Write for the public interest. Combining data and real people make trade journalism compelling, say Su-Lin Tan of the South China Morning Post and Wahyu Dhyatmika of Tempo Digital.
by Erika Filter, National Press Foundation
Trade journalism frequently takes audiences into the weeds of data and policy. But adding context and highlighting the work of real people makes these stories come alive. Su-Lin Tan, a correspondent with the South China Morning Post, and Wahyu Dhyatmika, CEO of Tempo Digital, offer a primer based on years covering the industry.
Focus on the public interest. When reporting on private companies, journalists need to show their intentions are unbiased. Fact-checking stories will guard against accusations that they are more informed by commercial interests. As journalism is redefined, Dhyatmika urges reporters to emphasize “that the real journalism is public interest journalism.” When “public interest” stories don’t seem to do well, remember the audience. “Sometimes… you need to see audience or public in broader terms and it has segments. So even though the general public might not read or click your stories…you can get the authorities, you can get the decision makers, you can get the members of parliament to care about the story, and they can do something after reading your story.”
Use public data. Combining data with field reporting and interviews will strengthen stories that might otherwise seem biased. “Even the simplest piece of data is actually a story,” Tan said. And adding a human element to data stories makes them compelling. “The way to make these stories alive is to turn them into people’s stories,” Tan said, referring to a story that highlighted the work of individual farms for a report on the mango trade.
Pay attention to the process. “We don’t understand how we get our coal,” Tan said. “We get iron ore, we talk about it in a sort of prosaic manner, but we don’t actually write about how those things happen.” A story following the journey of a pair of shoes on a shipping container might highlight the process in a way that connects with readers.
Take advantage of grant funds. Editors might not be willing to support a long-term, deep-dive story that requires a lot of resources. Editors are “a big block” for stories that involve a lot of resources, Tan said. The Global Forum for Media Development, the Fund for the Public Interest, the Pulitzer Center and the Earth Journalism Network can help journalists in small newsrooms start their wish-list stories. Even if the funds are available, Tan said it still may be difficult to find time to work on dream stories.
Speakers: Su-Lin Tan, South China Morning Post
Wahyu Dhyatmika, Tempo Digital
Takeaways, transcript and resources: https://nationalpress.org/topic/trade-stories-dhyatmika-tan/
This fellowship is part of an ongoing program of journalism training and awards for trade coverage sponsored by the Hinrich Foundation.
This video was produced within the Evelyn Y. Davis studios. NPF is solely responsible for the content.
Comments
Comments are disabled for this post.