Planning a Story

To begin, you must conceive a story idea. Story ideas can be found in a variety of places, such as blogs, vlogs, Twitter and Facebook posts, news releases , city , state , and federal government websites (EPA, FDA, etc.), and company websites, such as UF News 
You may also be inspired by another news story you have read and want to approach writing about the topic in a different way.

What’s your story idea?
What struck you as most interesting or important about this topic?
What makes this topic newsworthy?
What is the main point of the story that readers need to know or would want to know? What facts would you need to include? 
Would you be writing a hard-news or news-feature story? What characteristics of the topic would lend itself to the style you chose? 
Who might you interview for your story, name three potential sources? (You don’t need to list sources by name, their job description or qualities that would make them a good source will do. For example, if you are writing a story about a restaurant being shut down for health-code violations, you may want to interview the owner, an employee of the restaurant, and someone who has dined at the restaurant recently.)
How might the sources you have chosen contribute to the story?