Overview in Finalizing a Proposal

by: Julie A. Nieva

A journey of a thousand begins with a single step. This quote from the famous Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, can be applied to all kinds of work, especially in journalism.

Like a ladder to success, a writer must follow certain steps in order to accomplish a story. One of these steps is finalizing a proposal.

A proposal serves as a guide in writing an article. However, even coming up with a topic is hard.

When asked about what steps should be undertaken in finalizing a proposal, majority of our journalism class agreed that finding a definite angle, having enough sources to interview, conducting research for additional facts and resources, looking for a newsworthy topic, seeking suggestions from pros, and checking if the article is time-constrained are the factors that should be considered in finalizing a proposal.

Our cluster, however, has different priorities on the steps in finalizing a proposal.

First, the cluster believes that looking for a newsworthy topic is important. An article has a bigger chance of getting published and can easily attract attention from the readers if it tackles new things.

Second, with a topic in mind, it is best for the writer to find an interesting angle in discussing the subject. Readers would not want to spend time reading articles with the same ideas and with similar descriptions.

Third, the writer must consider the time or the preparation in writing an article. There are some write-ups that are time-constrained. If the writer is not careful, his/her story might go stale.

Fourth, the writer must check if there are enough sources to interview. To avoid a biased story, an article must have at least two or three sources in order to present the different sides of the story.

Fifth, conducting research for additional facts is also essential. Readers would understand better if a lot of information is included.

Finally, seeking suggestions from the readers is also advisable. After all, the article is written to entertain, inform and educate the mass.

With these steps in hand, the cluster believes that a writer can finalize a good proposal that will be a guide in writing an interesting and newsworthy article.