Story ideas are the base of all news and news based programs. A news event as it happens is the easiest of the ideas to spot. Analyzing an event could be a bit more difficult. After all one will have to dig deeper and read between the lines. But the most difficult ones to spot are the creative ideas.

Such ideas involve researching one element of a story deep and connecting it to another aspect of life, all the while reporting only facts.

Tamil Nadu and Sexual Politics shown in NDTV in 2007 is one such example. The introduction to the story says: If there is one thing that best reflects the schizophrenia of our nation, it is our collective attitudes towards sexuality and gender. And if there is one region which vividly reflects that schizophrenia, it’s Tamil Nadu and its capital, Chennai.

In this 23 minute documentary, the Reporter is able to capture the contrasts in Tamilian attitude towards sexuality and gender. This may seem to be an abstract concept till you look at the film. Have a look at the film on their website by clicking here. 

In depth methodology of spotting story ideas and developing them can be found on my eBook.