News Writing and Reporting The Complete Guide for Today's Journalist

by Scanlan, Chip; Craig, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780195188325
• ISBN10: 0195188322
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-07-10
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

News Writing and Reporting: The Complete Guide for Today's Journalist, Second Edition, uses a multitude of reporting and writing examples from print, broadcast and online sources in order to deconstruct and reveal journalistic practices, techniques and philosophy to today's students. Building on a solid foundation of the three pillars of excellent journalism--process, coaching and storytelling--Chip Scanlan and Richard Craig shape students into successful journalists by providing them with the theoretical background and practical knowledge needed to transition into a new age of reporting.

What's New to the Second Edition?
* "Journalists at Work" boxes provide illuminating profiles of professional journalists
* "Quick Tips" boxes offer practical advice and checklists on how to accomplish the myriad tasks that journalists face daily
* "Chip's Corner" boxes provide varied and insightful accounts from author Chip Scanlan's nearly two decades of journalistic experience
* "Ethical Dilemmas" case studies recount real-world situations that challenge students to think critically about the limits of journalistic fairness and accuracy
* "The Coaching Way" boxes feature advice and questions that guide students toward excellent and ethical journalism
* "Professionals Roundtable"boxes are comprised of interview transcripts with industry insiders, journalism professors and leading authors
* "Close-Ups" highlight the strengths and potential problems found in real journalistic practice with annotated walkthroughs of actual print, broadcast and online journalistic pieces. More of these walkthroughs will be available to students on the Companion Website (www.oup.com/us/scanlan).

Need more practice? Call customer service at 800-280-0280 to order News Writing and Reporting: The Complete Guide for Today's Journalist's student workbook (ISBN: 978-0-19-998085-7).

A Word to Aspiring Journalists from Chip Scanlan

Cultivate curiosity. Do what you fear. Collaboration, especially in online journalism, is key. Master technology, but never forget that tools enhance your capabilities and the basics of good journalism never change. You may have to start out small, but jobs are out there for journalists who are committed to public service. That is the heart of excellent journalism. Never stop learning. Never give up. Have fun.

Author Biography

About the Authors

Chip Scanlan is a Reporting, Writing and Editing Faculty Affiliate at The Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL. He worked as an award-winning journalist for two decades at newspapers around the country, including The Providence Journal, The St. Petersburg Times and Knight Ridder Newspapers' Washington Bureau. He is coeditor of America's Best Newspaper Writing and editor of seven editions of Best Newspaper Writing.

Richard Craig is Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at San José State University. He is author of Online Journalism: Reporting, Writing and Editing for New Media. His journalistic work has appeared in the New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News and many other publications.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: News Judgment
What Is News?
Three Basic Elements of News
Developing News Judgment and Critical Thinking Skills
Audio, Video And Citizen Journalism
Where News Comes From, Where to Find It
Positive versus Negative News: Striking a Balance
Ethical Dilemmas: Who Deserves News Coverage?
New News: The Impact Of Audience, Culture and Technology
Professional's Roundtable: What's the News?
--Summary Guide
--Key Terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 1.1 Basic News Story
Close-Up 1.2 Striking the Balance between Good and Bad News
Chapter 2: The Six-step Process Approach to reporting and Writing
Step 1: Idea: Creativity Skills for Today's Journalists
Journalist at Work: Brainstorming
Step 2: Focus: Finding the Heart of Your Stories
Chip's Corner: Listening for Focus
Journalist at Work: Roy Wenzl
Coaching Way: Finding a Focus
Step 3: Collect: Reporting the Story
Ethical dilemmas: The Assignment vs. The Evidence
Journalist at Work: Matching Sources with Questions
Step 4: Order: Mapping Your Story
Step 5: Draft: Writing Your Story
Step 6: Revise: Rewriting the Story
Professional's Roundtable: The Process Approach
--Summary Guide
--Key Terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 2.1 Reporting and Writing: The Process Approach at Work
Chapter 3: The Coaching Way: Taking Charge of Your Stories
Coaching Basics
Coaching or Coddling
The Coaching Way
Journalists at Work: A Fixer's Confession
Coaching vs. Fixing
Coaching Techniques
Journalists at Work: Coaching Online Journalists
Reporter's Roundtable: The Coaching Way
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 3.1 "Movie Reading:" How a Coach Responds to a Writer's Work
Chapter 4: Storytelling vs. Speed: Deadlines in the 21st Century
One Side of the Equation: Storytelling
Chip's Corner: The Right Details in the Right Place
The Other Side: Get It Done, Now!
Journalist at Work: The Web and the Ticking Clock
Ethical Dilemmas: Blogging with Anonymous Sources
The Coaching Way: Storytelling on Deadline
Focusing and Planning on the Fly
Drafting on Deadline
Deadlines and Technology: A TV Reporter's Story
Reporter's Roundtable: The Evolution of Deadlines
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 4.1 Breaking News Narrative
Chapter 5: The Reporter's Toolbox
Pens, Pencils and Reporter's Notebook
The Computer
Note-Taking on the Screen
Chip's Corner: Text Messaging
Cell Phones
Audio Recorders
Chip's Corner: Working with Photos and Photojournalists
Ethical Dilemmas: Is That How it Really Happened?
Software Tools
The Reporter's Mindset
The Coaching Way: Tool Sharpening
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Chapter 6: Interviewing
The Role of the Interview
Preparing for the Interview
Conducting the Interview
Writing from Interviews
Learning to Listen
Chip's Corner: Being Human as an Interviewer
Keeping Confidences
Establish Interview Ground Rules
Ethical Dilemmas: Protecting a Source
The Coaching Way: Final Pointers on Interviewing
Professional's Roundtable: Effective Interviewing
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Chapter 7: Research
"Reporting On Steroids"
A "Documents State of Mind"
Chip's Corner: The Importance of Public Records
Cracking the Government Seal: Using the Freedom of Information Act
Search Engines
The Coaching Way: Research Skills
Multimedia Sources: Add New Dimensions with Audio and Video
Wikipedia: Power and Pitfalls of the Internet's Encyclopedia
Why Librarians Still Matter
Deflating Urban Legends and Online Hoaxes
Private Records: Intimate Research
Computer-Assisted Reporting: Precision Journalism
Ethical Dilemmas: Transparency vs. Privacy
Reaping the Rewards: Turning Research into Compelling Stories
Journalist at Work: Nailing Down Every Fact
Reporter's Roundtable: The Power of Research
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 7.1 Using Research to Document a Story
Chapter 8: Grammar, Language, Style: Using Accurate Words
Why Spelling, Grammar and Style Matter
The Hallmarks of Effective News Writing
Ethical Dilemmas: Cleaning Up Butchered Grammar
X-Ray Reading: Writing News - The Basics
Grammar: The Rules of the Road
Stylebooks: Print and Online
Grammar's Dirty Dozen: Common Errors Reporters Make
The Pitfalls of Jargon and Clichés
The Coaching Way: Grammar: Yours and Interviewees'
Reporter's Roundtable: The Importance of Clean Copy
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Chapter 9: Numbers: Using Accurate Figures
Why Math Matters
Making News With Numbers
Basic Math Skills
Percentages, Rates, Percents, Per Capita
Advanced Math Skills
Ethical Dilemmas: Reporting a Dubious Statistic
The Coaching Way: Doing the Math
Polls and Surveys
Reporting on Budgets
Writing with Numbers
Professional's Roundtable: Adding it All Up
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 9.1 Budget Story
Chapter 10: Lead Writing
The Lead and Its Role in Newswriting
How "5Ws", an "H," and "SW" Create Compelling Leads
Deconstructing Leads
Develop Your Lead from a Focus
Finding the Tension
Journalist at Work: Mark Fritz
Chip's Corner: Clichéd Leads and How to Avoid Them
The Two Types of Leads
X-Ray Reading: Broadcast Lead Story
Choosing the Right Lead
Revising Your Leads
The Coaching Way: Thinking About Leads
Professional's Roundtable: Lead Writing
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Chapter 11: Story Forms
Shaping the News
Inverted Pyramid: News from the Top Down
Historical Perspectives: Birth of the Inverted Pyramid
The Hourglass: Serving News and Readers
The Nut Graf: Giving Readers a Reason to Care
Five Boxes: How Readers Process Stories
The Narrative: The Way We Tell Stories
Serial Narrative: "To Be Continued"
Short-Short Stories: Writing For a Time-Pressed Audience
Using Story Forms Online
Alternative Story Forms
Journalist at Work: The Long and Short of It
Choosing the Best Story Form
The Coaching Way: Shaping the News
Professional's Roundtable: Shaping Stories
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 11.1 Inverted Pyramid Story
Close-Up 11.2 Hourglass Story
Chapter 12: Writing for Print
Writing for Newspapers
Behind the Page: Who Does What
Chip's Corner: Newspapers Past and Present
Journalist at Work: A Newspaper Reporter's Life
On the Page
X-Ray Reading: Localizing a Trend
New Roles for Reporters and Editors
Surviving in a Changing World
The Coaching Way: Working for a Newspaper
Professional's Roundtable: Writing for Newspapers
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Chapter 13: Online Writing and Content Production
The Necessity of Adaptation
Online News Organizations: A Hierarchy of Change
Convergence
Journalist at Work: A Mojo's Work is Never Done
The Coaching Way: Online Writing
Professional's Roundtable: Three Views of Online Writing
The ABCs of Online Journalism
New Roles for Journalists and the Skills Needed To Fill Them
Story Forms and Elements
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 13.1 Blog Post
Chapter 14: Broadcast Writing
Broadcast News: What It Takes
The Broadcast Newsroom: Who Does What?
Working Fast
Interviewing for Broadcast
Writing for Broadcast: Style, Format and Examples
Teases and Tags: Starting and Ending Strong
Script Basics: TV and Radio
TV Writing: The Package
Writing for Video
Ethical Dilemmas: The Real Thing?
Writing for Audio
Journalist at Work: Shifting from Print to Radio
On-Camera Preparation/Performance Tips
The Coaching Way: Broadcast Quality
Professional's Roundtable: Sound Advice
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 14.1 TV News Script
Chapter 15: Diversity
Making the Case for Cultural Competence
Chip's Corner: Why Diversity Matters to Journalists
How Can Reporters See People As People?
Ethical Dilemmas: Challenge Discrimination or Remain Silent
Talking Across Differences
Journalist at Work: The Five W's of Diversity Coverage
Using Precision to Avoid Euphemisms, Stereotypes, and Clichés of Vision
Avoiding Bias in Racial/Ethnic Identification
Guidelines for Racial Identifiers in News Stories
Connecting With Diverse Communities
Telling Untold Stories: Reporting and Writing Across Cultures
The Coaching Way: Diversity
Professional's Roundtable: Finding Diversity
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 15.1 Writing About Diversity
Chapter 16: Libel, Privacy, Ethics
The Two Sides of Defamation: Libel and Slander
Understanding the Elements of Libel
Journalist at Work: Dodging the Libel Bullet
The New York Times vs. Sullivan: A Journalistic Shield
Targeting Journalistic Conduct
Online Libel: The New Frontier
Ethical Dilemmas: Reporting vs. Blogging
Risks Of Whistleblowing: The Ethics Of WikiLeaks
Privacy: Guidelines for Reporters
Chip's Corner: About Recording Telephone Interviews
Ethical Decision-Making: Sidestepping Minefields and Pitfalls
Fabrication: "The Legend on the License"
Where Credit Is Due: Avoiding Plagiarism
The Coaching Way: Doing the Right Thing
Professional's Roundtable: Doing the Right Thing
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Chapter 17: First Assignments
Prepping For Your First Assignments
News Release Stories
Accident Stories
Fire Stories
Community Event Stories
Ethical Dilemmas: What Should You Report?
Speeches and News Conferences
Meetings and Hearings Stories
Journalist at Work: Journalistic Rights Under Open Meeting Laws
Profiles
The Coaching Way: First Assignments
Professional's Roundtable: Doing It Right the First Time
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 17.1 Accident Story
Close-Up 17.2 Community Event Story
Close-Up 17.3 Speech Story
Close-Up 17.4 Public Hearing Story
Close-Up 17.5 Profile
Chapter 18: Beats: Police, Courts, Specialty Sports, Business, Education and more
Ingredients of Successful Beat Reporting
Chip's Corner: Getting Them to Call Back
Basic Beats
Specialty Beats
Ethical Dilemmas: To Scoop or Not to Scoop
What a Specialty Beat Requires
Journalist at work: How a Veteran Beat Reporter Became a Multimedia Journalist
Getting-and Staying-Organized
The Coaching Way: Beats
Professional's Roundtable: Beat Reporting
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 18.1 Court Story
Close-Up 18.2 Business Story
Close-Up 18.3 Sports Story
Chapter 19: Obituaries
The Obituary: Stories of Death and Life
Four Types of Obituaries
Reporting and Writing the Obituary: A Process Approach
Chip's Corner: Writing an Appreciation
Online Obituaries
Journalist at Work: An Obituary Hoax
Making Tough Choices: Ethics and Obituaries
Ethical Dilemmas: Digging up the Past
Portraits of Grief: A New Stencil?
The Coaching Way: Verification and Respect
Professional's Roundtable: Summing Up a Life
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 19.1 News Obit
Close-Up 19.2 Feature Obituary
Chapter 20: Emergencies, Disasters, and Conflicts: From Weather to War
The Media's Role
What's Changed: Technology and Timeliness
What It Takes: Reporting
Think Digital
Verify and Attribute
Story Structures and Writing Strategies
Reporting Painful Truths
Ethical Dilemmas: Should Journalists Help, as Well as Write About, Disaster Victims?
Breaking News Blogs
In a War Zone: Getting the Story, Staying Safe
Humanize the Story
Responding To Disaster: Easing Journalists' Trauma
The Coaching Way: Disasters
Professional's Roundtable: When Disaster Strikes
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 20.1 Telling a Story of Loss
Chapter 21: Getting and Keeping a Job
Getting Started
Best Practice: Get an Internship
Job Hunting Step By Step
The World Wide Résumé
Job Prospects, Salaries and Benefits
The Case for Starting Out Small
Journalist at Work: Lessons from a First job in Journalism
Advice for New Reporters
The Coaching Way: Getting and Keeping a Job
Ethical Dilemmas: Doing the Right Thing
Journalist at Work: The Right Attitude
Professional's Roundtable: Getting a Job and Keeping It
--Summary Guide
--Key terms
--Exercises
--Readings
Close-Up 21.1: Resume