The face of journalism has changed. The evening news is rife with personality, commentary, and political polarization. Blogs are doubling as news sites, and anybody with a cell phone thinks he's a journalist. Citizens say they can no longer tell fake news from real news, fact from opinion. As a result, trust in the media has plummeted at a time when the world needs more and better information than ever before. In The Journalist's Primer: A No-Nonsense Guide to Getting and Reporting the News, Mark Hanebutt gets back to basics. He explains why we have a free press and what it has to do with a free nation. Then he notes simply and clearly what news is, how ot get it, write it up and deliver it factually and accurately. As such, the text is a concise guide and desk reference for students of mass communication who wish to master the essentials of news reporting.
AcknowledgmentsIntroduction Chapter 1 Theory of the Press in a Democratic Society Humans and the Quest for TruthJohn Milton and a New Look at TruthThe Enlightenment—Founding Principle of a New Kind of CountryThe Press—Linchpin of DemocracyExercising the TruthChapter 2 Ethics The Importance of CredibilityThe Deteriorating Reputation of the PressFrom the Age of Reason to the Age of AestheticsChanges in the LawA Flawed Philosophy and the Social Responsibility TheoryBuilding Trust by Making Ethical DecisionsEthical ModelsEthical CodesEthical Problems of the PressFake NewsMass Media EffectsChapter 3 What Is News? Elements of NewsNeed to Know vs. Want to KnowTypes of StoriesChoosing the News—The Budget MeetingChapter 4 Who Is a Reporter? Characteristics and Skills of a JournalistEducational Needs for the New CenturyPreparing to Work in New MediaThe Rise of Citizen JournalismChapter 5 Newsgathering BeatsPoliceCity, County, State and Federal GovernmentsSchoolsCourtsBusinessSportsGeneral AssignmentSourcesThe Morgue and Online SearchesNews ReleasesChapter 6 Interviewing TechniquesDefining the StoryChapter 7 Writing the News for Print PrewritingThe Inverted PyramidLeadsThe BodyEndingsStructures for Different StoriesEffective WritingChapter 8 Writing the News for Broadcast Telling Stories with Words, Sounds, and PicturesRadioTelevisionStorytelling TipsChapter 9 Writing the News for the Web Converging MediaNew ChallengesOnline StructurePlanning the Digital StoryThe Quest for ContextChapter 10 Photographing the News The PhotojournalistBasic Photocomposition RulesPhoto EditingCutlines and CaptionsPicture StoriesAudio Slideshows and VideoPhoto EthicsChapter 11 Feature Writing PurposeFirst Step—The IdeaSecond Step—Reporting, ResearchThird Step—OrganizationFourth Step—WritingFifth Step—Revising, EditingCase StudyChapter 12 Writing the Depth/Investigative Story Making a DifferenceDifferences and Similarities Between Depth and Investigative StoriesResearching the Depth and Investigative Story SourcesWriting the Depth and Investigative StoryChapter 13 Writing Editorials, Columns, and Reviews The Purpose of Opinion WritingWriting the EditorialWriting the ColumnRenowned Journalist Ernie Pyle Still Offers Lessons for ReportersWriting the ReviewPatrons Should Pass on 'Patsy Pastry'Chapter 14 Editing PurposeProcedureMedia OrganizationsChapter 15 Media Law The First Amendment and Free ExpressionThe Boundaries of Free ExpressionLibelDefenses to LibelInvasion of PrivacyOpen Records and MeetingsProtection of SourcesFree Press, Fair TrialObscenityCopyright and Fair UseTelecommunicationsAppendix: Code of Ethics Copyediting SymbolsAccident ReportJail BlotterFreedom of Information LetterLegislative BillBibliographyAbout the AuthorIndex