The life of a reporter can be one of excitement. Chasing breaking news paged out over the police scanner, digging in deep to a complex story of public interest, attending a fun community event; these are the kind of days that make newswriting interesting and worthwhile.

The job’s not all breaking news and hard-hitting investigative journalism, however. Some days, there’s simply not a lot going on. That’s when reporters have to get creative. It’s also when some of the best ideas are brought to the table.

Slow news days force the newsroom to think outside of the box, and the result can often be an interesting story that the public might not otherwise hear about. Slow news days can prompt a deeper look into serious issues, bringing important information to light for our readers. Slow news days can spark feature ideas that can bloom into fascinating stories that touch on the common human experience.

While the slow news day stories might not impact all of our readers, to the ones invested in them, they are still important. Even these lighter pieces can be interesting and insightful to the community as a whole. Perhaps even more so than hard news stories, these soft news and feature stories are a reflection of Washington and its people.

As in many professions, it is often feast or famine in the newsroom. Whether the newsroom is reacting to rapid-fire successions of events, or if Washington is just a little more sleepy than usual, sometimes a slow news day is a blessing in disguise.

While hard news is the meat and bread of a newspaper, a balanced diet demands fruits and vegetables, and even the occasional dessert. Ideally, all should blend together to create a filling and satisfying meal. As a reflection of the community, we strive towards that end.