Workbook for News Reporting and Writing

by Missouri Group; Kennedy, George; Moen, Daryl R.; Ranly, Don; Brooks, Brian S.; Missouri Group; Brooks, Brian S.

• ISBN13: 9780312180195
• ISBN10: 0312180195
• Edition: 6th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-01
• Publisher: Bedford/st Martins

Table of Contents

Preface for Instructors	v
Preface for Students	ix
PART ONE JOURNALISM AND JOURNALIST
The Nature of News	2	(18)
What News Is	4	(2)
Changing Audiences, Changing Journalism	6	(6)
The New Audiences	8	(3)
The New Journalism	11	(1)
On the Job: More than Just the Printed Word	12	(1)
Accuracy, Fairness and the Problem of Objectivity	13	(7)
Accuracy and Fairness	13	(2)
Putting Frames around Stories	15	(1)
Objectivity	16	(1)
Suggested Readings	17	(1)
Exercises	17	(3)
News Rooms and the New Media	20	(32)
The Growth of Multimedia Organizations	23	(3)
On The Job: Using News-Writing Skills in Corporate Communications	26	(1)
Newspapers	27	(13)
Newspaper Organization	27	(4)
Newspaper Job Prospects	31	(2)
Newspaper Production	33	(1)
Working in a Team	33	(2)
Working with the Editor	35	(4)
Working with the Copy Editor	39	(1)
Magazines	40	(2)
Magazine Organization	41	(1)
Magazine Job Prospects	41	(1)
Magazine Production	41	(1)
Broadcasting	42	(2)
Broadcast Organization	43	(1)
Broadcast Job Prospects	44	(1)
Broadcast News Production	44	(1)
On the Job: Persistence Pays Off	44	(1)
New Media	45	(3)
New-Media Organization	46	(1)
New-Media Job Prospects	46	(2)
New-Media Production	48	(1)
Other Career Opportunities	48	(4)
Suggested Readings	49	(1)
Exercises	50	(2)
PART TWO REPORTING TOOLS
Interviewing	52	(24)
Preparing for the Interview	54	(2)
Consideration of Story Type	55	(1)
The News Story	56	(1)
On the Job: There's Always a Way to Get the Interview	56	(6)
The Profile	57	(1)
The Investigative Piece	58	(1)
Other Preparatory Considerations	59	(3)
Phrasing Questions	62	(2)
Open-Ended Questions	63	(1)
Closed-Ended Questions	63	(1)
Establishing a Rapport	64	(5)
Interview Approaches	65	(1)
Other Practical Considerations	66	(3)
Ensuring Accuracy	69	(7)
Observing	70	(1)
Understanding	70	(1)
Asking Follow-up Questions	71	(1)
Other Techniques	71	(2)
Suggested Readings	73	(1)
Exercises	74	(2)
Computer-Assisted Reporting	76	(20)
Using Computers	77	(5)
Sources of Computer Information	78	(1)
Your News Library: The Place to Start	78	(3)
The Public Information Utilities	81	(1)
The Internet: Information Superhighway	82	(1)
On the Job: News Is Information	82	(10)
The Commercial Database Services	86	(1)
Government Databases	86	(2)
Special-Interest Databases	88	(1)
CD-ROMs as a Source of Information	88	(1)
Self-Constructed Databases	88	(1)
How Computers Assist in Data Analysis	89	(3)
Traditional Sources of Information	92	(1)
Finding the Story	93	(3)
Suggested Readings	95	(1)
Exercises	95	(1)
Reporting with Numbers	96	(26)
Proportion	97	(7)
Percentages and Percentage Change	97	(4)
Averages and Medians	101	(2)
Rates	103	(1)
Interest and Compounding	104	(3)
Inflation	107	(1)
Taxes	108	(2)
Sales Taxes	109	(1)
Income Taxes	109	(1)
Property Taxes	110	(1)
Making Sense of Budgets	110	(4)
On the Job: The Math Guy	114	(1)
Making Sense of Numbers from Polls	115	(5)
Mixing Numbers and Words	120	(2)
Suggested Readings	121	(1)
Exercises	121	(1)
PART THREE STORYTELLING
The Inverted Pyramid	122	(26)
How to Write Leads	125	(7)
Writing the Lead	126	(4)
Alternate Leads	130	(1)
Immediate-Identification Leads	131	(1)
Delayed-Identification Leads	132	(1)
On the Job: Thinking in the Inverted Pyramid	132	(6)
Summary Leads	134	(1)
Multiple-Element Leads	135	(1)
Leads with Flair	136	(2)
Story Organization	138	(10)
One-Subject Stories	138	(5)
Multiple-Element Stories	143	(2)
Suggested Readings	145	(1)
Exercises	146	(2)
Writing to Be Read	148	(22)
Good Writing Begins with Good Reporting	151	(1)
On the Job: Sharing the Experience through Vivid Writing	152	(1)
Elements of Good Writing	153	(9)
Precision	153	(1)
Avoiding Biased Language	153	(2)
Avoiding Carelessness in Word Choice	155	(1)
Achieving Precision in the Use of Numbers	155	(1)
How to Be Clear	156	(1)
Keep It Simple	156	(1)
Use Correct Grammar and Punctuation	157	(1)
Be Coherent	158	(4)
Use Concrete Examples	162	(2)
Show, Don't Just Tell	164	(2)
Figures of Speech	166	(4)
Suggested Readings	167	(1)
Exercises	168	(2)
Beyond the Inverted Pyramid	170	(22)
The Techniques of Narration	171	(6)
Vivid Scenes	172	(2)
Dialogue	174	(1)
Foreshadowing	175	(1)
Anecdotes	176	(1)
How to Modify the Inverted Pyramid	177	(3)
Service Journalism	177	(3)
The Hybrid Structure	180	(1)
The Focus Structure	181	(3)
Completing the Set-Up	183	(1)
Add the Transition and Theme Paragraph	183	(1)
Add Foreshadowing	184	(1)
Ad'd the So-What	184	(1)
On the Job: Tips for Writing	184	(8)
Add the To-Be-Sure	185	(1)
Writing the Body	186	(1)
Writing the Ending	187	(1)
Putting It Together	188	(2)
Suggested Readings	190	(1)
Exercises	191	(1)
In Their Own Words	192	(26)
What to Quote Directly	193	(9)
Unique Material	193	(2)
The Unique Expression	195	(1)
Important Quotes by Important People	196	(1)
Accuracy	197	(1)
Verification	197	(1)
Problems in Direct Quotations	198	(1)
Paraphrasing Quotes	198	(1)
Using Partial Quotes	199	(1)
Capturing Dialect or Accent	200	(2)
Mix-Matching Questions and Answers	202	(1)
Correcting Quotes	202	(1)
On the Job: In Their Own Words	202	(5)
Removing Redundancies	204	(1)
Deleting Obscenity, Profanity and Vulgarity	204	(1)
Avoiding Made-Up Quotes	205	(1)
Practicing Prepublication Review	206	(1)
Attributing Direct and Indirect Quotes	207	(5)
When to Attribute	207	(2)
How to Attribute	209	(3)
Handling On-and Off-the-Record Information	212	(6)
Guidelines for Citing Sources Who Don't Want to Be Named	212	(2)
Suggested Readings	214	(1)
Exercises	215	(3)
PART FOUR BASIC STORIES
Obituaries	218	(16)
Basic Obituary Information and Style	220	(3)
Crafting a Lead	220	(1)
Building the Story Body	221	(2)
Choosing Your Words	223	(1)
Sources of Information	223	(3)
Mortuary Forms	223	(3)
On the Job: Bringing Life to Obituaries	226	(4)
The Newspaper	226	(1)
The Newspaper Library	227	(1)
Interviewing Family and Friends	228	(2)
Newspaper Policy	230	(4)
Cause of Death	230	(1)
Embarrassing Information	231	(1)
Suggested Readings	232	(1)
Exercises	232	(2)
News Releases	234	(20)
Types of News Releases	236	(2)
Announcements	236	(1)
Cause-Promoting Releases	237	(1)
Image-Building Releases	238	(1)
Handling the News Release	238	(2)
Rewriting the Announcement Release	239	(1)
On the Job: News Releases	240	(7)
Rewriting the Cause Release	241	(1)
Rewriting the Image-Building Release	242	(5)
Writing News Releases That Get Attention	247	(1)
Approaches to Writing the News Release	248	(6)
The Inverted Pyramid	248	(1)
Getting Beyond the Inverted Pyramid	249	(2)
Suggested Readings	251	(1)
Exercises	251	(3)
Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings	254	(18)
Preparation	256	(2)
Preparing for the Speech Story	256	(1)
Preparing for the News Conference Story	257	(1)
Preparing for the Meeting Story	258	(1)
Covering Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings	258	(4)
Getting the Content Correct	259	(2)
Describing the Participants	261	(1)
Covering the Event	261	(1)
On the Job: Speeches, News Conferences and Meetings	262	(1)
Arriving, Positioning Yourself and Staying On	262	(1)
Structuring and Writing Your Story	263	(9)
Writing the Speech Story	263	(3)
Writing the News Conference Story	266	(2)
Writing the Meeting Story	268	(1)
Suggested Readings	269	(1)
Exercises	270	(2)
Accidents, Fires and Disasters	272	(22)
Covering the Scene	275	(9)
The Scene of an Accident	275	(4)
The Scene of a Fire	279	(3)
The Scene of a Disaster	282	(2)
On the Job: Disasters Don't Just Disappear	284	(1)
Completing the Reporting	285	(9)
Sources to Check	285	(3)
Reporting the Effects on People	288	(1)
Complete Coverage of an Accident	289	(3)
Suggested Readings	292	(1)
Exercises	293	(1)
Crime and the Courts	294	(38)
Gathering and Writing Crime News	297	(3)
Sources of Information	298	(1)
Police and Police Reports	298	(2)
The Victim	300	(1)
On the Job: Lessons of the Police Beat	300	(9)
Witnesses	301	(1)
Other Possible Sources	301	(1)
Writing the Story	301	(1)
The Chronologically Ordered Story	302	(2)
The Sidebar Story	304	(1)
The Inverted Pyramid Account	305	(1)
Writing Crime and Court Stories with Flair	306	(2)
Television and Crime	308	(1)
Court Organization and Procedure	309	(7)
Court Organization	310	(2)
Court Procedure	312	(1)
Pretrial Proceedings in Criminal Cases	312	(1)
Initial Appearance	312	(2)
The Trial	314	(2)
Writing Court Stories	316	(5)
Avoiding Libelous Statements	316	(1)
Continuing Coverage of the Prosecution	317	(4)
Taste and Responsibility	321	(11)
The Free Press-Fair Trial Controversy	321	(5)
Megan's Law	326	(1)
Negligence and Crime Reporting	327	(1)
Issues of Taste and Ethics	328	(2)
Suggested Readings	330	(1)
Exercises	330	(2)
PART FIVE BEAT REPORTING
Covering a Beat	332	(32)
Principles for Reporters on a Beat	334	(6)
Be Prepared	334	(1)
Reading for Background	334	(1)
Talking to Sources	335	(2)
Be Alert	337	(1)
Be Persistent	338	(1)
Insisting on a Responsive Answer	338	(1)
Following Up Slow Developments	339	(1)
Be There	340	(1)
On the Job: Where the Action Is	340	(3)
Be Wary	342	(1)
Online Coverage	343	(2)
Covering the Most Important Local Beats	345	(19)
City and County Government	347	(2)
The Schools	349	(2)
The Police Beat	351	(2)
The Courts	353	(2)
Court Records	355	(1)
Human Sources	355	(1)
Religion	356	(3)
The Environment, Science and Medicine	359	(3)
Suggested Readings	362	(1)
Exercises	363	(1)
Business and Consumer News	364	(24)
Preparing to Cover Business News	366	(2)
How to Report Business Stories	368	(1)
On the Job: Translating Business into English	368	(13)
Where to Find Business Stories	370	(1)
Records and Reports	371	(4)
Human Sources	375	(2)
Announcements and Meetings	377	(1)
Reporter Enterprise	378	(1)
Looking at the Numbers	379	(2)
Consumer News	381	(7)
Where to Find Consumer News	383	(1)
Government Agencies	383	(1)
Consumer Groups	384	(1)
Private Businesses	385	(1)
How to Report Consumer Stories	386	(1)
Suggested Readings	387	(1)
Exercises	387	(1)
Sports	388	(20)
Covering the Sports Beat	389	(1)
Being Prepared	390	(1)
On the Job: Sports Reporting Is Beat Reporting	390	(8)
Being Alert	391	(3)
Being Persistent	394	(1)
Being There and Developing Contacts	395	(1)
Being Wary and Digging for the Real Story	396	(2)
Covering the Contests	398	(4)
Follow the Money	402	(1)
Writing about Sports	403	(5)
Suggested Readings	407	(1)
Exercises	407	(1)
PART SIX SPECIALIZED TECHNIQUES
Social Science Reporting	408	(12)
Participant Observation	409	(1)
Systematic Study of Records	410	(1)
On the Job: Browsing the Data	410	(1)
Field Experiments	411	(3)
Public Opinion Polls	414	(6)
Requirements for Sound Polling	415	(2)
The Need for Caution in Interpreting Polls	417	(1)
Suggested Readings	418	(1)
Exercises	418	(2)
Investigative Reporting	420	(20)
The Process	422	(6)
Beginning the Investigation	422	(1)
Carrying Out the Investigation	423	(1)
Doing the Work	424	(1)
Getting It Right	425	(1)
Writing the Story	426	(2)
The Sources	428	(6)
Human Sources	429	(2)
Written Sources	431	(1)
Public Records	431	(2)
Using and Securing Public Records	433	(1)
Non-Public Records	433	(1)
Problems with Written Sources	434	(1)
On the Job: Computers Help Define the Story	434	(1)
New Tools, Traditional Goals	435	(2)
The Obstacles	437	(3)
Money and Staffing	437	(1)
Lack of Courage	437	(1)
Suggested Readings	438	(1)
Exercises	439	(1)
Writing News for Radio and Television	440	(22)
Criteria for Selecting Broadcast News	441	(2)
Timeliness	441	(1)
Information	442	(1)
Audio or Visual Impact	442	(1)
People	443	(1)
Writing Broadcast News	443	(5)
Characteristics of Broadcast Newswriting	444	(1)
Immediacy	444	(1)
Conversational Style	445	(1)
Tight Phrasing	446	(1)
Clarity	447	(1)
On the Job: Writing News for Radio and Television	448	(4)
Story Structure	449	(1)
Writing the Broadcast Lead	449	(1)
Writing Lead-Ins and Wrap-Ups	450	(1)
Writing for Videotape	451	(1)
Preparing Broadcast Copy	452	(10)
Format	452	(3)
Names and Titles	455	(1)
Pronunciation	455	(1)
Abbreviations	455	(1)
Symbols and Numbers	456	(1)
Quotations and Attributions	456	(1)
Punctuation	457	(1)
Corrections	458	(1)
Suggested Readings	459	(1)
Exercises	459	(3)
PART SEVEN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITES
Press Law	462	(24)
Your Rights	463	(1)
Libel	464	(2)
On the Job: The Keys to Avoiding Libel	466	(9)
Libel Suit Defenses	467	(1)
Truth	467	(1)
Privilege	468	(1)
Fair Comment and Criticism	469	(1)
The Actual Malice Test	469	(2)
Standards Applicable to Public Figures	471	(3)
Standards Applicable to Private Citizens	474	(1)
Libel Remains a Danger	474	(1)
Invasion of Privacy	475	(2)
Food Lion and News-gathering	476	(1)
Protection of Sources and Notes	477	(3)
Access to Courts	480	(2)
Copyright and Fair Use	482	(4)
Suggested Readings	483	(1)
Exercises	484	(2)
Ethics	486	(23)
Three Ethical Philosophies	488	(4)
Deontological Ethics	488	(1)
Teleological Ethics	489	(1)
Situation Ethics	490	(1)
Antinomianism	490	(1)
John Merrill's Deontelics	490	(1)
Mixed-Rule Deontology	491	(1)
Love of Neighbor	491	(1)
Utilitarianism	491	(1)
Any Rand's Rational Self-Interest	492	(1)
On the Job: Creating a Culture of Ethical Reporting	492	(1)
John Rawls' Veil of Ignorance	493	(1)
Aristotle's Golden Mean	493	(1)
Solving Ethical Dilemmas	493	(3)
Ethical Problems	496	(13)
Deceit	497	(1)
Conflicts of Interest	498	(1)
Friendship	498	(1)
Payola	498	(1)
Freebies	499	(2)
Checkbook Journalism	501	(1)
Participation in the News	501	(1)
Advertising Pressure	502	(1)
Invasion of Privacy	503	(1)
Withholding Information	504	(1)
Plagiarism	505	(1)
Suggested Readings	506	(1)
Exercises	507	(2)
Appendix 1 Copy Editing and Proofreading Symbols	509	(2)
Appendix 2 Wire Service Style	511	(44)
Capitalization	512	(10)
Common Problems	512	(2)
Alphabetized Listing	514	(8)
Abbreviations and Acronyms	522	(6)
Common Problems	523	(1)
Alphabetized Listing	524	(4)
Punctuation and Hyphenation	528	(13)
Common Problems	528	(3)
Alphabetized Listing	531	(10)
Numerals	541	(5)
Common Problems	542	(1)
Alphabetized Listing	542	(4)
Grammar, Spelling and Word Usage	546	(9)
Glossary	555	(14)
Index	569