I chose business for my beat.
One issue is the trend in environmental marketing, and labeling products "green" and "eco-friendly."
Story 1: What standards are used in advertising related to environmental claims? What companies/industries are promoting their products as eco-friendly? How legitimate are these claims and how do companies back them up?
Story 2: A company profile of organic food/health store detailing their market, their business policies and their history in Boulder.
Story 3: Compare the number and types of "green" businesses (organic food stores, hybrid car sales, etc) in Boulder to other areas of the nation.
Another issue to cover would be construction and housing development in Boulder.
Story 1: What is the housing market and new construction market doing recently, especially in light of the national housing crisis.
Story 2: How are builders incorporating "green" directives into new construction? How do the new laws and ordinances effect building?
Story 3: Report on public building/reconstruction around Boulder, such as schools, hospitals and other public facilities. How is the current economy affecting city/county construction? Who is winning the contracts? How much is it costing the city?
A third issue is employment in Boulder.
Story 1: Trend story on employment in Boulder, what changes have happened in the past decade, how Boulder compares to other cities in the U.S.
Story 2: Are fair employment practices being implemented in Boulder? Have there been or are there currently any conflicts over discrimination? For example the conflict between employees and owners at the Swift meatpacking plant in Greeley over religious observance.
A fourth issue is advertisement.
Story 1: How are local businesses advertising? Online, in print, canvassers? Which businesses or organizations are spending the most on advertisement? The least?
Story 2: Have there been any controversial ads run recently in Boulder? Who was affected and what were the different sides of the issues?
1 comment:
I really enjoyed your ideas.
Maybe you could look deeper into each of your story subsets and see who is hypocritical and who represents the real deal, at least when it comes to the "green movement."
Are companies advertising via paper and using national trucking routes to get their product out? Not that that is specifically a bad thing, but it is always good for the consumer to know.
Is there any scandal in the green building movement? Seeing how most everything is gobbled up by Capitalism, does this mean the "green revolution" is as well, as "green builders" and manufacturers are actually not abiding by the rules yet just trying to get a "green sticker" slapped on building materials?
In business, in Boulder, who are the most environmentally conscious, and does it hurt or help there business? It might be a really interesting (and important) article to write because if you are finding that running a "green" business is sustainable -heck, beneficial - then more might follow.
Although the above comments can seem a bit up the Ralph Nader creek of Consumer Protection (ahh but more green than his automobile safety battle) I think it may be relevant to at least think about while you are writing the stories. Also, it is always fun putting these guys " " around anything "green."
In other news, I changed my beat to Urban Planning and realized I have some crossover stories to yours up on my blog.
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