Idea File: Finding Freelance Writing Ideas in the News

Today I’m finishing up an article whose topic came straight from the news.

Think headline-grabbing, celebrity-steeped scandalous news that’s been overplayed by every major (and minor) news organization.

And yet, my article only mentions that original scandal. That scandal, that news, served as a catalyst for my piece, which touches on the scandal so lightly, it barely registers as the same news. It’s the same topic, but definitely not the same approach.

That’s today’s Idea File focus.

You don’t have to be told what current scandal has celebrities reaching for their lawyers right now. It’s everywhere. All the major outlets have talked with colleges and universities (who are willing to talk) about the impact on them and their admissions practices.

But the idea I gleaned from all the news — how would my usual target audience approach this issue? Because in my world (risk management and insurance), this is a big deal to them for very different reasons.

While I can’t go too deeply into the topic (the magazine deserves first mention of it), I can say how I got to the idea in the first place. In fact, I think we can use another front-page topic to show my thought process, which may work for you:

The Criminal Investigations That Sprouted from Mueller

Yep, hot topic. But how do you make any kind of article pitch from something that’s so A) heated politically, and B) straightforward?

Here’s what I would want to know about:

• A look at how investigations develop
• What an investigation into one of your top executives could mean for your company (and all the questions that swirl around that issue)
• How can corporations guard against internal corruption?
• How can a company conduct internal investigations? Should they?
• What have we learned from political scandals that can help companies prevent similar reputational issues?
• What’s the history of corrupt intent? How can we know where that begins and ends? How can prosecutors win those cases?

What else comes to mind for you?

Writers, what article pitches of yours came from current affairs or blockbuster news reports?
How did your pitches differ from the source inspiration?