Localizing national and international stories

An earthquake strikes Chile, killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands. The federal government passes new health care legislation that will extend coverage to millions. Israeli and Palestinian leaders gather at an Egyptian resort in an attempt to forge a peace plan. A gunman takes 15 hostages at a college campus halfway across the country.

Every minute, important news stories break around the nation and around the world. Is it the job of your student news organization to cover them?

It depends. Certainly, your primary responsibility is to cover your campus and immediate community. But there are times when you should localize national and international news, putting it into context for your readers. There’s no clear answer on when your news organization should step in, but here are some guidelines and some examples of how student news outlets have covered national and international news.

What kinds of national and international stories should you localize?

Stories that have an impact on your readers. How will the new health care legislation affect your readers? How do students feel about a proposed increase in the federal minimum wage? What do your readers need to know about a national recall of eggs?

Stories that break on another college campus. When a student at California State University, Chico died in a hazing incident, student newspapers around the country took a hard look at fraternity pranks on their own campuses. Suicides, campus shootings, and drinking deaths are other news events that may be worth localizing because such stories are likely to resonate with your readers.

Stories that people are talking about. When Michael Jackson died or Sarah Palin resigned from her position as governor of Alaska, college campuses were abuzz with the news. If a lot of people are talking about an issue, you probably should cover it.

Stories with a local angle. If a current or former student or faculty member makes news, that’s grounds for coverage, even if the story breaks thousands of miles away. When a big story breaks check to see if members of your campus community are planning service or political activities in response.

Stories that affect a particular political, ethnic group or special-interest group on your campus. If you’ve got a sizable LGBT community, there’s likely to be heightened interest in gay rights issues. Does your campus have a large number of immigrants from Mexico, China or another country? Keep a special eye out for news from home that might interest them.

Stories similar to major events that have happened on your campus. When there’s a campus shooting anywhere in the United States, The Collegiate Times pays special attention because such events may spur memories of the shooting at Blacksburg, Va. campus.

What can your news organization add to the coverage? When deciding whether to localize a story think about what your news organization can contribute to the discussion. Will experts on your campus be able to provide analysis or context for what has happened? Will you offer an opportunity for community members to vent on an issue they feel passionate about? Can you report the news in a way that will make it more meaningful to your readers?

How do you find local sources for a national or international story? Social media tools are a good way to start. When a major earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, Emily Stephenson, then community manager for The Daily Tar Heel, posted a Facebook message asking if anyone from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill community had been affected. She didn’t expect much response. “As it turned out, the School of Public Health had a student there who was trying to get home, and another student had just returned from a mission trip,” she says. “The second student wound up in the lede of the story.”

Suzanne Yada of The Spartan Daily also struck pay dirt with social media tools after learning that John Patrick Bedell, who had been shot to death after firing at two guards in front of the Pentagon, had attended San Jose State University. Yada, then the online editor for the paper, scoured social media sites looking for information about Bedell and his connection to San Jose State University. “Bedell was quite tech-savvy and had accounts on LinkedIn, Wikipedia and Amazon that mentioned SJSU and revealed more pieces of his character,” she says.

Another strategy for finding sources is to search for campus experts. If a coup breaks out in a distant land, look for professors who have done research on that country and its politics. If a major earthquake strikes, ask your geology department for someone who can explain the science behind seismic activity. Many university public information offices list professors with expertise in particular issues who can speak to the media.

Campus ethnic, religious and service groups may also be good sources for commentary and reaction to national or global news. Leaders of Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim student organization groups will often have comments on new developments in Middle East politics, for example. Think, too, about whether any individuals or groups on your campus may help in rescue efforts or take political action in response to a news event. College service groups often plan fundraisers or service trips to help survivors of natural disasters. Campus political groups may stage political activities in response to an important court ruling, crime or other news event.

If a major newsmaker has a connection to your campus – an alum is appointed to a high-level position or a former student engages in a high-profile crime – try to find professors, students and alumni who knew the person. When Elena Kagan was nominated to the Supreme Court, The Daily Princetonian provided extensive coverage of the Princeton alum, providing insights about her political activities and beliefs as an undergraduate. Reporters didn’t have to look too far to find evidence; Kagan had been a news writer and editorial chairman for the “Prince” and had penned a number of unsigned editorials, “many of which took decidedly liberal stances on national and campus issues,” The Daily Princetonian wrote.The Daily Princetonian even republished a column Kagan wrote after the national election of 1980.

Princeton student admits fabricating attack

A Princeton student who claimed he was the victim of hate e-mail and a brutal physical attack for his conservative views has admitted he fabricated the whole thing, according to news reports.

Francisco Nava, a 23-year-old junior, told local police officials that scratches on his face were self-inflicted, and that he had sent threatening e-mail messages to himself, as well as to fellow members of Princeton’s socially conservative Anscombe Society, and to the group's adviser, Robert P. George, a professor of jurisprudence at the university, according to an article on the Chronicle of Higher Education news blog. The society opposes premarital sex and advocates for a return to traditional family values.

On Dec. 9 Nava wrote a guest column for The Daily Princetonian criticizing a recent health fair for distributing free condoms.

"How is a collegiate casanova to feel if his own school can stuff his pockets with condoms?" Nava wrote. "It is no wonder, then, that University Health Services (UHS) over the years has had to limit a student's daily allowance to 10 condoms per visit! What Princeton's condom campaign amounts to is a tacit sponsorship of hookup sex that is fundamentally unsafe for females and ethically unconscionable for the doctors and health professionals who promote it."

A few days after the column ran, Nava reported he and other members of the Anscombe Society had received hate mail. And on Friday night, he went to the University Health Center with scrapes and scratches saying that he had been assaulted by two men.

On Sunday, Nava confessed to police that the beating and the e-mails were part of a hoax.

In a brief interview, Nava told The Daily Princetonian he thought his actions would draw attention to the pro-chastity cause.

Princeton University officials are investigating the fabricated attack and threatening e-mail messages Nava reportedly wrote, actions that could bring disciplinary actions ranging from a warning to expulsion, according to The New York Times.

The Daily Princetonian left several stories about Nava up on its Web site with notes like this at the top: "Update: Francisco Nava '09 has since admitted that he fabricated the assault described in this article. Please see the updated story."

The case raises issues of how journalists -- students and professionals -- can be deceived and manipulated by sources.

Student reporter embedded in Iraq

It all started with a story he was writing for The Daily Princetonian.

Last fall, Wesley Morgan, then a Princeton freshman and a cadet in the university's ROTC program, interviewed a lieutenant general named David Petraeus for a profile he was writing for the Princeton student newspaper.

Little did the young reporter know that the plum interview would lead to a summer of reporting in Iraq.

Morgan continued to write about Petraeus as he was promoted to four-star general and commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq.

"When Petraeus had been in command in Iraq for a few weeks, I emailed him for help in finding an interesting internship for the summer," Morgan wrote last week in the first of a series of columns to be published in The Daily Princetonian. "His reply: Sure, he could suggest an internship, but wouldn't I rather go to Iraq? Well, of course I would — wouldn't you?"

Morgan had difficulty making all the arrangements but Bill Roggio, a conservative blogger affiliated with The Weekly Standard, stepped in, offering to help him get to Iraq. On July 23, armed with the latest Harry Potter book, Morgan boarded a plane to London and then made a connecting flight to Kuwait.

Morgan spent five weeks embedded with different units in Iraq, recording his observations in a blog, Notes from Downrange.

Meanwhile, his story has been picked up by The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and Harper's Magazine.

Wesley, we'd love to hear from you about your experiences. Post a comment here.