News stories always have an impact – but the reach of that influence can be impossible to predict

Some articles rattle cages the moment they’re published, others uplift readers. But sometimes, for a number of reasons, they have such reach that you can almost touch the effects

James Moore has used his columns to highlight poor treatment of disabled people on London transport (iStock)

Journalists write stories for a variety of reasons, but no one wants to see their work ignored.

That might mean seeing other news organisations race to jump on your story, as we saw with Clémence Michallon’s extraordinary Liam Neeson interview earlier this year. It might mean simply gaining millions of readers.

Some subjects thrust reporters firmly into conflict with certain groups. If you cover the dreary antics of “Tommy Robinson”, there is often a fiery response from his supporters, whether online or in our email inboxes. I’ve been surprised in the past by the deluge of righteous fury from the “vaping community” if a story dares to ponder how regulated the fake fags should be.