Basejumper.com - archive

Hey all,

I'm researching an article for an up and coming website designed around outdoor sports. We'll be covering a range of outdoor sports from running and cycling to snowboarding, surfing all the way to BASEjumping, climbing and kayaking, your bread and butter.

Thing is I'm an absolute novice at things like BASEjumping - basically most sports which need a bit of guts - and am going to be giving that angle to the article, BASEjumping for interested non-BASEjumpers.

Would anyone be willing to meet up for interviews (or telephone/email) or even for me to get involved in a spectator role for BASEjumping - get some good shots, that sort of thing?

We're launching quite soon so any help would be greatly appreciated and could draw some decent exposure outside of the 'shock horror' coverage it sometimes gets.

No offense but you are not the first...

So here are our usual/obvious questions:

1. Who are you? Background? Location?

2. Why should WE help you?

None taken, I can imagine there has been.

Basically I'm a trained journalist based in Manchester, UK and I do journalism in my free time, freelance and quite frankly, generally for free (only more writing and experience will ever change that).

I've got no experience in things such as extreme sports, complete and utter novice to be honest and my only exposure to some of them has been mainstream media coverage and films.

The site that's being pulled together, however, isn't a case of sensationalist reporting on an activity which can be dangerous but more of a hub for fans of such sports to hear news, interviews and a bit of exposure for sports which don't get as much coverage or to give people an un-sensationalised viewpoint from which to research taking up such sports.

Hope this helps.

You didnt answer Greenmachine's second question. Why shall we help you? What is in it for us. Doya got 1000 quid to help a familythat just lost a member? Put a grand on the table, we decide who it should go to in charity,and may be, quite likely you will get your story.
Take care,
space

Sorry, wasn't clear. That's what I meant about getting more non-sensationalist coverage. The fact is we're a start up run by volunteers at the minute. As things progress incentives like you mentioned may be what develops but I can't promise.

As I say, I write for free so don't have the ability to offer financial rewards for stories but it could be an opportunity for the sport you all know and love to get some fairer coverage than it sometimes gets. Whether that's in terms of more exposure, features relating to BASEjumpers who have passed to tell their stories is up to you, it doesn't have to necessarily be the types of articles I previously mentioned. But if I said that at this present moment there was a financial gain to be had, I'd be lying.

We can offer help to any BASEjumping business ventures by linking through which will help drive hits and income.

Sorry I can't offer more but hope this clarifies and is enough of a reason to engage with what we're trying to do.