Melvin Mencher's News Reporting and Writing with Brush-Up CD-ROM and PowerWeb

by Mencher, Melvin

• ISBN13: 9780073212760
• ISBN10: 0073212768
• Edition: 10th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-06-27
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages

Summary

Teaching by example through vivid writing, Professor Mencher shows students the fundamentals of reporting and writing news in this new edition of a classic text.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
The Basics	x
The Morality of Journalism	x
Public Service Journalism	xii
Journalism's Tradition	xii
New to the Tenth	xiii
Acknowledgments	xvi
A Personal Word	xix
Part Opener Photos	xx
Cover Photos	xxi
PART ONE THE REPORTER AT WORK	1	(30)
On the Job	2	(29)
Journalists at Work	3	(2)
The Agreement	5	(1)
Continuous Coverage	6	(1)
A Tornado Hits Spencer	7	(2)
School Shooting	9	(1)
An Announcement and a Fire	10	(2)
TV Covers a Fire	12	(1)
A Child's Death	12	(1)
A Metro Daily	13	(1)
Longer Stories	13	(2)
Christmas Fund	15	(1)
At ``Nightline''	16	(1)
Investigative Stories	17	(2)
Using the Internet	19	(2)
Online Journalism	21	(1)
The Characteristics of the Reporter	22	(4)
A Press Release that Needs Backgrounding	26	(2)
Summing Up	28	(1)
Further Reading	29	(2)
PART TWO THE BASICS	31	(22)
Components of the Story	32	(21)
Accuracy	33	(4)
Attribution	37	(4)
Verification	41	(2)
Complete	43	(1)
Fairness	44	(1)
Balance	45	(1)
Objectivity	46	(2)
Brevity	48	(1)
Selectivity	49	(1)
Clarity	50	(1)
Human Interest	50	(1)
Responsibility	51	(1)
Summing Up	52	(1)
Further Reading	52	(1)
PART THREE WRITING THE STORY	53	(174)
What Is News?	54	(20)
Some Answers Past and Present	54	(4)
News Values	58	(7)
News Is Relative	65	(8)
Summing Up	73	(1)
Further Reading	73	(1)
The Internet and Other Tools of the Trade	74	(25)
Tools for Today's New Media Journalist	75	(1)
Basic Newsroom References	76	(3)
Using the Computer	79	(1)
Locating Information	80	(1)
Finding Sources	81	(1)
Listservs, Discussion Boards and Online Forums	82	(1)
Cautions and Warnings	83	(1)
Crunching the Numbers	84	(3)
Public Records	87	(1)
Freedom of Information Act	88	(1)
Useful Data	88	(2)
Mathematics for the Reporter	90	(1)
Basic Calculations	91	(2)
Means, Modes and Medians	93	(1)
Analyzing Averages	94	(1)
Personalizing Numbers	95	(1)
Public Opinion Polling	96	(2)
Summing Up	98	(1)
Further Reading	98	(1)
The Lead	99	(21)
Rule Breakers, but Memorable	100	(1)
Great Beginnings	100	(1)
Importance of the Lead	101	(1)
Finding the Lead	101	(2)
Writing the Lead	103	(1)
Finding the Thread	103	(5)
Types of Leads	108	(4)
Leads on News Features	112	(3)
Good Reporting Equals Good Leads	115	(1)
Color	116	(1)
S-V-O	116	(1)
Lead Length	117	(1)
Readability	118	(1)
Summing Up	119	(1)
Further Reading	119	(1)
Story Structure	120	(15)
The Main Idea	121	(1)
The Structure	121	(1)
Eight Steps to the Organized Story	121	(1)
The Single-Element Story	122	(1)
Two-Element Story	123	(2)
Three-Element Story	125	(1)
Story Units	125	(1)
The Inverted Pyramid	126	(1)
Storytelling	127	(2)
Online Writing	129	(1)
The General, then the Specific	129	(1)
DAD: Dialogue, Action, Description	130	(2)
Story Necessities	132	(2)
Summing Up	134	(1)
Further Reading	134	(1)
The Writer's Art	135	(31)
Writers Write . . . and Read, Too	135	(1)
Doing It Right---in a Hurry	136	(1)
Show, Don't Tell	137	(1)
Human Interest Essential	138	(4)
Quotations Are Essential	142	(3)
Styling the Story	145	(4)
Writing for the Medium	149	(1)
Reporting	150	(1)
Conviction	151	(1)
Accuracy of Language	151	(3)
Clarity	154	(5)
Movement	159	(1)
Write . . . and Rewrite	160	(1)
Reading for Writers	160	(2)
Word Choice	162	(1)
Sentences	163	(1)
Advice	163	(1)
Summing Up	164	(1)
Further Reading	164	(2)
Features, Long Stories and Series	166	(25)
The Feature	166	(6)
Planning	172	(1)
Tone and Style	173	(1)
The News Feature	174	(1)
Ideas for Features	174	(2)
Avoiding the Pitfalls	176	(2)
The Long Story	178	(4)
A Television Documentary	182	(3)
The Series	185	(1)
Investigative Series	186	(2)
Summing Up	188	(1)
Further Reading	189	(2)
Broadcast Newswriting	191	(21)
An Early Guide	192	(1)
Rewriting the Wires	192	(5)
Sentence Structure and Language	197	(1)
Tenses	198	(1)
Attribution	198	(1)
More on Writing	199	(1)
The Lead	200	(1)
Broadcast Reporting	201	(1)
Reporting and Writing to Tape	202	(1)
Packaging Short News Features	203	(1)
Interviewing	204	(1)
Variety for Newscasts	205	(2)
Telling the Whole Story	207	(1)
Ethical Imperatives	208	(1)
Comments: Pluses and a Few Minuses	209	(1)
Summing Up	210	(1)
Further Reading	210	(2)
Writing News Releases	212	(15)
At an Agency	213	(3)
The Writing Process	216	(4)
The Good Humor Man	220	(2)
In the Newsroom	222	(3)
Summing Up: Checklist	225	(2)
PART FOUR REPORTING PRINCIPLES	227	(126)
Digging for Information	228	(17)
Finding the Lottery Winner	228	(1)
The Reporting Process	229	(2)
Layer I Reporting	231	(3)
Dangers of Layer I	234	(2)
The Internet as Source	236	(1)
Layer II Reporting	236	(3)
Investigative Reporting	239	(1)
Finding Sources	240	(1)
Layer III Reporting	241	(1)
Putting I, II and III to Work	242	(2)
Summing Up	244	(1)
Further Reading	244	(1)
Making Sound Observations	245	(22)
The Art of Observation	246	(3)
Relevant Observations	249	(3)
Individuality	252	(1)
Looking, Listening	253	(2)
Limitations of the Story	255	(1)
The Reporter as Intruder	256	(1)
Unobtrusive Observation	257	(1)
Participant Observation	258	(3)
The Live-In	261	(4)
Problems of Involvement	265	(1)
Summing Up	266	(1)
Further Reading	266	(1)
Building and Using Background	267	(10)
Twain's and Mencken's Complaints	268	(1)
GBS: Two Views	269	(1)
Improvements?	269	(1)
Background Defined	269	(1)
The Contents of the Storehouse	270	(3)
Blunders	273	(1)
Anticipatory Journalism	274	(2)
Summing Up	276	(1)
Further Reading	276	(1)
Finding, Cultivating and Using Sources	277	(16)
Making Nice at the Courthouse	278	(1)
Massive Tire Recall	278	(1)
Reliability of Sources	278	(1)
Human Sources	279	(5)
Internet Reliability	284	(1)
Physical Sources	285	(1)
How Reporters Use Sources	286	(6)
Summing Up	292	(1)
Further Reading	292	(1)
Interviewing Principles and Practices	293	(33)
Types of Interviews	294	(1)
Four Principles	295	(6)
The Interviewer's Ground Rules	301	(1)
Who's in Control?	302	(1)
The News Interview	302	(1)
The Profile	303	(7)
Appearance and Behavior	310	(1)
Role-Playing	310	(5)
Invasive Questions	315	(1)
The Careful Observer	316	(2)
Retroactive Requests	318	(1)
Using and Abusing Quotes	319	(3)
E-Mail Interviews	322	(1)
Anonymous and Confidential	323	(1)
Summing Up	324	(1)
Further Reading	324	(2)
Speeches, Meetings and News Conferences	326	(11)
Speeches	326	(2)
Meetings	328	(1)
Checklist: Meetings	329	(3)
News Conferences	332	(2)
Checklist: News Conferences	334	(1)
Panel Discussions	334	(2)
Summing Up	336	(1)
Hunches, Feelings and Stereotypes	337	(16)
Hunches and Intuition	337	(3)
Einstein's Model for Thinking	340	(1)
Feelings	341	(2)
Stereotypes, Biases, Fears	343	(5)
Patterns and Relationships	348	(3)
Summing Up	351	(1)
Further Reading	351	(2)
PART FIVE FROM ACCIDENTS TO EDUCATION	353	(156)
Part Five: Introduction	354	(1)
Using the Checklist	354	(1)
Types of Beats	354	(1)
Covering a Beat	355	(1)
Know the Beat	355	(1)
Accidents and Disasters	356	(9)
Motor Vehicle Accidents	356	(1)
Checklist: Motor Vehicle Accidents	357	(1)
Airplane Accidents	358	(1)
Checklist: Airplane Accidents	359	(1)
Storms, Floods, Disasters	360	(2)
Checklist: Storms, Floods, Disasters	362	(1)
Human Interest	363	(1)
Writing the Disaster Story	364	(1)
Obituaries	365	(16)
Obituaries Can Enlighten Us	366	(1)
Checklist: Obituaries	367	(1)
Digging Pays Off	368	(1)
Writing the Obit	369	(1)
Find the Theme	370	(3)
Who Is Chosen	373	(2)
Accuracy Essential	375	(1)
Frequently Asked Questions	376	(3)
The Specialist	379	(1)
Summing Up	379	(1)
Further Reading	380	(1)
The Police Beat	381	(23)
The Range and Cost of Crime	381	(1)
Interest in Crime News	382	(1)
The Police	383	(1)
Making Her Rounds	384	(1)
Smaller-City Coverage	385	(1)
Types of Felonies	386	(2)
Sources Are Essential	388	(1)
The Arrest Process	388	(1)
Arrest Stories	389	(2)
Crime Classification	391	(1)
Murder	392	(1)
Checklist: Homicide	393	(1)
Burglary, Robbery	393	(1)
Checklist: Burglary, Robbery	394	(1)
Crime Coverage and Race	395	(1)
Database Reporting	395	(1)
The Victims	396	(1)
Violence Against Women	396	(2)
A Reporter's Perspective	398	(1)
Cautions	399	(1)
Covering Campus Crime	400	(1)
Fire Coverage	400	(2)
Checklist: Fires	402	(1)
Sources	402	(1)
Further Reading	403	(1)
The Courts	404	(25)
The Basics	404	(2)
Civil Law	406	(2)
Checklist: Civil Actions	408	(1)
Checklist: Verdict Stories	409	(1)
Criminal Law	410	(2)
Checklist: Arraignments	412	(5)
The Trial	417	(6)
Checklist: Criminal Trials	423	(1)
Sources	423	(1)
Look for Color, Strategy, Tactics	423	(1)
Appeals	424	(1)
Stories about the System	424	(2)
The Grand Jury	426	(1)
Time Out for a Good Laugh	427	(1)
Further Reading	428	(1)
Sports	429	(24)
Insatiable Demand	430	(1)
Game Coverage	431	(1)
Checklist: Games	432	(2)
Expanded Coverage	434	(1)
Personal Lives	434	(3)
The Beat	437	(1)
Sports Writing	437	(5)
Reporting Is the Key	442	(1)
Starting Out	442	(4)
Two Developments	446	(2)
The Goal: Win at Any Cost	448	(2)
An Overview	450	(1)
Further Reading	451	(2)
Business Reporting	453	(21)
Expanded Coverage	454	(1)
The Scope of Business News	454	(2)
The Human Element	456	(1)
Personal Finance	456	(1)
The Beat	457	(2)
Puff Pieces	459	(1)
The Reporter's Requirements	460	(1)
Sources of Information	461	(3)
Bankruptcies	464	(1)
Reading	465	(1)
Regulatory Agencies	466	(1)
Enterprise	467	(1)
Municipal Bonds	468	(1)
University Bonds	468	(1)
Skepticism and Doubt	469	(2)
Numbers Count	471	(1)
Depth Reporting	471	(2)
Further Reading	473	(1)
Local Government and Education	474	(35)
City Government Activities	475	(1)
Forms of Local Government	476	(2)
The Public Interest	478	(1)
Participants in the Political Process	478	(2)
Auditing the Community	480	(1)
Additional Checkpoints	481	(1)
The Demographics	481	(2)
Guidelines	483	(1)
Politics	483	(1)
The Budget	484	(4)
Checklist: Budgets	488	(2)
Property Tax	490	(2)
Borrowing	492	(1)
Checking Up	493	(2)
Zoning and Planning	495	(1)
Neighborhood Stories	495	(1)
Covering the Schools	496	(3)
Widening Scope	499	(5)
Board of Education Meetings	504	(1)
Meetings Checklist	504	(2)
Knowing the Community	506	(1)
Further Reading	507	(2)
PART SIX LAWS, TASTE AND TABOOS, CODES AND ETHICS	509	(64)
Reporters and the Law	511	(21)
Grounds for Libel Suits	512	(1)
An Incident on a Bus	512	(2)
The Court Acts	514	(3)
Attributing a Libel Is No Defense	517	(3)
Accuracy the Best Route	520	(1)
Libel Online	520	(1)
Privacy	520	(4)
Avoiding the Dangers	524	(1)
The Reporter's Rights	525	(2)
Confidentiality Requires Protection	527	(1)
Shield Laws	527	(1)
Tips and Tidbits	528	(1)
Press Disclosures Affect Freedoms	529	(1)
Summing Up	530	(1)
Further Reading	531	(1)
Taste---Defining the Appropriate	532	(17)
Taste Is Relative	533	(6)
Commercial Pressures	539	(1)
Obscenity and the Law	540	(1)
Limits on Broadcasting	541	(1)
Pictures	542	(1)
Photo Guidelines	543	(4)
Summing Up	547	(2)
The Morality of Journalism	549	(24)
The Dilemma	550	(1)
Guiding Values	551	(5)
Some Case Studies	556	(4)
Something New	560	(1)
Codes of Conduct	560	(2)
Sins of Omission	562	(1)
Morality Underlies Journalism	562	(1)
Past and Present	563	(1)
The Muckrakers	564	(1)
Making Journalism of Injustice	565	(3)
Activist Journalism	568	(1)
A Personal Guide	569	(2)
Summing Up	571	(1)
Further Reading	571	(2)
Glossary	573	(8)
Print Terms	573	(5)
Broadcast Terms	578	(1)
Internet Terms	579	(2)
Appendix	581	(1)
Stylebook	582	(14)
Punctuation	590	(6)
Credits	596	(4)
Name Index	600	(10)
Subject Index	610