Many news writers want to be able to dig up a strange news story and break it to the world online. Many of these strange news stories become very popular, and draw a lot of attention to the writer, and the rest of his or her work. I have gained a small cult following for my ability to do this.
Many people want to know where I have found stories such as the woman who prostituted herself for a character boost in the World of Warcraft. They want to know where I found that the Vienna Library was setting up a phone sex line. These people want to know where I found out about how people in Canada were trying to get Bigfoot put on the endangered species list.
There are certain places to go online to find strange news stories. Most online reporters will only report the common news that everyone has already seen. Those that have made the step into the realm of odd news have found that their online followings grow everyday.
One of the first places that I look for news is in the Yahoo news section. If you enter their news section, you will find a section for Odd News near the bottom of the page. This section links you to odd news that is being reported by Reuters, the Associated Press, and the BBC.
http://news.yahoo.com/i/757;_ylt=Ar3qZ.8iuPwz.5I5_tB5A.fMWM0F
Another one of my favorite sources is G4TV. On the right side of their website, you will find a link to, “The Feed.” This is their news section. Their reporters search the internet for interesting news that cannot be found on many sites. This news pertains to entertainment and technology.
http://g4tv.com
If you are interested in being one of the first people to break video game news, make sure that you search GameSpot for pertinent information. Their site is tapped into all of the information that you need to know about the video game industry.
http://gamespot.com
If you are looking for breaking news from the world of professional wrestling, which some people like, make sure that you go to Rajah Online. Here, you will find all of the information that you need about all of the ins and outs of the wrestling world.
http://rajah.com
If you are looking for breaking political news, make sure that you join some of the political groups on MySpace. Look at these groups every so often to find political news that has fallen through the cracks. There are many posters that will link to articles that are too strange to be true.
Digg is a great place to find odd news. A simple search of the site will bring up odd articles about news stories from around the world.
http://Digg.com
Granted, news writing can bring you a lot of money. Many writers prefer to write odd news stories because they will help them stick out from the crowd. A catchy title, and a well-written article about something people did not know can bring constant page views for a long time.
For your enjoyment, I have linked to my favorite odd news stories that I have done. This will give you an idea of what types of odd news stories to look for.
Mayan Priests were worried that the George Bush visit would bring evil spirits:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/172849/mayan_priests_fear_evil_spirits_surround.html
Woman Prostitutes Herself Through Craigslist for World of Warcraft:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/210451/woman_prostitutes_herself_through_craigslist.html
Cows Causing Cancer and the Corporate Cover-up:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/213775/cows_causing_cancer_the_corporate_coverup.html
Bigfoot May Gain Protection by the Canadian Parliament:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/231946/bigfoot_may_gain_protection_by_canadian.html
Vienna Library Runs Phone Sex Line:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/239066/vienna_library_runs_phone_sex_line.html
