Journalism issue from "Reporting for Duty"

One of the issues that jumped out at me was the journalists idea file. The idea file contains a myriad of news clippings, old media releases, web printouts, scribbled notes etc that people would often discard. These things can however be useful if a new development on an old story arises. The things kept in the 'idea file' could provide background information or even new angles and ideas for the story. Even old stories can be revisited if a half developed idea fully formulates into what could be potentially a great story even a month or so after the event. It is a good idea to keep one for they assist in the creation of self-generated story ideas, which are welcome as reporters give more commitment to these stories and they rarely follow old ideas. Things can just crop up unexpectedly that could develop an idea story into a great story.