Elements of News Writing

PART ONE: The Basics

1. What is News?

2. History of Journalism in the United States

3. The Role of the News Media in American Society

4. Kershner's Five Rules of Journalism

5. Basics of Good Journalism

6. A Stylebook Primer

7. How to Read a Newspaper



PART TWO: Grammar and Usage

8. Commonly Misused Words

9. Punctuation

10. Punctuating Quotations

11. Active and Passive Voice

12. Spell Checkers



PART THREE: Writing News Stories

13. How to Write a News Story in 15 Steps

14. How to Write a Strong Lead

15. How to Structure a News Story

16. How to Conduct an Interview



PART FOUR: Covering Beats

17. How to Cover Meetings and Speeches

18. How to Cover the Police and Courts

19. How to Cover Disasters and Tragedies

20. How to Write Obituaries



PART FIVE: Specialized Writing

21. How to Write Reviews and Criticism

22. How to Write Editorials and Columns

23. How to Write Feature Stories

24. How to Write Profiles

25. How to Market Feature Stories



PART SIX: Editing Newspapers

26. How Newspapers Are Organized

27. How to Plan a Newspaper

28. How to Lay Out a Page

29. How to Write Headlines

30. How to Write Cutlines

31. How to Use Photos and Graphics

32. How to Edit Stories



PART SEVEN: Advanced Topics

33. Legal Considerations in Journalism

34. Ethical Considerations in Journalism

35. The Future of the Mass Media

36. Tips From the Best

Index