Remember Mike: The Story Behind the Story
Journalists don’t just gather facts — the real work begins long before you see the first sentence.
The Battle for a Beginning
I once worked with a reporter — we’ll call him Mike — who would infuriate his editors.
Mike couldn’t move forward until the lead felt just right. He’d tap out a word or two, then lean back and study it like an artist staring at a half-finished canvas. Then he would pull out a dictionary and thumb through it before landing on a page and selecting a new word or two.
For those of you not familiar with the term, Northern Michigan University defines a lead as:
“An opening paragraph that gives the audience the most important information of the news story in a concise and clear manner, while still maintaining the readers’ interest. If a reader does not read beyond your first paragraph, they should still have an idea of what your article is about and the most important information from that article.”
This could go on for literally hours, with editors yelling at him to “just write the damn article!”
The Invisible Work of Journalism
That battle over the first paragraph was a stand-in for the whole messy, mostly invisible process of journalism itself. I share this anecdote because many people mistakenly believe that the job of a journalist is a lot simpler than it is. They think that a journalist does a bunch of interviews, attends an event, and then throws it all together like a cook making a stew.
But the truth is, the hard work comes after the reporter leaves the crime scene, after they have interviewed the eyewitness, the sobbing family members, and gotten the official overview from the authorities.
It doesn’t necessarily even start when they return to their newsroom or, nowadays, their kitchen table. In many cases, they first check in with their editor and, if that conversation does what it should, they will compare what they thought the story was when they first got the story assignment with what it is now. But even then, the writing doesn’t necessarily start.
They may need some statistics to provide context. They may want to talk to an expert or two. Heck, Mike used to keep phonebooks (yes, I’m dating myself) for Hawaii under his desk so even on deadline at the end of the day, he could track down that expert who would provide the opinion that he needed.
What People Don’t Know About Journalism
It turns out that there is a lot that people don’t understand about journalism, aside from what it takes to write an article — more on that in a minute.
In 2018, the Media Insight Project brought together the expertise of the American Press Institute (where I currently work) and the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research “with the objective of conducting high-quality, innovative research meant to inform the news industry and the public about various important issues facing journalism and the news business.”
One of their studies looked at What Americans Know and Don’t Know About How Journalism Works and found that:
“On a list of nine fairly basic journalistic terms, a majority of the public say they are very or completely familiar with just three of them: ‘political endorsement,’ ‘breaking news,’ and the difference between a ‘news story’ and a ‘press release.’”
So maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that most people don’t really understand what goes into the editorial process.
The Story Behind the Story
Back to how an article comes to life. So our reporter has come to an agreement with their editor on what the story is “about,” they have their notes, their data, and their expert opinions. They feel like they have a firm grasp on the who, what, where, when, and why. And then, finally, they can write.
So the next time you read an article, whether it’s about a city council meeting or a global crisis, remember the unseen hours. Remember the hunt for statistics, the late-night calls to an expert in Hawaii for one last quote, and the agonizing search for the perfect lead.
Remember Mike. Because there’s always a story behind how the story gets told.
👉 What’s your “Mike” story? Have you ever been stuck on the first line of something important? Hit reply or drop a comment — I’d love to hear it.
P.S. - If you found this post helpful, would you please consider restacking it and sharing it with your audience?
This spreads the word and keeps me writing the types of content that you have enjoyed.