Phase 2 · Story Pitch — Bushwick Daily Grocery Price Index

Prepared by *

Date

The pitch

A pitch is you making the case: what the story is, why it earns a reader's attention, and how you'll report it fairly. The Coordinator approves it before you collect a single price. Be specific — the sourcing and reasoning fields want your actual plan, not placeholders.

Working headline

The hook (1–2 sentences)

Why does a reader click this today? Lead with the sharpest reason.

Thesis / hypothesis

What do you expect to find, and why — e.g., "natural-food stores run roughly double the discount chains on the same basket." Write it down now. You'll test it, not assume it; and when the real numbers land, the gap between what you predicted and what you found is often the most honest line in the piece.

Why it matters to Bushwick readers (the "so what")

Why now (the news peg)

Tie it to the policy or market moment you verified in Phase 1 — in your framing, not mine.

What's new versus the prior BD pieces

Sourcing plan and your reasoning

For each row, name what you'll gather and why it belongs in the story. This is the heart of the pitch.

What we'll source, and why
What we'll source (data, stores, people, docs)	Why it belongs

Method in brief: how you keep it fair

Two or three sentences. Full detail comes in Phase 3.

Visual / data plan

What chart(s) and map carry the story?

Risks & scope

What could make this story wrong or fail?

Be honest: small sample, one-day snapshot, stores that won't talk, sales distorting prices. Naming risks up front makes the piece stronger.

Who does what

Split the work between the two of you, with rough effort.

What you need approved to proceed

Coordinator review

The Coordinator (who also edits) records the decision here. You don't start the next phase until this reads Approve.

Decision

Approve Revise — see notes Hold

Notes / what to fix

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Date