Essential Journalism
The NCTJ Guide for Trainee Journalists
2nd Edition
Published on 31. October 2025
502 pages
978-1-040-43811-4 (ISBN)
Description
Offering a practical guide to all aspects of modern journalism, Essential Journalism is a key resource for anyone wishing to become a qualified journalist in the UK, and in particular, those studying for the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma.
This second edition of Essential Journalism, written in collaboration with the NCTJ, covers everything you need to know about journalism today - its character, its ethical framework, and its practice across print, television, radio, online and social media. New and revised material includes the impact and application of AI, changing consumer habits, new working practices, safety and resilience for journalists, and developments in verification and the exposure of fake news. Rooted in the core principles that apply to journalists across all platforms, this book helps students develop an overall comprehension of the industry and understand the application and adaptation of traditional best practice to the demands of the digital age.
This book is intended principally for journalism trainees and students but will also be a valuable resource for seasoned practitioners and lecturers.
This second edition of Essential Journalism, written in collaboration with the NCTJ, covers everything you need to know about journalism today - its character, its ethical framework, and its practice across print, television, radio, online and social media. New and revised material includes the impact and application of AI, changing consumer habits, new working practices, safety and resilience for journalists, and developments in verification and the exposure of fake news. Rooted in the core principles that apply to journalists across all platforms, this book helps students develop an overall comprehension of the industry and understand the application and adaptation of traditional best practice to the demands of the digital age.
This book is intended principally for journalism trainees and students but will also be a valuable resource for seasoned practitioners and lecturers.
More details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
2 Line drawings, black and white; 2 Illustrations, black and white
File size
1,29 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-040-43811-4 (9781040438114)
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
Other editions
Additional editions
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10/2025
2nd Edition
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10/2025
2nd Edition
Routledge
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10/2025
Routledge
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Person
Jonathan Baker is a former editor and executive for BBC News, and a former Professor of Journalism at the University of Essex. He is chair of the NCTJ's Quality Assurance and Standards Committee.
Content
Foreword by Sue Brooks
Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgements
PART I
JOURNALISM AND JOURNALISTS
1 The journalism landscape
2 The nature of journalism. The nature of news
3 You, the reporter
4 The ethical journalist
5 Regulation
PART II
STORYFINDING AND STORYTELLING
6 Storyfinding: the general reporter
7 Storyfinding: finding and developing stories
8 Storyfinding: interviewing
9 Storytelling: anatomy of a news story
10 Storytelling: writing a news story
11 Storytelling: language and style
12 Storytelling: reporting numbers and statistics
PART III
MULTI-PLATFORM JOURNALISM
13 The digital journalist: the digital scene and writing for the website
14 The digital journalist: social media, verification, artificial intelligence, your safety online
15 The radio journalist: the radio scene and writing for radio
16 The radio journalist: news summaries and radio reporting
17 The television journalist: the television scene and picture gathering
18 The television journalist: continuous news and television reporting
19 The print journalist
20 Remote working; the mobile journalist - the freelance journalist
PART IV
SPECIALIST PRACTICE
21 The feature writer
22 The court reporter
23 The political reporter
24 The specialist reporter
This book summarised in two pages
Further reading
Index
Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgements
PART I
JOURNALISM AND JOURNALISTS
1 The journalism landscape
2 The nature of journalism. The nature of news
3 You, the reporter
4 The ethical journalist
5 Regulation
PART II
STORYFINDING AND STORYTELLING
6 Storyfinding: the general reporter
7 Storyfinding: finding and developing stories
8 Storyfinding: interviewing
9 Storytelling: anatomy of a news story
10 Storytelling: writing a news story
11 Storytelling: language and style
12 Storytelling: reporting numbers and statistics
PART III
MULTI-PLATFORM JOURNALISM
13 The digital journalist: the digital scene and writing for the website
14 The digital journalist: social media, verification, artificial intelligence, your safety online
15 The radio journalist: the radio scene and writing for radio
16 The radio journalist: news summaries and radio reporting
17 The television journalist: the television scene and picture gathering
18 The television journalist: continuous news and television reporting
19 The print journalist
20 Remote working; the mobile journalist - the freelance journalist
PART IV
SPECIALIST PRACTICE
21 The feature writer
22 The court reporter
23 The political reporter
24 The specialist reporter
This book summarised in two pages
Further reading
Index
