Some tips on how to come up with article ideas inspired by the news.
For an unending source of article ideas, use the news.
Whenever President Obama has a medical procedure or visits a new country overseas, it results in numerous articles related to the subject. A celebrity’s unsuaul behavior results in articles on that particular type of behavior, its impact, others who exhibit the same behavior, and so on.
Many years ago, when an American ping pong team went to China, which led toi a thaw in relations between the US and China, it occurred to me that one of the next steps could be US zoos acquiring a panda ore two. Before I could get very far with researching and submitting the article to a weekly magazine, the first panda was already heading to the US, even as zookeepers were telling me it was too early to think about it.
Although you can use national and international news stories as a starting point, and everyone does, you do so in the knowledge that everyone else is doing the same thing. You may be better served checking local and regional online newspapers and magazines. Not to plagiarize the article, but simply for ideas the articles suggest.
So how might this work?
Something as mundane as a report on a routine local home break-in migt get you to thinking about iodeas that could lead to articles. Do burglars specialize or do they get involved in other crimes? When does a routein break-in graduate to non-routine? Can you protect your home from burglars? Can you hide your most treasured valuables? What is the prison sentence for burglary? How does it compare to sentences for other crimes?
Even an ad about a low cost compter can suggest some questions and ideas. Where is the cheapest place to find used but good computers? How many people use out-of-date computers or operating systems and why? Can the average person salvage valuable metals from their old computer? Are there alternative uses for computers and computer equipment? What could an imaginative craftsperson do with an old computer or old computer equipment? What’re the wierdest computer accessories offerede on eBay?
Each question leads to an article.
Celebrity news can be mined for articles, as well.
You’ll find every publication, from MSN to the local online newspaper, has plenty of material about celebrities. Each item suggests questions and articles.
John Travolta and Harrison Ford both fly. Ford, I happon to know, participates in air-searech rescue operations. This might make you wonder who else participates in air-search rescue operations? How many of such operations are by volunteers? Do they pay their own way…fuel is expensive? How often is air-search rescue cal
