Find experts to work when the topic is complicated

Some after-market motorcycles don't meet safety regulations, The Washington Post found. By Flickr user MartialArtsNomad.com

Shows like “American Chopper” and “West Coast Choppers” brought customized motorcycles into the mainstream with super cool, one-of-a-kind bikes. But Debbie Cenziper of The Washington Post found that these after-market additions often don’t meet safety regulations.

She writes:

“But many after-market parts sold in plain sight online and in catalogues fail to comply with federal safety standards or the Clean Air Act, according to safety and environmental experts contacted by The Washington Post. Other parts not covered by standards are widely considered dangerous, such as passenger seats stuck to motorcycles with suction cups.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency regulate the industry but struggle with limited budgets and resistance from some parts of the motorcycle industry. The laws themselves can be confusing, with nuances that make oversight difficult.”

Using suction cups to attach a seat? Really? What a telling detail.

Debbie Cenziper

Today’s Tip: Don’t be afraid to get help when you can’t grasp the rules.

“Parsing through federal regulations and figuring out how they applied to dozens of motorcycle parts was the toughest part of the reporting,” Debbie says.

When something is too complicated, many reporters give up. If you can’t understand something, how can you write about it?  (Many of my students use verbatim quotes hoping no one will know they have no clue.)

But, Debbie relied on safety and environmental experts, and the NHTSA and EPA to grasp the issues, she says. Before publication, she had experts vet the story and graphics.

“I’ve relied on experts before for technical/science-related stories like this one,” Debbie says. “It’s the best way to check findings, facts and tone.”

Sources like PR Newswire’s Profnet and Help a Reporter Out (HARO) can help.