Anecdotes and data

Records and databases can appear boring. Often, we need to lead readers into databases to make them accessible and to personalize them.

Let's look at two possible leads to the same story:

1. The U.S. averages 20 workplace murders a week -- 75 percent of them robbery related. Only traffic accidents account for more on-the-job fatalities, according to federal statistics.

2. DETROIT -- "Get on the ground," a man holding a gun screamed. "I'll blow your heads off if you move.”

Dennis Grehl and a co-worker complied. Dreamlike, he found himself lying face down on a cold, gritty black-tile floor, a pistol against the back of his head.

Here's Angelo Henderson's 1999 story on workplace killings.

 

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