Writing and Reporting for the Media

by Bender, John R.; Davenport, Lucinda D.; Drager, Michael W.; Fedler, Fred

• ISBN13: 9780190200886
• ISBN10: 019020088X
• Edition: 11th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-02-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Now in its eleventh edition, Writing and Reporting for the Media continues to be a top resource for journalism courses. 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.

NEW TO THIS EDITION
· The book's updated title, Writing and Reporting for the Media, reflects the expanded breadth of journalism to include text, audio, photos, video and design for all media
· Innovative collaborations of journalism and digital media are covered in Chapter 13, Digital Media: Online, Mobile and Social Media, which includes instruction on how digital journalism differs from print and how to combine multiple elements for a digital package
· The complementary relationship of visuals and reporting is demonstrated in Chapter 14, Visual Journalism, which covers basic skills for shooting still and video images and recording audio
· A newly revised Chapter 4, The Language of News, includes guidance on usage and grammar for the news media
· In full-color for the first time, the text's updated visuals now represent all media, including television, the Internet and mobile media
· A fully updated and expanded AP Style Guide is available to package with the text or purchase as a separate supplement

Author Biography

John R. Bender is Professor of Journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Lucinda D. Davenport is Director and Professor of Journalism at Michigan State University.

Michael W. Drager is Associate Professor of Journalism at Shippensburg University.

Fred Fedler is Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Central Florida.

Table of Contents

Preface


SECTION I: THE TOOLS OF JOURNALISM

Chapter 1: JOURNALISM TODAY
The Journalism Profession
More News from More Sources
The News as a Business
What Does It Take to Be a Successful Journalist?
Journalism Style

Chapter 2: SELECTING AND REPORTING THE NEWS
News Characteristics and News Elements
Types of News--Hard News and Soft News
What Is Not Newsworthy?
The Importance of Accuracy

Chapter 3: NEWSWRITING STYLE
Simplify Words, Sentences and Paragraphs
Eliminate Unnecessary Words
Quiz
Remain Objective
Respecting Diversity

Chapter 4: THE LANGUAGE OF NEWS
The Effectiveness of Words
Mastering Grammar
Basic Sentence Structure
Common Grammatical Errors
Spelling
Punctuation
Writing Like a Pro
Problems to Avoid


SECTION II: THE LAW AND ETHICS OF JOURNALISM

Chapter 5: LIBEL, PRIVACY, AND NEWSGATHERING ISSUES
Libel
Privacy
Newsgathering Issues

Chapter 6: ETHICS
Ethical Decision Making
Ethics Matters
Ethics Issues Regarding Conduct
Ethics Issues Regarding Content


SECTION III: THE BASIC SKILLS OF JOURNALISM

Chapter 7: BASIC NEWS LEADS
Prewriting
The News Lead
Sentence Structure in Leads
Guidelines for Writing Effective Leads
Avoiding Some Common Errors

Chapter 8: ALTERNATIVE LEADS
Criticisms
"Buried" or "Delayed" Leads
Multiparagraph Leads
Using Quotations
Using Questions
Types of Alternative Leads

Chapter 9: THE BODY OF A NEWS STORY
The Inverted-Pyramid Style
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

Chapter 10: QUOTATIONS AND ATTRIBUTION
Quotations
Blending Quotations and Narrative
Attribution

Chapter 11: INTERVIEWING
Preparing for the Interview
Conducting the Interview
Writing the Interview Story

Chapter 12: WRITING FOR RADIO AND TV NEWS
Story Structure
Leads
The Body of a Story
Updating Broadcast News Stories
Guidelines for Copy Preparation
Sources for Broadcast News
Broadcast Interviewing
The Newsroom

Chapter 13: DIGITAL MEDIA: ONLINE, MOBILE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Linear vs. Nonlinear Writing
Elements of the Story Package
Blogging and Digital Media

Chapter 14: VISUAL JOURNALISM
The Roots of Visual Journalism
Visual Journalism Today
The Digital News Package
Technology You Will Need


SECTION IV: APPLYING THE SKILLS OF JOURNALISM

Chapter 15: SPEECHES AND MEETINGS
Advance Stories
Covering the Speech or Meeting
Follow Stories
Remember Your Readers
Adding Color

Chapter 16: BRIGHTS, FOLLOW-UPS, ROUNDUPS, SIDEBARS AND OBITUARIES
Brights
Follow-ups
Roundups
Sidebars
Obituaries

Chapter 17: FEATURE STORIES
Finding Story Ideas and Gathering Information
Parts of Feature Stories
Types of Feature Stories

Chapter 18: PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING
Crime and Accidents
Local Government
Courts

Chapter 19: INTRODUCTION TO INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
Investigative Reporting in American Journalism
What Is Investigative Reporting?
Whom and What to Investigate
Developing an Investigative Story
The Investigative Interview
Writing the Investigative Story
Using Technology in Investigative Reporting
Ethical Issues in Investigative Reporting

Chapter 20: JOURNALISM AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
What Is Public Relations?
Becoming a Public Relations Practitioner
Working With News Media
Tips for Effective News Releases
From the Journalist's Perspective: Working With Press Releases
The No. 1 Problem: Lack of Newsworthiness
Focusing on the News
Tightening the Writing
The No. 2 Problem: Lack of Objectivity
Eliminating Puffery
Other Problems With News Releases


Appendix A: City Directory
Appendix B: Rules for Forming Possessives
Appendix C: Answer Keys
Credit Lines
Index