Writing and Reporting for the Media

A fundamental introduction to newswriting and reporting, this text focuses on the basics of reporting, including critical thinking, thorough reporting, excellent writing and creative visual communication skills. With digital journalism covered throughout the text and additional exercises in a brand new workbook, Writing and Reporting for the Media is the most up-to-date, realistic and applied text available.

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

Lucinda Davenport is Professor of Journalism at Michigan State University.

Michael Drager is Assistant Professor of Journalism at Shippensburg University.

Preface

Section I. The Tools of Journalism

Chapter 1. Journalism Today
Technology and Journalism
Types of News
Evolution of the News Business
Journalism as a Profession
Journalism Competencies
The Modern Journalist
Journalism Style
AP Stylebook
Journalism Terms
Copy-Editing
Copy Format
The Writing Coach: The "N.E.R.D." Factor in Getting a Job
Chapter 2 Selecting and Reporting the News
News Characteristics and News Elements
Timeliness
Impact or Magnitude
Prominence
Proximity
Unusualness
Conflict
Other Characteristics
The Nature of the Medium and the Community
Types of News
The Concept of Objectivity
What Is Not Newsworthy?
Offensive Details
Sensationalism
Rumors
Sexual Assault
Names of Juveniles
Trade Names
The Importance of Accuracy
Accuracy in Facts
Accuracy in Names
Accuracy Is a Priority
Guest Columnist: Why I Stayed at a Small-Town Newspaper
The Reporter's Guide to Accuracy
Review Exercises

Chapter 3. Newswriting Style
Simplify Words, Sentences and Paragraphs
Eliminate Unnecessary Words
Quiz
Remain Objective
Respecting Diversity
Racism
Sexism
Ageism
Avoid Stereotyping Other Groups
Additional Newswriting Considerations for Digital Media
The Reporter's Guide to Newswriting Style
Review Exercises

Chapter 4. The Language of News
The Effectiveness of Words
Mastering Grammar
Nouns
Verbs
Independent and Dependent Clauses
Active and Passive Voice
Appositives
Common Grammatical Errors
Run-on Sentences
Comma Splice
Agreement Errors
"That"-"Which" Confusion
"Who"-"Whom" Confusion
Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling Modifiers
Personification
Parallelism
Syntax
Spelling
Punctuation
Writing like a Pro
Diction
Be Precise
Use Strong Verbs
Problems to Avoid
Overuse of Adjectives and Adverbs
Clichés
Slang
Technical Language and Jargon
Euphemisms
Profanity
Stating the Obvious
First-Person References
Negative Constructions
Echo
Gush
Vague Time References
Use of the Present Tense
Avoid Excessive Punctuation
The Writing Coach: Become a Power Lifter When Picking Verbs
The Reporter's Guide to the Language of News
Review Exercises


Section II. The Law and Ethics of Journalism

Chapter 5. Libel, Privacy and Newsgathering Issues
Libel
The Elements of a Libel Suit
Who Is a Public Official? Who Is a Public Figure?
Major Defenses to Libel Suits
Steps for Avoiding Libel Suits
Privacy
Intrusion
Giving Publicity to Private Facts
False Light
Appropriation
Newsgathering Issues
Access to Nonjudicial Events and Records
Access to Judicial Proceedings
Confidentiality for Sources and Information
Review Exercises
Chapter 6 Ethics
Codes of Ethics
Ethical Decision Making
Who and How Many? (Two Questions)
What Is the Purpose of the Story? (Two Follow-Up Questions)
Can I Explain My Decision? (Six Questions)
The Potter Box
News Media Credibility Considerations
Ethics Issues Regarding Conduct
Plagiarizing and Fabricating Information: Never Acceptable
Finding Sources
Recording Interviews: Audio Recorders and Video Cameras
Eliminating Conflicts of Interest
Maintaining Objectivity
Interviewing Victims
Respecting Privacy of Sources
Avoiding Deceit: Posing and Misrepresentation
Witnessing Crimes and Disasters
Ethics Issues Regarding Content
Avoiding Speculation: Get the Facts and Provide Accurate Context
Using Visuals: Newsworthy or Sensational?
Altering Images
Deciding When to Name Names
Covering Killers
Reporting on Public Figures and Celebrities
Reporting Rumors and Speculation
Reporting on Terrorism
Publishing Ads
The Writing Coach: Journalists Should Understand: Victims Face Wall of Grief
Review Exercises


Section III. The Basic Skills of Journalism

Chapter 7. Basic News Leads
Prewriting
Identifying the Central Point
Story Outlines
Planning the Digital Story
The Summary News Lead
Sentence Structure in Leads
Guidelines for Writing Effective Leads
Be Concise
Be Specific
Use Strong, Active Verbs
Emphasize the Magnitude of the Story
Stress the Unusual
Localize and Update
Be Objective and Attribute Opinions
Strive for Simplicity
Some Common Errors
Beginning with the Attribution
Minimizing the News
Using Agenda Leads
Using Label Leads
Listing Details
Stating the Obvious
Reporting the Negative
Exaggerating
Distorting the Story
Following All the Rules
Forgetting Your Audience
Using the First Draft
The Writing Coach: Oh Where, Oh Where Does the Time Element Go?
The Reporter's Guide to Writing Leads
Review Exercises

Chapter 8. Alternative Leads
Criticisms
Types of Alternative Leads
"Buried" or "Delayed" Leads
Multiparagraph Leads
Quotation Leads
Question Leads
Suspenseful Leads
Descriptive Leads
Shockers: Leads with a Twist
Ironic Leads
Direct-Address Leads
Words Used in Unusual Ways
Other Unusual Leads
The Reporter's Guide to Writing Alternative Leads
Review Exercises
Chapter 9 The Body of a News Story
The Inverted-Pyramid Style
Organizing the Information
Writing the Second Paragraph
Ending the Story
Complex Stories
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
The Writing Coach: How to Find the Right Endings to Stories
The Reporter's Guide to Writing News Stories
Review Exercises
Chapter 10 Quotations and Attribution
Quotations
When to Use Direct Quotations
When to Use Indirect Quotations
When to Use Partial Quotations
When Sources Seek Quote Approval
Blending Quotations and Narrative
Explaining Quotations
To Change or Not to Change Quotations
Deleting Profanities
Editorialization
Attribution
The Purpose of Attribution
Statements That Require Attribution
Guidelines for the Placement and Frequency of Attribution
Direct Quotations
Partial Quotations
Indirect Quotations
Word Choice in Attributing Statements
Identifying Sources
The Writing Coach: Do You Use Said Enough?
The Reporter's Guide to Quotations and Attribution
Review Exercises

Chapter 11. Interviewing
Preparing for the Interview
Selecting Interview Sources
How Many Sources Are Enough?
Researching Sources and Topics
Preparing Questions for the Interview
Conducting the Interview
Selecting a Location
Organizing the Questions
Dealing with Reluctant Sources and Asking Tough Questions
Special Situations
Taking Notes
Recording Interviews
Final Thoughts
Writing the Interview Story
Guest Columnist: Interviewing Three People about a Deadly Accident
The Reporter's Guide to Interviewing
Review Exercises
Chapter 12 Feature Stories
Finding Story Ideas and Gathering Information
Parts of Feature Stories
The Lead of a Feature Story
The Body of a Feature Story
The Ending of a Feature Story
Types of Feature Stories
Profiles or Personality Features
Historical Features
Adventure Features
Seasonal Features
Explanatory Features
How-To-Do-It Features
Occupation or Hobby Features
Behind-the-Scenes Features
Participatory Features
Other Types of Feature Stories
The Reporter's Guide to Features
Review Exercises

Chapter 13. Writing for Broadcast News
The Broadcast News Story
Leads
The Hard Lead
The Soft Lead
The Throwaway Lead
The Umbrella Lead
The Body of a Story
Updating Broadcast News Stories
Guidelines for Copy Preparation
Formatting Copy
Editing Copy
Timing Copy
Reviewing Copy
Story Length
Story Script
Using Audio
Using Video
Sources for Broadcast News
News Services
Newspapers, Online News and Broadcast News Sources
Public Relations News Releases
People
Broadcast Interviews
Writing the Broadcast Story
Writing for the Audience
Writing for Your Announcer
Being a Broadcast Journalist
The Reporter's Guide to Broadcast News Writing Style
Review Exercises
Chapter 14 Visual Journalism
The Roots of Visual Journalism
Visual Journalism Today
Ethics of Visual Journalism
The Digital News Package
Capturing Photographs
Capturing Video
Creating Good Video
Capturing Audio
Required Technology
Digital Video Recorder
Digital Camera
Digital Audio Recorder
The Reporter's Guide to Visual Journalism
Review Exercises


Section IV. Applying the Skills of Journalism

Chapter 15. Speeches and Meetings
Advance Stories
Covering the Speech of Meeting
Follow Stories
Organizing Speech or Meeting Stories
Writing Effective Leads
Writing Transitions
Remember Your Audience
Check Facts
Adding Color
Report What You Hear
Describe What You See
The Writing Coach: The Expectations of Public Officials towardJournalists
The Reporter's Guide to Reporting Speeches and Meetings
Review Exercises
Chapter 16 Brights, Follow-Ups, Roundups, Sidebars and Obituaries
Brights
Follow-Ups
Roundups
Sidebars
Obituaries
Writing the Biographical Obituary
Writing the Feature Obituary
The Reporter's Guide to Writing Brights, Follow-Ups, Roundups, Sidebars and Obituaries
Review Exercises

Chapter 17. Public Affairs Reporting
Crime and Accidents
Police Sources
Key Police Documents
Respecting Victims
Writing the Crime or Accident Story
Words and Phrases to Avoid
Local Government
City and County Governments
School Districts
Courts
General Information about the Court System
Criminal Cases
Civil Cases
Guest Columnist: Developing Sources on the Police Beat
Guest Columnist: Journalists Deliver the Information the Public Needs
The Reporter's Guide to Public Affairs Reporting
Review Exercises

Chapter 18. Introduction to Investigative Reporting
What Is Investigative Reporting?
Whom and What to Investigate
Developing an Investigative Story
The Story Idea
Resources
Planning the Story
Gathering Documents
Developing Sources
The Investigative Interview
Writing the Investigative Story
Using Technology in Investigative Reporting
Using Computers to Get Answers
Using Social Media
Using Statistics
Ethical Issues in Investigative Reporting
Guest Columnist: Developing Investigative Story Ideas
The Reporter's Guide to Investigative Reporting
Review Exercises

Chapter 19. Journalism and Public Relations
What Is PR?
PR Agencies
Corporate, Nonprofit and Government PR
Working with News Media
Advance Stories
Event Stories
Features
Discoveries and Results
Tips for Effective News Releases
List a Contact Person and a Follow-Up
Send the Release on Time
Use Journalism's Five W's
Write Well
Localize Information
Provide Visuals
Provide Links
From the Journalist's Perspective: Working with Press Releases
The No. 1 Problem: Lack of Newsworthiness
Limited Interest
Contrived Events
Rewriting for Newsworthiness
Rewriting for Wordiness
The No. 2 Problem: Lack of Objectivity
Advertisements
Eliminating Laudatory Adjectives and Puffery
Telling the Public What to Do
Other Problems with News Releases
Stating the Obvious
Absence of Solid Facts
One-Sided Stories
The Reporter's Guide to Public Relations
Review Exercises

Appendix A. City Directory
Appendix B. Summary of AP Style
Appendix C. Rules for Forming Possessives
Appendix D. Answer Key
Credit Lines
Index