Over at FFJ headquarters this week both Lily and Emma were stuck with the same problem (albeit for different reasons). Having interviewed a range of experts for features they were writing, they were getting more confused and further away from filing their commissions.
For Lily the problem was getting her head around neutral versus supportive running shoes (also known as motion control and stability shoes). She had been tasked with writing an explainer on what are neutral running shoes and who needs them? The first problem was tracking down the right people to speak to (which she documented here). Once Lily found the right experts she came across a second, and even bigger problem. There was no clear answer.
The science was contentious and contradictory and every expert she spoke to gave a completely different answer. Another issue was the level of technicality. Since she was speaking to pedorthists and biomechanical researchers the answers they gave were extremely scientific, full of Latin names and not explained in layman’s terms. One expert tried to explain on a Zoom call with the help of a foot skeleton model but Lily was still left confused.
Even though she had already spoken to five people she felt the answers were no clearer. She decided to have one last go and found another expert to speak to. This time she struck gold. The source was able to simplify the subject matter and discuss the opposing arguments objectively. Lily finally had her story.
Emma on the other hand had been writing about interprofessional learning in healthcare. Before you fall asleep, this is a pretty important topic and it was commissioned after she had done a feature on the Ockenden review into serious failings in maternity services in Shrewsbury. One of the key recommendations was for teams that work together to train together to help break down barriers in communication.
There has been decades worth of research on this, so for Emma it was not a problem of finding no answers, or even conflicting answers, but one of condensing the huge amount of knowledge into two pages. By the time she had done four interviews, she was no closer to being able to get something meaningful into 1500 words. The answers had been vague and lengthy and she was missing that hook to keep the reader engaged.
But just by chance, an expert she had not spoken to yet had been copied into an email chain because he had been doing some work looking at the latest evidence. One Zoom call later and it all clicked into place. He was able to very succinctly explain why it was important, why we were not making faster progress, which countries were doing it better as well as highlight why the pandemic might have changed things. The other answers then made sense with the framework he had put in place.
It was an absolute game-changer, she says, and underpins the importance of speaking to a variety of people and to keep asking questions when it’s not clear how you will tell the story.
Both the pieces are now filed despite Lily and Emma feeling they were getting nowhere so here’s their top tips for unlocking the feature that isn’t working.
You may need to speak to a range of experts before you get useful answers to your questions.
It is OK if there are a number of different answers - use this in your piece. Balance does not necessarily mean two people with opposite views.
Look outside your usual networks to find people to speak to
Don’t be afraid to ditch quotes from an expert if it is not adding value to your story. You are under no obligation to quote someone just because you interviewed them. It is more important that you write an accurate and engaging story.
Use university press officers to find an expert. They can be really good at identifying exactly the right person to speak to so you are not stabbing around in the dark.
What’s coming up
Our online course in partnership with Journalism.co.uk on ‘How to become a successful freelance journalist’ starts again on the 6th June. Over four weeks, we take you through everything from generating story ideas and writing the perfect pitch, to finding work, negotiating rates, building up contacts and branding yourself. It can all be done in your own time and at your own pace with Emma and Lily giving as much feedback as you need through our dedicated Slack channel. Click below to find out more or book your place!
Triumph of the week
Strangely having two potential commissions delayed/dropped because there was no time to actually write them!
That feeling when
You ask for a photo of a interviewee and they send one of themselves in disguise with a large floppy hat and sunglasses…
We love to hear your feedback on everything we do, so feel free to drop us an email anytime at freelancingforjournalists@gmail.com
Bye for now!