1. Define the geographic brief before discussing news
Bensenville’s recorded county relationships include Cook County and DuPage County. That matters because a firm may want coverage that speaks to Bensenville residents, one county, both counties, the wider Chicago metropolitan area, or Illinois more broadly. Those are different editorial boundaries. A municipality’s population estimate is not a substitute for deciding which readers the firm intends to serve. Legal News should therefore be evaluated against the firm’s intake territory and practice areas, not against population alone. Ask whether a proposed story is statewide, county-specific, tied to a named roadway or institution, or relevant to people in Bensenville without being specific to the village.
Recommended approach
Write the geographic brief in plain language before reviewing article examples. State whether the intended coverage is Bensenville, Cook County, DuPage County, the Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, or a combination. Keep household, individual and municipality references distinct in the firm’s own copy, and avoid presenting the Bensenville population estimate as proof of demand.
