Writing and Reporting for the Media
12th Edition
Published on 1. October 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-0-19-064949-4 (ISBN)
Description
A fundamental introduction to newswriting and reporting, this classic text focuses on the basics of reporting, including critical thinking, thorough reporting, excellent writing and creative visual communication skills for stories across all media. With digital journalism covered throughout the text and additional exercises in a brand new workbook, Writing and Reporting for the Media is the most up-to-date, realistic, and applied text available.
Reviews / Votes
"Writing and Reporting for the Media is a one-stop shop for instructors of beginning writing courses. It is filled with practical and clear examples that don't just tell students how to improve their copy, it shows them." - Roberta Kelly, Washington State University"The authors have done a stellar job presenting up-to-date technology and other changes in media while offering practical and theoretical instruction in the core basics of reporting and writing for the media. The text provides a solid basis for proficiency in media writing, as well as fostering students toward the goals of being articulate about media and engaged in that and the world around them. The book is a valuable resource to become a lifelong student of
the media, not just a student in a class." - John Roche, Marist College
More details
Edition
12th edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
ISBN-13
978-0-19-064949-4 (9780190649494)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
John Bender is Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Lucinda Davenport is Professor of Journalism at Michigan State University.
Michael Drager is Assistant Professor of Journalism at Shippensburg University.
Lucinda Davenport is Professor of Journalism at Michigan State University.
Michael Drager is Assistant Professor of Journalism at Shippensburg University.
Content
Preface Section I The Tools of Journalism
Chapter 1 Journalism Today
Technology and Journalism
Types of News
Evolution of the News Business
Journalism as a Profession
Journalism Competencies
The Modern Journalist
Journalism Style
AP Stylebook
Journalism Terms Copy-Editing Copy Format The Writing Coach: The "N.E.R.D." Factor in Getting a Job
Chapter 2 Selecting and Reporting the News
News Characteristics and News Elements
Timeliness
Impact or Magnitude
Prominence
Proximity
Unusualness
Conflict
Other Characteristics
The Nature of the Medium and the Community
Types of News
The Concept of Objectivity
What Is Not Newsworthy?
Offensive Details
Sensationalism
Rumors
Sexual Assault
Names of Juveniles
Trade Names
The Importance of Accuracy
Accuracy in Facts
Accuracy in Names
Accuracy Is a Priority
Guest Columnist: Why I Stayed at a Small-Town Newspaper
The Reporter's Guide to Accuracy
Review Exercises
Chapter 3 Newswriting Style Simplify Words, Sentences and Paragraphs Eliminate Unnecessary Words Quiz Remain Objective Respecting Diversity Racism
Sexism
Ageism Avoid Stereotyping Other Groups Additional Newswriting Considerations for Digital Media The Reporter's Guide to Newswriting Style Review Exercises Chapter 4 The Language of News The Effectiveness of Words Mastering Grammar Nouns Verbs Independent and Dependent Clauses Active and Passive Voice Appositives Common Grammatical Errors
Run-on Sentences Comma Splice
Agreement Errors "That"-"Which" Confusion "Who"-"Whom" Confusion Misplaced Modifiers Dangling Modifiers Personification Parallelism Syntax Spelling Punctuation Writing like a Pro Diction
Be Precise Use Strong Verbs Problems to Avoid Overuse of Adjectives and Adverbs Cliches
Slang Technical Language and Jargon Euphemisms Profanity Stating the Obvious First-Person References Negative Constructions Echo Gush Vague Time References Use of the Present Tense Avoid Excessive Punctuation The Writing Coach: Become a Power Lifter When Picking Verbs
The Reporter's Guide to the Language of News
Review Exercises
Section II The Law and Ethics of Journalism Chapter 5 Libel, Privacy and Newsgathering Issues Libel The Elements of a Libel Suit Who Is a Public Official? Who Is a Public Figure? Major Defenses to Libel Suits
Steps for Avoiding Libel Suits Privacy Intrusion Giving Publicity to Private Facts False Light Appropriation Newsgathering Issues Access to Nonjudicial Events and Records Access to Judicial Proceedings Confidentiality for Sources and Information Review Exercises Chapter 6 Ethics
Codes of Ethics Ethical Decision Making Who and How Many? (Two Questions) What Is the Purpose of the Story? (Two Follow-Up Questions) Can I Explain My Decision? (Six Questions)
The Potter Box News Media Credibility Considerations Ethics Issues Regarding Conduct Plagiarizing and Fabricating Information: Never Acceptable Finding Sources Recording Interviews: Audio Recorders and Video Cameras
Eliminating Conflicts of Interest Maintaining Objectivity Interviewing Victims
Respecting Privacy of Sources Avoiding Deceit: Posing and Misrepresentation Witnessing Crimes and Disasters Ethics Issues Regarding Content Avoiding Speculation: Get the Facts and Provide Accurate Context Using Visuals: Newsworthy or Sensational?
Altering Images Deciding When to Name Names Covering Killers Reporting on Public Figures and Celebrities Reporting Rumors and Speculation Reporting on Terrorism Publishing Ads The Writing Coach: Journalists Should Understand: Victims Face Wall of Grief Review Exercises Section III The Basic Skills of Journalism Chapter 7 Basic News Leads Prewriting Identifying the Central Point Story Outlines
Planning the Digital Story The Summary News Lead Sentence Structure in Leads Guidelines for Writing Effective Leads Be Concise Be Specific Use Strong, Active Verbs Emphasize the Magnitude of the Story Stress the Unusual Localize and Update Be Objective and Attribute Opinions Strive for Simplicity Some Common Errors
Beginning with the Attribution Minimizing the News Using Agenda Leads Using Label Leads Listing Details
Stating the Obvious Reporting the Negative Exaggerating Distorting the Story Following All the Rules Forgetting Your Audience Using the First Draft The Writing Coach: Oh Where, Oh Where Does the Time Element Go? The Reporter's Guide to Writing Leads Review Exercises Chapter 8 Alternative Leads Criticisms Types of Alternative Leads "Buried" or "Delayed" Leads
Multiparagraph Leads
Quotation Leads Question Leads Suspenseful Leads Descriptive Leads Shockers: Leads with a Twist
Ironic Leads Direct-Address Leads
Words Used in Unusual Ways Other Unusual Leads The Reporter's Guide to Writing Alternative Leads Review Exercises Chapter 9 The Body of a News Story The Inverted-Pyramid Style Organizing the Information Writing the Second Paragraph Ending the Story Complex Stories The Hourglass Style The Focus Style The Narrative Style Using Transitions Explain the Unfamiliar The Importance of Examples The Use of Description The Need to Be Fair The Final Step: Edit Your Story The Writing Coach: How to Find the Right Endings to Stories The Reporter's Guide to Writing News Stories Review Exercises Chapter 10 Quotations and Attribution Quotations When to Use Direct Quotations When to Use Indirect Quotations When to Use Partial Quotations When Sources Seek Quote Approval Blending Quotations and Narrative Explaining Quotations To Change or Not to Change Quotations Deleting Profanities Editorialization Attribution The Purpose of Attribution Statements That Require Attribution Guidelines for the Placement and Frequency of Attribution Direct Quotations Partial Quotations Indirect Quotations Word Choice in Attributing Statements Identifying Sources The Writing Coach: Do You Use Said Enough? The Reporter's Guide to Quotations and Attribution Review Exercises Chapter 11 Interviewing Preparing for the Interview Selecting Interview Sources How Many Sources Are Enough? Researching Sources and Topics Preparing Questions for the Interview Conducting the Interview Selecting a Location Organizing the Questions Dealing with Reluctant Sources and Asking Tough Questions
Special Situations Taking Notes Recording Interviews Final Thoughts Writing the Interview Story Guest Columnist: Interviewing Three People about a Deadly Accident The Reporter's Guide to Interviewing Review Exercises Chapter 12 Feature Stories Finding Story Ideas and Gathering Information Parts of Feature Stories The Lead of a Feature Story The Body of a Feature Story The Ending of a Feature Story Types of Feature Stories Profiles or Personality Features Historical Features Adventure Features Seasonal Features Explanatory Features How-To-Do-It Features Occupation or Hobby Features Behind-the-Scenes Features Participatory Features Other Types of Feature Stories The Reporter's Guide to Features Review Exercises Chapter 13 Writing for Broadcast News The Broadcast News Story Leads The Hard Lead The Soft Lead
The Throwaway Lead
The Umbrella Lead The Body of a Story Updating Broadcast News Stories Guidelines for Copy Preparation Formatting Copy Editing Copy
Timing Copy
Reviewing Copy Story Length
Story Script Using Audio
Using Video
Sources for Broadcast News News Services
Newspapers, Online News and Broadcast News Sources Public Relations News Releases People
Broadcast Interviews Writing the Broadcast Story Writing for the Audience Writing for Your Announcer Being a Broadcast Journalist The Reporter's Guide to Broadcast News Writing Style Review Exercises Chapter 14 Visual Journalism The Roots of Visual Journalism Visual Journalism Today Ethics of Visual Journalism The Digital News Package Capturing Photographs Capturing Video Creating Good Video Capturing Audio Required Technology
Digital Video Recorder Digital Camera Digital Audio Recorder The Reporter's Guide to Visual Journalism Review Exercises Section IV Applying the Skills of Journalism Chapter 15 Speeches and Meetings Advance Stories Covering the Speech of Meeting Follow Stories
Organizing Speech or Meeting Stories Writing Effective Leads Writing Transitions Remember Your Audience Check Facts Adding Color Report What You Hear Describe What You See The Writing Coach: The Expectations of Public Officials towardJournalists The Reporter's Guide to Reporting Speeches and Meetings Review Exercises Chapter 16 Brights, Follow-Ups, Roundups, Sidebars and Obituaries Brights
Follow-Ups Roundups Sidebars Obituaries Writing the Biographical Obituary Writing the Feature Obituary
The Reporter's Guide to Writing Brights, Follow-Ups, Roundups, Sidebars and Obituaries Review Exercises Chapter 17 Public Affairs Reporting Crime and Accidents Police Sources
Key Police Documents Respecting Victims Writing the Crime or Accident Story Words and Phrases to Avoid
Local Government City and County Governments School Districts Courts
General Information about the Court System
Criminal Cases Civil Cases Guest Columnist: Developing Sources on the Police Beat Guest Columnist: Journalists Deliver the Information the Public Needs The Reporter's Guide to Public Affairs Reporting Review Exercises Chapter 18 Introduction to Investigative Reporting What Is Investigative Reporting? Whom and What to Investigate Developing an Investigative Story The Story Idea
Resources Planning the Story Gathering Documents
Developing Sources The Investigative Interview Writing the Investigative Story Using Technology in Investigative Reporting Using Computers to Get Answers Using Social Media Using Statistics Ethical Issues in Investigative Reporting Guest Columnist: Developing Investigative Story Ideas The Reporter's Guide to Investigative Reporting Review Exercises Chapter 19 Journalism and Public Relations What Is PR? PR Agencies Corporate, Nonprofit and Government PR Working with News Media Advance Stories Event Stories
Features
Discoveries and Results Tips for Effective News Releases List a Contact Person and a Follow-Up Send the Release on Time Use Journalism's Five W's Write Well Localize Information Provide Visuals Provide Links
From the Journalist's Perspective: Working with Press Releases The No. 1 Problem: Lack of Newsworthiness Limited Interest Contrived Events Rewriting for Newsworthiness Rewriting for Wordiness The No. 2 Problem: Lack of Objectivity Advertisements Eliminating Laudatory Adjectives and Puffery Telling the Public What to Do Other Problems with News Releases
Stating the Obvious Absence of Solid Facts One-Sided Stories The Reporter's Guide to Public Relations
Review Exercises Appendix A City Directory
Appendix B Summary of AP Style
Appendix C Rules for Forming Possessives
Appendix D Answer Key
Credit Lines
Index
Chapter 1 Journalism Today
Technology and Journalism
Types of News
Evolution of the News Business
Journalism as a Profession
Journalism Competencies
The Modern Journalist
Journalism Style
AP Stylebook
Journalism Terms Copy-Editing Copy Format The Writing Coach: The "N.E.R.D." Factor in Getting a Job
Chapter 2 Selecting and Reporting the News
News Characteristics and News Elements
Timeliness
Impact or Magnitude
Prominence
Proximity
Unusualness
Conflict
Other Characteristics
The Nature of the Medium and the Community
Types of News
The Concept of Objectivity
What Is Not Newsworthy?
Offensive Details
Sensationalism
Rumors
Sexual Assault
Names of Juveniles
Trade Names
The Importance of Accuracy
Accuracy in Facts
Accuracy in Names
Accuracy Is a Priority
Guest Columnist: Why I Stayed at a Small-Town Newspaper
The Reporter's Guide to Accuracy
Review Exercises
Chapter 3 Newswriting Style Simplify Words, Sentences and Paragraphs Eliminate Unnecessary Words Quiz Remain Objective Respecting Diversity Racism
Sexism
Ageism Avoid Stereotyping Other Groups Additional Newswriting Considerations for Digital Media The Reporter's Guide to Newswriting Style Review Exercises Chapter 4 The Language of News The Effectiveness of Words Mastering Grammar Nouns Verbs Independent and Dependent Clauses Active and Passive Voice Appositives Common Grammatical Errors
Run-on Sentences Comma Splice
Agreement Errors "That"-"Which" Confusion "Who"-"Whom" Confusion Misplaced Modifiers Dangling Modifiers Personification Parallelism Syntax Spelling Punctuation Writing like a Pro Diction
Be Precise Use Strong Verbs Problems to Avoid Overuse of Adjectives and Adverbs Cliches
Slang Technical Language and Jargon Euphemisms Profanity Stating the Obvious First-Person References Negative Constructions Echo Gush Vague Time References Use of the Present Tense Avoid Excessive Punctuation The Writing Coach: Become a Power Lifter When Picking Verbs
The Reporter's Guide to the Language of News
Review Exercises
Section II The Law and Ethics of Journalism Chapter 5 Libel, Privacy and Newsgathering Issues Libel The Elements of a Libel Suit Who Is a Public Official? Who Is a Public Figure? Major Defenses to Libel Suits
Steps for Avoiding Libel Suits Privacy Intrusion Giving Publicity to Private Facts False Light Appropriation Newsgathering Issues Access to Nonjudicial Events and Records Access to Judicial Proceedings Confidentiality for Sources and Information Review Exercises Chapter 6 Ethics
Codes of Ethics Ethical Decision Making Who and How Many? (Two Questions) What Is the Purpose of the Story? (Two Follow-Up Questions) Can I Explain My Decision? (Six Questions)
The Potter Box News Media Credibility Considerations Ethics Issues Regarding Conduct Plagiarizing and Fabricating Information: Never Acceptable Finding Sources Recording Interviews: Audio Recorders and Video Cameras
Eliminating Conflicts of Interest Maintaining Objectivity Interviewing Victims
Respecting Privacy of Sources Avoiding Deceit: Posing and Misrepresentation Witnessing Crimes and Disasters Ethics Issues Regarding Content Avoiding Speculation: Get the Facts and Provide Accurate Context Using Visuals: Newsworthy or Sensational?
Altering Images Deciding When to Name Names Covering Killers Reporting on Public Figures and Celebrities Reporting Rumors and Speculation Reporting on Terrorism Publishing Ads The Writing Coach: Journalists Should Understand: Victims Face Wall of Grief Review Exercises Section III The Basic Skills of Journalism Chapter 7 Basic News Leads Prewriting Identifying the Central Point Story Outlines
Planning the Digital Story The Summary News Lead Sentence Structure in Leads Guidelines for Writing Effective Leads Be Concise Be Specific Use Strong, Active Verbs Emphasize the Magnitude of the Story Stress the Unusual Localize and Update Be Objective and Attribute Opinions Strive for Simplicity Some Common Errors
Beginning with the Attribution Minimizing the News Using Agenda Leads Using Label Leads Listing Details
Stating the Obvious Reporting the Negative Exaggerating Distorting the Story Following All the Rules Forgetting Your Audience Using the First Draft The Writing Coach: Oh Where, Oh Where Does the Time Element Go? The Reporter's Guide to Writing Leads Review Exercises Chapter 8 Alternative Leads Criticisms Types of Alternative Leads "Buried" or "Delayed" Leads
Multiparagraph Leads
Quotation Leads Question Leads Suspenseful Leads Descriptive Leads Shockers: Leads with a Twist
Ironic Leads Direct-Address Leads
Words Used in Unusual Ways Other Unusual Leads The Reporter's Guide to Writing Alternative Leads Review Exercises Chapter 9 The Body of a News Story The Inverted-Pyramid Style Organizing the Information Writing the Second Paragraph Ending the Story Complex Stories The Hourglass Style The Focus Style The Narrative Style Using Transitions Explain the Unfamiliar The Importance of Examples The Use of Description The Need to Be Fair The Final Step: Edit Your Story The Writing Coach: How to Find the Right Endings to Stories The Reporter's Guide to Writing News Stories Review Exercises Chapter 10 Quotations and Attribution Quotations When to Use Direct Quotations When to Use Indirect Quotations When to Use Partial Quotations When Sources Seek Quote Approval Blending Quotations and Narrative Explaining Quotations To Change or Not to Change Quotations Deleting Profanities Editorialization Attribution The Purpose of Attribution Statements That Require Attribution Guidelines for the Placement and Frequency of Attribution Direct Quotations Partial Quotations Indirect Quotations Word Choice in Attributing Statements Identifying Sources The Writing Coach: Do You Use Said Enough? The Reporter's Guide to Quotations and Attribution Review Exercises Chapter 11 Interviewing Preparing for the Interview Selecting Interview Sources How Many Sources Are Enough? Researching Sources and Topics Preparing Questions for the Interview Conducting the Interview Selecting a Location Organizing the Questions Dealing with Reluctant Sources and Asking Tough Questions
Special Situations Taking Notes Recording Interviews Final Thoughts Writing the Interview Story Guest Columnist: Interviewing Three People about a Deadly Accident The Reporter's Guide to Interviewing Review Exercises Chapter 12 Feature Stories Finding Story Ideas and Gathering Information Parts of Feature Stories The Lead of a Feature Story The Body of a Feature Story The Ending of a Feature Story Types of Feature Stories Profiles or Personality Features Historical Features Adventure Features Seasonal Features Explanatory Features How-To-Do-It Features Occupation or Hobby Features Behind-the-Scenes Features Participatory Features Other Types of Feature Stories The Reporter's Guide to Features Review Exercises Chapter 13 Writing for Broadcast News The Broadcast News Story Leads The Hard Lead The Soft Lead
The Throwaway Lead
The Umbrella Lead The Body of a Story Updating Broadcast News Stories Guidelines for Copy Preparation Formatting Copy Editing Copy
Timing Copy
Reviewing Copy Story Length
Story Script Using Audio
Using Video
Sources for Broadcast News News Services
Newspapers, Online News and Broadcast News Sources Public Relations News Releases People
Broadcast Interviews Writing the Broadcast Story Writing for the Audience Writing for Your Announcer Being a Broadcast Journalist The Reporter's Guide to Broadcast News Writing Style Review Exercises Chapter 14 Visual Journalism The Roots of Visual Journalism Visual Journalism Today Ethics of Visual Journalism The Digital News Package Capturing Photographs Capturing Video Creating Good Video Capturing Audio Required Technology
Digital Video Recorder Digital Camera Digital Audio Recorder The Reporter's Guide to Visual Journalism Review Exercises Section IV Applying the Skills of Journalism Chapter 15 Speeches and Meetings Advance Stories Covering the Speech of Meeting Follow Stories
Organizing Speech or Meeting Stories Writing Effective Leads Writing Transitions Remember Your Audience Check Facts Adding Color Report What You Hear Describe What You See The Writing Coach: The Expectations of Public Officials towardJournalists The Reporter's Guide to Reporting Speeches and Meetings Review Exercises Chapter 16 Brights, Follow-Ups, Roundups, Sidebars and Obituaries Brights
Follow-Ups Roundups Sidebars Obituaries Writing the Biographical Obituary Writing the Feature Obituary
The Reporter's Guide to Writing Brights, Follow-Ups, Roundups, Sidebars and Obituaries Review Exercises Chapter 17 Public Affairs Reporting Crime and Accidents Police Sources
Key Police Documents Respecting Victims Writing the Crime or Accident Story Words and Phrases to Avoid
Local Government City and County Governments School Districts Courts
General Information about the Court System
Criminal Cases Civil Cases Guest Columnist: Developing Sources on the Police Beat Guest Columnist: Journalists Deliver the Information the Public Needs The Reporter's Guide to Public Affairs Reporting Review Exercises Chapter 18 Introduction to Investigative Reporting What Is Investigative Reporting? Whom and What to Investigate Developing an Investigative Story The Story Idea
Resources Planning the Story Gathering Documents
Developing Sources The Investigative Interview Writing the Investigative Story Using Technology in Investigative Reporting Using Computers to Get Answers Using Social Media Using Statistics Ethical Issues in Investigative Reporting Guest Columnist: Developing Investigative Story Ideas The Reporter's Guide to Investigative Reporting Review Exercises Chapter 19 Journalism and Public Relations What Is PR? PR Agencies Corporate, Nonprofit and Government PR Working with News Media Advance Stories Event Stories
Features
Discoveries and Results Tips for Effective News Releases List a Contact Person and a Follow-Up Send the Release on Time Use Journalism's Five W's Write Well Localize Information Provide Visuals Provide Links
From the Journalist's Perspective: Working with Press Releases The No. 1 Problem: Lack of Newsworthiness Limited Interest Contrived Events Rewriting for Newsworthiness Rewriting for Wordiness The No. 2 Problem: Lack of Objectivity Advertisements Eliminating Laudatory Adjectives and Puffery Telling the Public What to Do Other Problems with News Releases
Stating the Obvious Absence of Solid Facts One-Sided Stories The Reporter's Guide to Public Relations
Review Exercises Appendix A City Directory
Appendix B Summary of AP Style
Appendix C Rules for Forming Possessives
Appendix D Answer Key
Credit Lines
Index