Enterprise Story Prep

Writing an enterprise story is something a little different than most journalism as it pertains to writing stories about topics and events not necessarily in the public’s eye. This where the term investigative journalism comes from.

Enterprise stories expect the reporter to dig in deep to topics and subjects to find a story that the public is unaware of, but will still be fascinated by.

This is another form of beat reporting. Journalists tend to stick to contacts that already have in the field asking for information on certain topics.

My beat is politics, specifically crime and court reporting. This is an easy enough task to handle. I should be looking for rises in particular types of crime in the area and the causes of this. I would also look at ways the area is trying to prevent these crimes and the rise thereof.

However, I am currently also working on writing a piece for the Overlooked in Appalachia project where this seasons topic is the environment and climate change in the Appalachian Mountain Region.

So, this changes things a little bit. I am currently trying to get into contact with a few different organizations and people looking for the scoop. I have tried reaching the Tennessee Department of Conservation’s office in Johnson City as well as the media correspondent at the Eastman Chemical Company hoping to find some story.

I also plan to get into contact with the mayors of Johnson City and Kingsport hoping to find some information on how each city is handling pollution and waste in the area.

It has been about a week since I emailed the Tennessee Department of Conservation’s office, so that might be a dead in the water contact, but I am still hoping to hear back from the Eastman Chemical Company as well as the mayors of Johnson City and Kingsport.

If I find a story, this blog will be first to know.