Story ideas for journalists: fresh angles on your beat
Choose your beat, region and angle. Byline reads current news and suggests five ideas, each with a working headline, a pitch, questions to answer and who to call.
How it works
Open Story Ideas in your workspace and fill in what you know. Rough notes are fine; required fields are marked.
| You give | Example |
|---|---|
| Your beat | Politics & Governance, Economy & Business, Health, Education, Agriculture, Environment, Sports, Technology, Human Interest, Crime & Justice, International |
| Region / focus (optional) | Nairobi, West Africa, London, Southeast Asia |
| Story angle (optional) | Accountability & Oversight, Human Impact, Data-Driven, Solutions Journalism, Investigative, Trending / Breaking |
Press Write and the result appears as it is written.
Tips
- Pick an angle such as accountability or solutions to get different ideas.
- Use the ideas to pitch your editor, then report them yourself.
Accuracy first
Byline writes only from the facts you give it. It never invents quotes, sources or figures, and when something important is missing it marks the gap, like [CHECK: name of the spokesperson], for you to fill. You check every fact before publishing.
Questions
Where do the ideas come from?
From a search of current news for your beat and region, analysed by Byline.
Is the Story Ideas tool free?
It is included from the Solo Journalist plan. New accounts get a free trial with every template.
Which AI models can I use?
You can choose Claude, GPT, Gemini, Llama or Mistral, depending on your plan.
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