How I ... got the story

Police reporter nabs rich detail for a better story

How do you make a routine police story stand out? Xiao Zhang, police reporter for the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, talks about a routine arrest story that turned into a news feature about a catfish-loving officer who happened up a convenience-story robbery because of hunger pangs. He made the arrest, but not before the suspect dropped his knife coming out of the bathroom and the officer took cover behind a pile of soda boxes. These details didn't come from a press release. They came as a result of Zhang's curiosity and doggedness.
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How Xiao Zhang got the police story