EXAMPLE: Holiday travelers on I-95 in for construction zone hell

By Suchat Pederson, AP

By Suchat Pederson, AP

Those traveling home for the holiday on I-95 will likely spend a lot of their time sitting still in traffic, USA Today reported just two days before Christmas Eve.

The story discusses the problems travelers had during Thanksgiving in that same area, and lets them know they'll be seeing a lot of the same construction woes while traveling for Christmas.

The lead is simple, but a little bit boring. It definitely gets across the frustration that travelers will likely experience.

News values: immediacy (holiday just days away), proximity (only affects those who travel on I-95), conflict (there will be some irate drivers, no doubt), impact (on those who want to spend as much time as possible with loved ones).

A good follow-up story could be finding people who traveled that way after-the-fact, and find out what their experiences are. Also, an in-depth timeline of what will be finished and when.