Roberts teaches story development model

Arizona Republic Deputy Managing Editor for Staff Development Michael Roberts presentation to the ASNE High School Journalism Institute took an unexpected turn yesterday. An Institute participant asked Roberts how teachers can get students to write their stories more thoroughly so that page designers don't have to resort to adjusting tracking which can radically affect the look of the final product.  

Looking back at my last few years advising newspaper, I can see that the story suggestion process by reporters has been lacking. The unexpected question lead Roberts down a trail he hadn't intended to follow but may well be the most valuable lesson I take away from the institute.  

I was furiously taking notes in his off-the-cuff lesson on the story development process and expect that his I-R-O-D-R technique will yield better story ideas that don't fall apart after covering the 5 W's and 1 H. 

In one of the first sessions of the institute, Steve Elliott walked us through the story mapping process and elaborated on how to successfully narrow the angle for a story idea. Seeing Mr. Roberts model the exact same thing yesterday drove the point home for me. I am going to really focus much more effort in the coming school year to drive story ideas through the mapping process and establish more specific, coherent angles students can use to do their reporting. 

Trampus Willis

South Side High School

Fort Wayne, Ind.