Like going to the market
Press releases and the conferences that go with them are an easy place to look. Some people like calling them news releases, but that's sometimes being overly charitable to the contents. But whatever they're called, there is something in there that someone thinks is news, so its worth a look.
There is a better rate of return if you look at things like the Ombudsman's office, the public utilities board or the CRTC. How else are you going to find out if there are medical documents blowing around a gravel pit, that a hike in transit fares was approved or that a local jazz station is changing to an adult contemporary mix station?
If you have access to the Canadian Press news wire, they publish a list of things worth watching. Do a search for "News Agenda" and find out what they're looking in on. Because if they're watching it, its news worthy.
Almost like fish in a barrel
Heading down to city hall, the legislature or turning on CPAC to watch proceedings at the House of Commons is a potential place to find news. Question period is a good place to start and its good to have a peek at the order paper. Also important is bills that hit third reading or ones that recieve royal assent. Then there's a media scrum for interviews and you get to hear all about what the shadow minister for intergovernmental affairs thinks about things.
Tune in and turn up a police scanner and you'll get all sorts of stories. Over the span of about 6 hours one night I heard about two major fires, a gas leak at a high school, several assaults and a woman who locked her kid in the car when parked at McDonalds. Oh, and a guy with a "rectal bleed" in the basement of the local cop shop. It's like the original Twitter, only a thousand times better. It would be more, but I heard people once talk about their lunches so that drags it back down to Twitter's level.
The law courts are full of stories. Something interesting in always happening in a trial before Queen's Bench and the bulk of stuff that moves through provincial and bail courts almost assures something will turn up. And of course there is a whole civil side of things if criminal matters don't pan out.
Filing for access to documents through freedom of information legislation is a great, if slow, way to get stories. Its probably going to be a lot of work and it could get expensive, but there is almost always something to be had.
Really fishing
This is mostly about keeping your eyes open. Follow emergency vehicles, observe people and maybe even peek in dumpsters. You don`t know what you`re going to come across, but if you happen across something its probably going to be pretty good. And better yet, nobody else knows what it is until you tell them about it.
