A main point that developed during the discussion, ably led by John Hellerman of Levick Strategic Communications, was the importance of a succinct news pitch, i.e. get the main points out and the significance of the story within the first two paragraphs. Judy Sarasohn, an Editor for The Washington Post, advised not telling a story if it is only interesting to one's mother.
News is compelling if it tells an interesting story, has good facts and is somewhat edgy.
Judy's goal is to have her readers want to read a story all the way to the end. In response to how a story is developed, each panelist had a little different process although all valued brainstorming with colleagues and editors. David Lawsky relies greatly on the many contacts he has developed as a reporter for Reuters and he wants to meet lot of sources. By the way, for those of you who read The National Law Journal, Michael is looking for responses to the questions he poses at the end of his column. Claudia MacLachlan, a freelance reporter, stated that a good PR or Marketing person could save the reporter a lot of time by making lawyers return calls.