story-pitch

故事提案指南

好故事会毁在糟糕的提案上。本指南涵盖提案结构、角度开发和针对不同媒体的格式要求。

适用场景

• 向编辑（内部或外部）提案故事
• 撰写自由撰稿人的选题信
• 报道前完善故事角度
• 争取新闻编辑室的报道任务
• 撰写资助或奖学金申请方案

提案基础

每份提案都需要什么

1. 切入点：为什么值得关注？为什么是现在？
2. 故事内容：你将展示、揭示或解释什么？
3. 证据：你掌握了什么？还能获取什么？
4. 采访渠道：你会采访谁？会看到什么？
5. 诉求：你需要什么（时间、预算、资源）？

“所以呢”测试

提案前，请回答：

• 为什么是这个故事？（重要性）
• 为什么是现在？（时效性／新闻切入点）
• 为什么由你来做？（采访渠道、专业知识、角度）
• 为什么投给这家媒体？（与受众的契合度）

如果四个问题都答不上来，你还没准备好提案。

按类型划分的提案模板

日常新闻提案

适用于需要快速完成的新闻选题，面向负责分派任务的编辑。

**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.

特写提案

适用于需要更多开发时间的长篇报道。

## [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.

调查报道提案

适用于需要大量资源的问责新闻报道。

## [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.

评论文章提案

适用于观点／评论文章。

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

自由撰稿人选题信

适用于向你尚未合作过的出版机构提案。

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]

开发角度

寻找切入点

问问自己：

• 冲突是什么？（谁在和谁斗争？）
• 张力是什么？（利害关系是什么？）
• 意外之处是什么？（读者会对什么感到意外？）
• 情绪是什么？（读者会有什么感受？）
• 问题是什么？（我们还不知道什么？）

“餐桌”测试

你能在晚餐时用一句话向别人讲清楚这个故事吗？

太模糊：“这是关于寄养制度存在的问题。”

太过行话：“这是关于 2018 年的 HHS 规定如何导致 Title IV-E 资金激励机制错位。”

恰到好处：“寄养儿童频繁更换家庭，有些孩子一年里上过 10 所学校，却没人追踪这种情况造成的伤害。”

角度与主题

主题	角度
无家可归	排了 3 年住房候补名单的那个家庭
气候变化	因海平面上升而已经开始搬迁的小镇
医疗费用	胰岛素价格翻了三倍、专利期限却延长的案例
教育	那位自掏 10k 美元购买教学用品的教师

主题是你报道什么。角度是你如何报道。

常见的提案错误

信息堆砌

错误：“学区委员会最近有很多事。他们遇到了预算问题、招生人数下降、学监遴选和校舍设施问题。我想把这些都报道出来。”

更好：“学监遴选已进入最后阶段，两位候选人对学区有着截然不同的愿景。我会为两人撰写人物特写，并说明其中的利害关系。”

缺少新闻切入点

错误：“无家可归问题在我们市越来越严重。”

更好：“上个月，本市的驱逐申请数量创下五年来新高。以下是背后的原因。”

采访渠道含糊

错误：“我会采访无家可归者和官员。”

更好：“过去两个月，我一直跟踪一个家庭在收容所系统中的经历。住房主管已同意接受采访。”

没有利害关系的提案

错误：“博物馆将举办一场本地历史展览。”

更好：“博物馆的新展览展出了当地一个家庭声称在城市改造期间被盗的文物。这个家庭希望取回文物。”

提案之后

如果获批

• 明确截止日期、篇幅和编辑流程
• 确认取消稿酬（自由撰稿适用）
• 了解编辑偏好的联系方式
• 询问风格指南和多媒体需求

如果被拒

• 简短、礼貌地询问反馈
• 询问是否有其他可行的角度
• 保持良好关系，为今后的提案留有余地

如果没有回复

• 1-2 周后跟进一次
• 如果仍然没有回复，可以向其他地方投稿（除非约定了独家）
• 不要往心里去，编辑们都忙不过来

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推介能卖出故事。之后，故事会自己说话。