Going all Continental

One summer, as a young reporter, I made the dire mistake of complaining to a news editor, who was hot on the hunt for news. that:  ' it was a bit quiet out there'. Oh dear. It was the 1980s and in no uncertain terms he told me in his best Scottish: 'You're a %$"^*ing report aren't you? Go and %$"^*ing find some, if there isn't any then  make some. ' Note he didn't say 'make it up' he said 'create' some. My dilemma is one journalists often find themselves in at this time of the year so it's always good to conduct research, do a vox pop, host a round table etc to prime the pump. This has worked for many years.