If you turn up for the daily news meeting without a story idea, you're probably in the wrong job.

And if your editor hands you a news release at the end of the meeting you have failed as a journalist.

You should always be fighting to get your story ideas accepted.

News releases, diary events and the wires play their part in the daily news diet - and, sadly, a large part for some media organisations - but the journalism resulting from such sources will always be stimulated and prompted by others.

That's really not good enough.

If your editor hands you a news release to rewrite ... you have failed as a journalist

Much better if you can come up with original journalism that, had it not been for you the world would never have known.

Pre-internet it was easy to uncover original stories, now online search tools make the job even easier. You should be living and breathing stories 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.

There is no excuse for turning up in the newsroom with a blank mind and no ideas

Real journalism knows no shift patterns – they are only there to ensure the newsroom works well, not to ensure the journalists work well. Journalism is a vocation, not a job.

So, what were the sources of stories in the days before the web. Here are 24 tips for potential story sources to ensure you will always have ideas and will never turn up at the morning news meeting with a blank mind. All these come from the days I was a local newspaper reporter and was judged on what stories I found (rather than those I was given).

Real journalism knows no shift patterns - it's a vocation, not a job

24 tips for lazy journalists

1: Your foot soldiers and spies

They will spot changes and notice the unusual. Those delivering mail, newspapers and milk are particularly useful contacts.

Make friends with anyone who drives or walks around your patch every day

2: Window shopping

Local meetings, lost and found items; in fact all the standard hand-written classified adverts could turn into a story. Many are rich pickings, but you may have to jot down the numbers and make a few calls before that becomes apparent.

Always look carefully at all the adverts posted in local shops

3: Everyone has a story to tell

Start with public figures, but expand to include everyone. Artists, retired academics, shop keepers, business leaders, union leaders, a cleaner, a road sweeper. Plan your interview strategy. Draw up a list. Create a diary. Do at least one interview a week. Some may be rubbish and may never be used. Others could be explosive.

Interview people - anyone: Everyone has a story

4: Daily calls

It used to be called ‘doing the calls’ on my first newspaper. Every day one of us would be sent to call at the front desk of the local police, fire and ambulance station. We could have done it on the phone, but we wouldn’t have got half the tip offs had we not knocked on doors and discuss events over a cup of tea.

Visit the emergency services regularly

5: What’s on at the local court

Of course you have to be careful here in terms of legal issues. But if you know your patch you will know some of the names listed. This source of stories is more about being aware and alert. Always ensure you have the court listings.

Court listings are great sources for upcoming stories

6: Planning and development

The local planning office is often a source of great stories. It will tell you what’s been approved, rejected and appealed. Check the names of the developers. Look through the records. Jot down the areas where there is an appeal underway. Go there and talk to local residents about why they think the original plans were turned down. Keep digging; you will find some great stories in the local planning department. Look out for new buildings and go through the records to track the planning process. Look for the unusual.

Look closely at appeals, there is usually a good story

7: Original surveys

Buy a cheap clipboard and write 10 questions on a current burning local issue. Then go out to shopping areas, railway stations etc and invite people to take part. Try to interview 100 people. Read it all back and think through what the survey is telling you. Think about who you should talk to next to make your research into a story.

Don't be afraid to carry out your own survey on a local issue

8: Local concerns

Again, get out in the street and ask people what concerns them most, what they would like to see changed, what annoys them the most, what they would like to see happen in the town. What they like, what they don’t like.

Listen to your audience to find out what they want you to cover

9: A year ago today

Recording recent history: Keep your own news diary each year and jot down all the stories you covered along with relevant contact details. Then always look back at what you were covering six months and a year ago. Check with the contacts you spoke to in the past. Ask them whether anything has changed. A responsible journalist will always follow up on important stories. Your follow up will probably present you with a new exclusive – and you will have some great archive material to support the news update.

Create your own, unique, forward planning diary

10: Local statistics and trends

Turn numbers into stories. Think through how the town you are working in compares with neighbouring towns in key areas, such as whether it is growing, shrinking, has more or fewer people in work, has a younger or older average age, has more expensive or cheaper property etc. Talk to local politicians about what they are doing about it. Don’t just take the statistics at face value. Ask questions. Keep nagging like a small child until those with the information give you the sweets you want.

Statistics are stories, not just numbers

Trends can also be a great source of news. Talk to academics, business leaders, the man and woman in the street. Get to know about how things are changing and find out why they are changing. What do the old think of the young and what do the young think of the old? What are the benefits, what are the risks, where are the opportunities, where are the threats? Keep chewing away at the bone to ensure you get all the meat off it.

Comparisons can be odious, but can make good stories

11: Garden maintenance workers

Talk to the garden maintenance workers. They often have a van and a trailer stacked with rakes, spades, bits of trees and shrubs etc and usually take loads of tea breaks. Catch them at the right time and they will often be happy to chat. They have some great stories; treasures found, most unusual shrubs, biggest snakes, decline of one species and the flourishing of another.

Dig through the weeds for human interest stories

12: Pest control officers

There will be companies in your town specialising in pest control. The biggest wasp nest in the most unusual place, the fattest rats, the worst cockroach infestation - all are the makings of great stories. And those dealing with pests are usually well-informed and keen to talk about what they have found.

Talk to those who know how to smell a rat

13: Garbage and recycling

What are the trends? What is being reused? What is being thrown away? What are the door-to-door recycling teams looking for? What happens to the material? Who buys it? In what ways could people recycle more? Look for the extremes – the biggest, the most valuable, the strangest etc.

Recycling centres are a rich source of stories

14: A day in the life of

This can provide a rich source of local interest stories. An endless list of following the lives of the ordinary and the not-so-ordinary. Ask permission to follow someone around for their working day. Ask them questions all the time. Watch what they do. Look for the unusual.

News is about daily life; don't be afraid to investigate it

15: Who goes where

Which airlines use the local airports? Where do they go to? Is travel on the increase or decrease? Who is travelling? Are they leisure or business? What are the business links? The same with railway and bus stations. Who is going where to do what? Sounds simple, but this, too, can uncover some interesting leads that may be worth expanding on a slow news day. It's amazing how much people will talk in the arrivals hall of an airport if they have a) had a great trip b) had an eventful trip c) had a bad journey.

Arrivals, departures and international connections can be newsworthy

16: Local infrastructure

Is the town expanding? If it is, how will it cope? Roads, schools, policing, hospitals, doctors, utilities etc. Good news for the politicians, the businesses and the banks may not always be great news for the community. Don't get carried away with all the hype. Check whether the town can actually cope with the expansion and so-called opportunities.

Is your community coping or creaking? It's your job to find out

17: Charity shops

Junk and jewels: Is trade up or down? What is most in demand? What is the most common donation? Have they found anything unusual? Money in pockets, rare stamps, expensive heirlooms.

Are local charities struggling and, if so, what are the implications?

18: DIY stores

What is selling most? (You can then check out how that is impacting on local trades people, too). Get permission from the manager to talk to staff about DIY disasters – these always make great stories. Talk to customers, too, they may be prepared to let you go round to their homes and take pictures. You are looking for most unusual. I once came across a story where someone had a fully plumbed in bathroom at the bottom of the garden because the bloke liked to do his ablutions in the open air. He was happy to talk about it, too.

Do it yourself nightmares. A great source of human interest stories

19: The marginalised

You should be representing the whole community. Find out is anyone getting a rough deal? Are some shunned and avoided? If so, why? Who are they? Why have they been left behind? What is being done for them? Visit them and get their side of the story. Then seek out the other side.

Talk to those who other outlets ignore and take on to tell their story

20: Local petitions

The usual stuff: speeding, accident black spots, dog mess, litter, bonfires, noise pollution, immigration, travellers etc. Find out who is campaigning, ask why, and then look for both sides of the story.

Always talk to petitioners because they all have stories you should be covering

21: Health and safety

Keep in touch with the watchdogs for alerts and ailments. Food standards, restaurant checks, building regulations, cowboy builders, trading standards, condemned goods etc. Don’t wait for the news release. Make contact with those who carry out the checks and talk to them regularly. It can take such department a couple of days to agree and write a news release, but they may tell you what they are investigating earlier in the process and you can get the exclusive.

Food warnings, dodgy appliances, cowboy builders - all make good stories

22: Lost and found offices

There will probably be one at the local airport, the main railway terminal and bus station; the lost and found office is often a treasure trove of great stories.

Check out your lost property offices for unusual items

23: Hospitals and A & E

Many people visiting your hospital's Accident & Emergency waiting room could be a potential story. People with their hands stuck in jars, children who have swallowed coins. Not all will talk, but it’s amazing how readily some people will brag about their exploits.

Follow the flashing blue lights

24: And if you fail ...

If you try all these leads and still end up without a story idea in your head, please consider another career. You are probably not meant to be a journalist.

However, if you are given a news release for a legitimate story, do follow it up responsibly. Be sure to check out the fourth and fifth paragraphs.

The top line is what those who want to control the news want you to write. It will seldom, if ever, be the real top line. It will be cliché ridden and cleverly crafted to only promote what the company wants. Read down a bit to find the news they want to bury. Here is a typical news release format. The real story is highlighted in bold.

Give all news releases a hard time

If you try all these leads and still end up without a story idea in your head, please consider another career