleep-inducing statements without daring to even consider they may have a slightly different opinion to that of the PM.
Mr Binley’s politics divide public opinion and you will either love him or loathe him. What you have to admire is his refreshingly candid approach to commenting on such issues.
As he said himself in yesterday’s paper: “One of the benefits of going into Parliament relatively old is that I have no ambitions about promotion. That allows me to stand back from issues like this and use my wisdom.”
Without the quotes, this story would have been buried at the back of the paper. Instead it was given a prime spot on page two, complete with a great mock-up picture of David Cameron as Arthur Daley to reflect Mr Binley’s comments about a second-hand car dealership.
Pictures are another thing that can really lift a story. They can be cute, dramatic or shocking and, when used effectively, can give reports a new dimension.
There has been no more shocking photo this week than the horrific image of the remains of the car driven by “Big Bob” Knight, who was killed by a texting lorry driver in Northamptonshire.
The graphic image, released to the Chron by Mr Knight’s family to warn other drivers of using their mobile phone behind the wheel, is as big a shock tactic as you could wish to see.
The crumpled wreckage is barely recognisable as a Suzuki Jimny and serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of such reckless behaviour. One life has already been lost, and while nothing will be able to bring back Mr Knight, if it means one more life is saved as a result of someone seeing this photo and deciding to put their phone down while driving, then it will have served its purpose.
It was a brave, laudable move by the grieving family whose lives have been torn apart and one for which they should be applauded and admired.
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
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lady muck
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 08:38 PMThey were interesting stories, but we could have had some background details re Binley...eg what is the reaction of the party whips, his constituency committee etc ? Possibly even an explanation that Les Ebdon is actually a professor (Chemistry I think) and that the entire debate re university admissions is against a background that 40 % of Oxbridge admissions are from private schools that only educate 7% of the children. Perhaps also a mention that Binley himself was at a Secondary Modern School and apparently did not attend University himself (although he seems to have done alright)
362victoriaroad
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:28 PMI see facts are missing. That figures.
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