1. What is news? We know it when we read it.... But why is that? Created by Brett Oppegaard for Washington State University's DTC 338 class, spring 2008 Courtesy of oddee.com

2. News is T.O.P.I.C.A.L. T – Timeliness; happening NOW! O – Odd or unusual; outside the norm P – Proximity; the closer the connection, the better I – Intriguing intellectual issue C – Conflict and controversy creates curiosity A – About a prominent person / high-profile group L – Large number of people affected

3. Where is news? We know it's out there. But where do we look? Courtesy of www.belvoir.army.mil

4. News is everywhere They are what your friends, family, acquaintances and people you hear on the street are talking about right now. Random people you encounter. On the job, at parties, sources, critics, supporters of some cause, at the coffee shop, etc. A good wrap up question to any interview is: Anything else we should be writing about? Many people, private and public parties, want their stories to be told, so they put out press releases to let you know; check Web sites.

5. News is everywhere Numerous stories (and even ideas) get presented at public meetings. They can be found in the many public documents our government produces. Spot happenings, things just happen, all the time, protests, murders, heart attacks. Updates, taking steps along the way in a process. Internet, a world full of ideas circulating. Read, read, READ!... Everything.

6. News is everywhere Making connections makes stories, political / public issues are constantly around us, just waiting for someone to take a fresh look; also, sometimes, seemingly disparate issues can be quite interesting when put together, in other words, what happens when you think about this with that in mind. Localizing, put bigger issues into community perspectives. Nationalizing, putting community issues into larger perspective.

7. News is everywhere Advances, something is going to happen, let people know and then mobilize. Cover an event; if youve advanced it, its probably worth actually attending and letting your readers know what happened. Editor / teacher suggestions, if you cant come up with something, then your editor / teacher can.