story-pitch

ストーリー企画書のガイド

良いストーリーも、企画書の出来が悪ければ実現しません。このスキルでは、企画書の構成、切り口の開発、掲載先に応じた形式について説明します。

使うタイミング

• 編集者（社内または社外）にストーリーを提案するとき
• フリーランス向けの企画書を作成するとき
• 取材前にストーリーの切り口を練り上げるとき
• ニュースルームで担当枠を競うとき
• 助成金やフェローシップの申請書を作成するとき

企画書の基本

すべての企画書に必要な要素

1. フック：なぜ誰かが関心を持つのでしょうか？ なぜ今なのでしょうか？
2. ストーリー：何を示し、明らかにし、説明するのでしょうか？
3. 根拠：何を持っていますか？ 何を入手できますか？
4. アクセス：誰に話を聞き、何を見るのでしょうか？
5. 依頼事項：何が必要ですか（時間、予算、リソース）？

「それで、何が重要なのか」テスト

企画を提案する前に、次の問いに答えてください。

• なぜこのストーリーなのか？（重要性）
• なぜ今なのか？（時宜性／ニュース性のあるフック）
• なぜあなたなのか？（アクセス、専門知識、切り口）
• なぜこの掲載先なのか？（読者層との適合性）

4つすべてに答えられないなら、まだ企画を提案する準備ができていません。

タイプ別の企画書テンプレート

デイリーニュースの企画

担当編集者向けの、短期間で仕上げるストーリーに使います。

**Slug:** [2-3 word identifier]
**Pitch:** [One sentence: What's the news?]
**Why now:** [What makes this timely?]
**Sources:** [Who you'll talk to]
**Timeline:** [When you can file]
**Format:** [Length, multimedia]

Example:
**Slug:** Council-Budget-Vote
**Pitch:** City council votes tonight on controversial police budget increase.
**Why now:** Final vote after months of debate, protests expected.
**Sources:** Council president, protest organizers, police union rep.
**Timeline:** File by 10pm for morning.
**Format:** 600 words + photos from hearing.

特集記事の企画

より長い準備期間をかけるストーリーに使います。

## [Working title]

**The story in one sentence:**
[What is this story about?]

**The hook:**
[Why should readers care? What's the emotional/intellectual entry point?]

**What's new:**
[What do you know/have that hasn't been told?]

**The shape:**
[How will you tell it? Narrative structure, key scenes, characters]

**Sources and access:**
[Who will you interview? What will you witness? Documents?]

**Visuals:**
[Photo opportunities, graphics, multimedia]

**Timeline and resources:**
[How long to report? Write? What do you need?]

**Why me:**
[Your connection to story, relevant expertise, access]

Example:

## The last ferry captain

**The story in one sentence:**
After 47 years, the last original captain of the Staten Island Ferry is retiring, and taking decades of institutional knowledge with him.

**The hook:**
8 million New Yorkers depend on this ferry. Most have never met the people who run it. Captain Mike Carbone has seen mayors come and go, survived 9/11 from the water, and trained every current captain. His retirement is the end of an era.

**What's new:**
No one has profiled the ferry crews since the 2003 accident. Carbone has agreed to a ride-along on his final week. He's kept a journal since 1977.

**The shape:**
Narrative profile. Open with his final departure. Flash back through career highlights. Include voices from crew, family, passengers he's befriended across decades.

**Sources and access:**
- Carbone (confirmed, ride-along approved)
- NYC DOT ferry division chief
- Other captains he's trained
- Regular commuters
- His family

**Visuals:**
Photographer on ride-along. Harbor shots at dawn. Carbone's home with memorabilia. Archive photos from his collection.

**Timeline and resources:**
2 weeks reporting, 1 week writing. Need photographer availability for 3 early mornings.

**Why me:**
I grew up taking this ferry and have always wanted to tell this story. I've already built rapport with Carbone through initial conversations.

調査報道の企画

多大なリソースを要する説明責任ジャーナリズムに使います。

## [Working title]

**The thesis:**
[What we can prove / what we suspect]

**Why it matters:**
[Impact: Who is harmed? How much money? How many people?]

**What we have:**
[Documents, sources, data already obtained]

**What we need:**
[Additional reporting required]

**Key sources:**
[Who will talk? On/off record? Whistleblowers?]

**Documentary evidence:**
[FOIA requests needed? Court records? Financial filings?]

**Legal considerations:**
[Defamation risk? Source protection needs?]

**Competitive risk:**
[Is anyone else on this? Why now?]

**Timeline:**
[Realistic assessment of time to report, write, edit, legal review]

**Resources needed:**
[FOIA costs, travel, data analysis, graphics, multimedia]

**Publication plan:**
[Single story? Series? Rolling publication?]

Example:

## State contracts going to insiders

**The thesis:**
More than $50 million in state construction contracts across five years went to companies with personal ties to procurement officials, circumventing competitive bidding.

**Why it matters:**
Taxpayers are overpaying for public projects. At least three bridges have needed early repairs after work by connected contractors.

**What we have:**
- State contract database (scraped, analyzed)
- Corporate filings showing ownership connections
- Two former procurement employees willing to talk (one on record)
- Email chain showing official steering business to friend

**What we need:**
- Additional FOIA for internal communications
- More contractors willing to describe losing bids unfairly
- Engineering review of the bridge repair patterns
- Response from officials named

**Key sources:**
- Whistleblower A (on record, documented complaint)
- Whistleblower B (background only, fears retaliation)
- Contractor who lost bids (on record)
- Engineering expert for bridge assessment
- Officials (will request comment before publication)

**Documentary evidence:**
- Contract awards (public, obtained)
- Corporate filings (public, obtained)
- Internal emails (FOIA pending)
- Inspection reports (FOIA pending)

**Legal considerations:**
All claims will be documented. We'll seek comment from everyone named. Standard defamation review needed.

**Competitive risk:**
Local TV did a segment on one bridge last year but didn't connect the pattern. This is a deeper investigation.

**Timeline:**
8-10 weeks total. 6 weeks additional reporting, 2 weeks writing/editing, 2 weeks legal/response period.

**Resources needed:**
$2,000 FOIA costs, data analysis support, one reporting trip to state capital.

**Publication plan:**
Main story (3,000 words) + database for readers to search contracts + methodology box.

オピニオン記事の企画

意見・論評記事に使います。

Subject: Op-ed submission: [Headline]

Dear [Editor name],

[One paragraph: What's your argument? Why now?]

[One paragraph: Why are you qualified to make this argument?]

[One paragraph: Why is this right for your publication's audience?]

The piece is [word count] words and is exclusive to [publication].

[Your name]
[Credentials/bio]
[Contact info]

---

Example:

Subject: Op-ed submission: School board's DEI cuts will hurt all students

Dear Opinion Editor,

When the Westfield school board votes Tuesday to eliminate diversity coordinators, they won't just hurt minority students, they'll deprive every student of the skills employers demand. I've spent 20 years in HR at Fortune 500 companies, and I can tell you: businesses want graduates who can work across difference. This decision makes our kids less competitive.

As the former Chief People Officer at [Company] and a Westfield parent, I've seen both sides of this issue. I'm not an activist; I'm a business leader who knows what the job market requires.

Your editorial page has covered school budget debates extensively. Your readers, many of them parents in our district, need to hear from someone who can translate business needs into educational priorities.

The piece is 750 words and is exclusive to [Publication].

Jane Smith
Former CPO, [Company]
Westfield School District parent
[email protected] / 555-0123

フリーランス向け企画書

仕事をしていない媒体に企画を提案するときに使います。

Subject: Pitch: [Compelling headline]

Dear [Editor name],

[Opening hook, the most compelling detail or question from your story]

[What the story is, who it's about, what you'll show]

[Why now, the news hook or timely angle]

[What you have, sources confirmed, access secured, documents obtained]

[Why this publication, how it fits their coverage, audience]

[Why you, relevant clips, expertise, access]

I estimate [word count] words and can deliver in [timeframe].

Thank you for your consideration.

[Your name]
[Brief bio]
[Links to 2-3 relevant clips]
[Contact info]

---

Example:

Subject: Pitch: The nurse who tracks fake diplomas

Dear [Editor],

Maria Chen has caught 47 nurses with fake degrees in three years. None of them through background checks, but through a spreadsheet she maintains in her free time.

Chen, a nursing supervisor at a rural Oklahoma hospital, started her database after discovering a colleague had purchased credentials from a diploma mill. State nursing boards, she found, rarely verify foreign credentials thoroughly. Her volunteer work has exposed a patient safety gap that regulators have ignored.

Her story comes as Oklahoma debates licensure reform this session, a bill she's testified for and the hospital lobby has opposed. The vote is in six weeks.

I've interviewed Chen twice, reviewed her database and documentation, and spoken with three of the fraudulent nurses she identified (two on background). The state nursing board has agreed to comment.

This fits [Publication]'s healthcare accountability coverage. Your recent piece on physician oversight touched on similar regulatory gaps.

I've covered healthcare regulation for [outlets] and have sources at several state nursing boards. My recent piece on travel nurse agencies for [outlet] is attached.

I estimate 2,500 words and can deliver in four weeks.

Thank you for your consideration.

[Name]
Freelance health reporter
[Clip links]
[Contact]

切り口を練り上げる

フックを見つける

自分に問いかけてください。

• 対立は何ですか？（誰が誰と争っていますか？）
• 緊張は何ですか？（何が懸かっていますか？）
• 意外性は何ですか？（読者の予想を裏切ることは何ですか？）
• 感情は何ですか？（読者は何を感じるでしょうか？）
• 問いは何ですか？（何が分かっていませんか？）

「食卓で説明する」テスト

夕食の席で、誰かにこのストーリーを一文で説明できますか？

曖昧すぎる：「里親制度の問題についてです。」

専門的すぎる：「2018年のHHS規制がTitle IV-Eの資金配分におけるインセンティブの不整合を生んだ仕組みについてです。」

ちょうどよい：「里親家庭の子どもたちはあまりにも頻繁に別の家庭へ移されていて、1年間に10校に通った子もいるのに、その影響を誰も追跡していません。」

切り口とテーマ

テーマ	切り口
ホームレス問題	3年間、住宅の待機リストに載っている家族
気候変動	海面上昇を受け、すでに移転を進めている町
医療費	特許の延長中に価格が3倍になったインスリン
教育	教材に自費で1万ドルを費やした教師

テーマは何を取り上げるかです。切り口はどのように取り上げるかです。

よくある企画の失敗

情報の詰め込み

悪い例：「教育委員会ではいろいろなことが起きています。予算問題、生徒数の減少、教育長の人選、施設の問題があります。これらすべてを取り上げたいです。」

改善例：「教育長の人選は、地区に対する構想が正反対の最終候補者2人に絞られています。2人の人物像を描き、何が懸かっているのかを説明します。」

ニュース性のあるフックがない

悪い例：「この市ではホームレス問題が深刻化しています。」

改善例：「先月、市内の立ち退き申立件数が過去5年間で最多になりました。その背景にある要因を探ります。」

アクセスが曖昧

悪い例：「ホームレスの人々や当局者に話を聞きます。」

改善例：「ある家族がシェルター制度を利用する様子を2か月にわたって取材してきました。住宅局長からはインタビューの了承を得ています。」

懸かっているものがない企画

悪い例：「博物館で地元の歴史に関する展示があります。」

改善例：「博物館の新しい展示には、再開発中に盗まれたと地元の家族が主張する品々が含まれています。その家族は返還を求めています。」

企画を提案した後

採用された場合

• 締め切り、記事の長さ、編集プロセスを確認します
• キルフィー（フリーランスの場合）を確認します
• 編集者が希望する連絡方法を確認します
• スタイルガイドやマルチメディアの要件について尋ねます

不採用の場合

• 簡潔かつ丁寧にフィードバックを求めます
• 別の切り口なら採用の可能性があるか尋ねます
• 今後の企画提案に備えて、良好な関係を保ちます

返信がない場合

• 1～2週間後に一度フォローアップします
• それでも返信がなければ、（独占契約でない限り）ほかの媒体にも提案できます
• 個人的に受け止めないでください。編集者は多忙です

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提案で記事の魅力を伝えれば、あとは記事そのものが評価されます。