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Thinking Outside the Box When You're Looking for Resources
Give listeners the "why" of news by providing context
Make context questions the reporting priority:
- Historical: has this happened before?
- Geographical: where else is this happening?
- Political: how does it reflect shifting partisan tides?
- Behavioral: what does it say about changing beliefs/attitudes?
- Demographic: is this part of a "Gen X" or "Baby Boomer" trend/movement?
Make sources that can answer context questions the reporting priority:
- Analysts: these are often the staffers behind the elected politicians
- Researchers: these are consultants or academics hired by local government to build the case for a particular policy decision
- Historians: these are the people with institutional knowledge in your local community: writers, retired politicians, community elders
- Journalists: these are columnists or beat reporters who have covered an issue for a long time
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