Reporting for the Media

1. Journalism Today
Traditional Media
Convergence
Digital Journalism
Citizen Journalism
How to Train Journalists for the 21st Century
Box: Mojo Journalists
2. The Basics: Format, Copyediting and AP Style
Producing Copy
News Story Format
Copy-editing Symbols
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law
Accuracy of Names and Facts
Checklist for Copy Preparation
The Writing Coach - The Lucky 13 Ways to Become a Good Writer
Exercises
3. Grammar and Spelling
Sentence Diagram
The Parts of Speech
Basic Sentence Structure
Active and Passive Voice
Agreement
Ambiguous Pronouns
Plurals and Possessives
"That" and "Which>"
"Who" and "Whom"
Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling Modifiers
Personification
Parallel Form
"Because" and "Due To"
Spelling
Checklist for Grammar and Spelling
Exercises
4. Newswriting Style
Prewriting
Simplify Words, Sentences and Paragraphs
Box: Quiz
Remain Objective
Box: Don't Write Like This
Checklist for Newswriting Style
The Writing Coach - Find the Clear Path to Writing Glory
Box: Correcting Wordy Phrases
Exercises
5. Language of News
The Effectiveness of Words
Be Precise
Use Strong Verbs
Avoiding Problems in Your Writing
Words to Avoid
Other Problems to Avoid
Checklist for the Language of News
The Writing Coach - Become a Power Lifter When Picking Verbs
Exercises
6. Selecting and Reporting the News
The Characteristics of News
Types of News
Public/Civic Journalism
Applying the Principles of News Selection
The Concept of Objectivity
Details Newspapers Are Reluctant to Publish
The Importance of Accuracy
Guest Column - Why I Stayed at a Small-Town Newspaper
Exercise
7. Basic News Leads
The Summary News Lead
Sentence Structure in Leads
Guidelines for Writing Effective Leads
Avoiding Some Common Errors
Apply the Guidelines to Other Kinds of Leads
The Writing Coach - Oh Where, Oh Where Does the Time Element Go?
Exercises
8. Alternative Leads
Criticisms
"Buried" or "Delayed" Leads
Multiparagraph Leads
Using Quotations
Using Questions
Suspenseful Leads
Descriptive Leads
Shockers - Lead With a Twist
Ironic Leads
Direct-Address Leads
Words Used in Unusual Ways
Other Unusual Leads
The Writing Coach - Too Many Words Can Muddle Writing
Exercises
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 Use of Humor
The Need to Be Fair
The Final Step: Edit Your Story
Checklist for Writing News Stories
The Writing Coach - How to Find the Endings to Stories
Exercises
10. Quotations and Attribution
Quotations
Blending Quotations and Narrative
Attribution
Box: Guidelines for Using Anonymous Sources
A Memo From the Editor - Descriptive Writing: Turning a Good Story Into a Great Story
Guidelines for Capitalizing and Punctuating Quotations
Checklists for Quotations and Attribution
Exercises
11. Interviews
Preparing for the Interview
Conducting the Interview
Writing the Interview Story
Checklist for Interviews
Exercises
12. Writing Obituaries
Types of Death Reports
Box: Jim Nicholson: No. 1 in Obituaries
Obituary Writing Considerations
Checklist for Writing Obituaries
Exercises
13. Speeches and Meetings
Advance Stories
Covering the Speech or Meeting
Follow Stories
Box: Internet Brings Pornography to Children, Researcher Says
Remember Your Readers
Adding Color
Checklists for Reporting Speeches and Meetings
The Writing Coach - Go Beyond the Stick
Exercises
14. Specialized Types of Stories
Brights
Follow-ups
Roundups
Sidebars
A Memo From the Editor - History, Traditions and Culture: Old Glory and Noodle
Exercises
15. Feature Stories
Selecting a Topic and Gathering Information
Types of Feature Stories
Parts of Feature Stories
Checklist for Feature Stories
Box: What Does It Take to Be a Top-Notch Writer?
Exercises
16. Public Affairs Reporting
Crime and Accidents
Box: Covering the Search for a Serial Killer
Local Government
Courts
Checklists for Public Affair Reporting
A Note About This Chapter's Exercises
The Writing Coach - The "knows" Have It for Police and Court Reporters
Exercises
17. Advanced Reporting
Using Statistics
Conducting Informal Polls
Using Computers to Get Answers
Converging Media
Checklists for Advanced Reporting
Guest Column - Why Learn Computer-Assisted Reporting?
Exercises
18. Writing for Broadcast
Writing for Your Listener
Writing for your Announcer
Leads for Broadcast Stories
The Body of a Broadcast News Story
Updating Broadcast News Stories
Writing to Pictures and Audio
Guidelines for Copy Preparation
Editing Copy
Sources for Broadcast News
Broadcast Interviewing
The Newsroom Environment
Online News Opportunities and Challenges
Checklists for Broadcast News Writing
Exercises
19. The News Media and PR Practitioners
What Is Public Relations?
Becoming a Public Relations Practitioner
Working with News Media
Elements of a News Release
Types of News Releases
The Journalist's Perspective: Working with Press Releases
The No. 1 Problem: Lack of Newsworthiness
The No. 2 Problem: Lack of Objectivity
Other Problems with News Releases
Some Final Guidelines
Checklists for PR Practitioners
Checklists for Handling News Releases
Guest Column - Anything Can Happen
Exercises
20. Libel, Privacy and Newsgathering Issues
Libel
Box: Steps for Avoiding Libel Suits
Privacy
Newsgathering Issues
Box: Bar-Press Guidelines
Checklists
Exercises
21. Ethics
Media Credibility
Ethical Decision-Making
Ethics Issues
Box: How to Get Information Out of Sources Without Cozying Up
Codes of Ethics
Checklist for Improving Media Credibility
A Memo From the Editor - Some Thoughts on Plagiarism
Exercises
22. Becoming a Professional
A Journalist's Attributes
Be the Applicant Who Gets Hired
The Industry Needs More Women and Minorities
Freelance Writing
Checklist for Finding the Right Journalism Job
Appendix A. City Directory
Appendix B. The Associated Press Stylebook
Appendix C. Rules for Forming Possessives
Appendix D. Answer Keys
Credit lines
Index

Instructor's Manual - 9780195337440
Companion Web Site -- www.coup.com/us/reportingforthemedia - http://www.coup.com/us/reportingforthemedia

Fred Fedler is Professor of Journalism at the University of Central Florida. John R. Bender is Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lucinda D. Davenport is Professor of Journalism at Michigan State University. Michael W. Drager is Associate Professor of Journalism at Shippensburg University.

Special Features

• First-rate Introduction. Students gain a solid grounding in the world of reporting, from the basics of good writing, to the fundamental aspects of a reporter's job: engaging in the world, generating story ideas, gathering information, and writing stories.
• NEW! Chapter on the changing nature of the news-including material on technology, newsroom convergence, and blogs-provides students with up-to-date, relevant insight into the ever-evolving world of journalism.
• NEW! Significant revisions to chapter on Interviews give tips and techniques on preparing for, conducting, and summarizing interviews.
• NEW! Pedagogical features, namely end-of-chapter exercises, have been completely updated.
• NEW! Additional "Grammar Summary" feature added to the inside back cover clarifies the complexities of grammar.
• NEW! Updated and enlivened two-colour design for engaging, easy reading.