You, the Columnist
My newspaper added a new tag word for stories. Joining “courts,” “crime,” and “education” is this one:
#UpliftingNews.
These two words are the key to big stories in 2018.
The American audience is so burned out by the brutal news of late that anything that reeks of positivity is seen as an antidote.
If an animal in the zoo has a baby, it’s big news.
For you, the columnist, what’s the equivalent of a baby panda?
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During the quiet week before Christmas, my pal Suzie Humphreys, a funny, inspirational, world-class speaker, took me to lunch. She asked if she could talk to me straight.
She explained that my newspaper stories were sometimes so sad or scary that I came off as Debbie Downer.
Suzie told me that when she writes a positive, uplifting story on Facebook, something with a bit of drama, a strong emotional message, and a happy ending, she gets 5,000 likes or more on her post. (That’s 4,999 more than I get on mine.)
Suzie asked me to try something. Try to see the good in the world and write a few positive stories. See what happens.
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So I tried it. I looked for #UpliftingNews.
It’s not hard to find.
A single mom, a waitress, sues an unsavory car dealer and wins in court, but he won’t give her the money she won. She doesn’t have a car.
After I write the story, readers donate $12,000 to buy her a new car. I find a dealer that will sell a car at wholesale. The waitress now drives a 2012 Honda Accord.
The column earned 123,000 page views.
The widow of Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit wants to be buried besides her husband, who was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald minutes before his capture in 1963. But the cemetery isn’t helpful.
I call the cemetery. Officials there have a change of heart. She will be buried beside her hero husband. My story shows how important this is to the widow.
Bam! #UpliftingNews.
I once arranged for a baseball fan to have his photo taken with Cal Ripken Jr., who broke Lou Gehrig’s record for most consecutive baseball games played. Sixty years before, the man had his photo taken with Gehrig.
A teacher dying of cancer has one final wish. She wants to meet Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith.
I bring him to her classroom.
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I built my career on Debbie Downer stories. But my pal Suzie is right. More than at any other time, the audience needs us to lift their spirits.
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How to find #UpliftingNews:
Eyes open. Look for a need in your community that you can solve.
Not much work. Often all it takes to fix a problem is a phone call from a journalist. Nobody wants bad publicity.
Check with a charity. Ask, “Is there any kind of special need that you need a little help with?”
Writing the story. Don’t give away the happy ending in the lead. Build up to it. Tease the reader with the drama.
Make a video. Make a short video to accompany the story.
Don’t be shy. Tell the readers what you’re going to do. Then show them how you do it. Then tell them what you did.
Promote it. Use graphics to draw attention on social media. Don’t give away the ending. Tease the problem, and ask if it can be solved. Make the reader want to learn more.
Promote it even more. Do you have friends in radio and TV? Ask to go on the air to talk about your story. Make sure to tell readers where and how to find it.
Be the antidote.
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Dave Lieber is The Watchdog investigative columnist for The Dallas Morning News. DaveLieber.org @DaveLieber .