Friday, May 7, 2010

Covering the oil spill

Living on the Gulf Coast these days means your thoughts are dominated by the massive oil spill. This will end up being an economic and environmental disaster of epic proportions.

Locally, it's easy to see and feel the effects. Like most people, we ran out to stock up on local seafood last weekend, as we don't know if we'll be seeing 10W40 shrimp in the near future. Friends who rent out condos at the beach are going to take a bath, as vacationers are canceling their trips here. Seafood restaurants? I can't even imagine what they'll go through. Will the air along the coast be breathable, and will this cause a whole bunch of respiratory problems?

Now if you're a reporter in Kansas or Idaho or Indiana you might think the oil spill doesn't really affect you that much.

Think again. Remember, every action has a reaction. The ill wind always blows someone some good.

If restaurants can't serve seafood, they'll cook something else. And maybe that means the Nebraska beef producers make a fortune. So if you're a reporter there, you might look in that direction. Or maybe you're in a place that has a fresh water catfish farm, and orders are through the roof.

Where will people who no longer want to cruise the Caribbean go on vacation? You might be a reporter in a tourist destination that is seeing bookings pick up all of a sudden.

And have you cruised by a convenience store that sells BP gas lately? Not a whole lot of customers. That's a story you can do anywhere.

The effects of this story will be far reaching, and chances are that no matter what market you're in, there's something that will change. Just take time to think, and you'll find an oil spill story you can localize.

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