Reporting and writing basics for the 21st century / Christopher Scanlan

Chapter 1: News Thinking in
What's the News? 1
What Is News? 3
A Changing World 1
Developing Critical Thinking Skills 5
A Life in Journalism: Rhea Borja, Richmond Times-Dispatch 6
Three Basic Elements of News 6
First, the Bad News 10
Developing Your News Senses 11
Where News Comes From 12
How to Find News 14
Knowing Your Audience 17
How Audience Affects Content 18
Seeing News as Culture 19
News in the Information Age 19
News Thinking: The Coaching Way 21
Glossary of Important Terms 22
Exercises 22
Readings 23
Hotlist 23
Chapter 2: The Reporter's Toolbox 26
Introduction 26
Part 1: Reporting and Writing Tools 27
Competence in the Newsroom: Visual Literacy 38
Working With Photos and Photojournalists 40
Part 2: Reporting and Research Tools for Today's Wired Journalist 41
A Reporter's Best Friend: A Librarian 46
Part 3: The Reporter's Mind-Set 47
An Accuracy Checklist 49
Sacred Texts: What Prize-Winning Journalists Read for Inspiration 51
Tool Sharpening: The Coaching Way 53
Glossary of Important Terms 54
Exercises 54
Readings 55
Hotlist 56
Chapter 3: A Process Approach
TO Reporting and Writing BB
A Life in Journalism 58
Reporters at Work: The Process Approach 59
News Thinking I: Getting Ideas 60
Idea Generators: Creativity Skills for Today's Journalists 62
Brainstorming the School Budget Story 63
Collect: Reporting the Story 66
Reporting by E-Mail 70
Story Example 71
Developing a Reporting Plan 73
News Thinking II—Focus: Thinking of Stories 74
Story Example 78
Checklist: Finding a Focus 86
Focusing Your Story 87
Student Example 88
Order: Mapping Your Story 88
Checklist: Mapping Your Story 89
Student Example 89
Draft: Writing the Story 90
Checklist: Discover by Drafting 95
A Word About Voice 95
Revise: Rewriting the Story 96
Student Example: Revising the Story 97
Guidelines for Revision 102
Student Example 105
Writers at Work: The Coaching Way
Glossary of Important Terms 112
Exercises 112
Readings 112
Hotlist 113
C HAPTER
Introduction 115
4: Finding and Writing a Lead 1 1 5
Mastering the Five W's, an H and SW
Breaking Down the Lead 117
The Two Types of Leads: "Tell Me the News," "Tell Me a Story" 121
The Lexicon of Leads 122
"Tell Me the News" Leads: Summary and Analysis Leads 126
"Tell Me a Story" Leads: Anecdotal, Significant Detail, Round-Up
and Emblem Leads 128
Story Example: An Anecdotal Approach 129
How I Wrote the Story 130
Exploding the Myths of Lead Writing 133
Discovering the Point: How to Write a Lead 135
Finding the Tension 136
Choosing the Right Lead 138
Avoiding Cliches of Lead Writing 139
Revising Your Lead 142
Testing the Anecdotal Lead 142
Tips for Revising Leads 143
Writing Workshop 145
Notes from the Scene: From a Reporter's Notebook 145
Lead Writing: The Coaching Way 149
Glossary of Important Terms 150
Exercises 150
Readings 151
Hotlist 151
Introduction 152
Story Forms 152
Chapter 5: Story Forms:
Shaping the News 1 52
Inverted Pyramid Example 155
Hourglass Example 158
Student Example 162
Nut Graf Example 163
The Narrative: The Way We Tell Stories 171
Narrative Example 172
How I Wrote the Story 179
Five Boxes Story 183
The Serial Narrative: "To Be Continued ..." 190
A Serial Narrative Glossary 193
Conclusion
Birth of the Inverted Pyramid: A Child of Technology, Commerce
and History 195
Shaping the News: The Coaching Way 198
Glossary of Important Terms 199
Exercises 199
Readings 200
Hotlist 200
Chapter 6: Learning to Listen:
Building Interviewing Skills 2C2
Introduction 202
Interviewers at Work: The Process of Interviewing 203
Deadline Reporting: How Telephone Interviews Become Stories 205
Red Light, Green Light: Asking Questions That Start
and Stop Conversation 210
The Craft of Interviewing: Learning to Listen 212
Advice for Interviewers 214
Getting It Down, Getting It Right: The Importance of Note-Taking 215
To Tape or Not to Tape 217
How People Talk: Getting Quotes, Using Them Effectively 219
Using Quotes: Do's and Don'ts 223
Keeping Confidences: On or Off the Record 225
Interview Ground Rules 226
Tips for E-Mail Interviews 228 |
Interviewing: The Coaching Way 228 ;
Glossary of Importzint Terms 229
Exercises 229
Readings 230
Hotlist 231
Chapter 7: Making CONNECTiaNs:
Introduction 233
Diversity and the News 233
Minorities in the Newsroom and the News 234
Tips for Better News Coverage of Minorities 237
Stereotypes and Other Cliches of Vision 238
The Case for Cultural Competence in Journalism 241
Reporter's Toolbox: The Five W's of Diversity 242
Reporter's Toolbox: Talking Across Difference 245
Reporter's Toolbox: Guidelines for Racial Identifiers in
News Stories 245
Reporter's Toolbox: Resources and Strategies for Connecting With Diverse
Commimities 246
Reporting and Writing About Difference: Story Examples 247
Student Example 1 247
Student Example 2 249
Professional Example 251
Making Connections: The Coaching Way 256
Glossary of Important Terms 257
Exercises 257
Readings 257
Hotlist 258
Chapter S: Reportinb and
Writinb Broadcast News 2B2
Introduction 262
Working Fast 263
A Life in Journalism: Tiffany Murri, KIVI-TV 264
Broadcast Style 266
Newspaper Version 267
Television Version 268
How I Wrote the Story 274
Teases and Tags: Starting Off, Ending Right 275
Advice From a Television Newsroom 275
Broadcast Interview Tips 278
Writing for Broadcast 279
From Print to TV: Making the Shift 282
On-Camera Preparation/Performance Tips 284
Broadcast Quality: The Coaching Way 285
Glossary of Important Terms 286
Exercises 286
Readings 287
Hotlist 287
Chapter B: Writing Dnline News 291
Introduction 291
Storytelling and News in the Electronic Age 292
A Life in Journalism: Jonathan Dube, Charlotte Observer 294
How I Wrote the Story 298
As We May Write: Hypertext and the Future of Writing 300
Tips From an Online Newsroom: Q&A With Michael Rogers,
Editor and General Manager, Newsweek.com 304
Roads to "Way New Journalism" 306
Writing the Online Story: A Process Approach 306
Think Links 308
Tips From an Online Newsroom: Q&A With Glenn McLaren,
Assistant Editor, Internet Edition, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel 311
Multimedia: Reporting Live on Your Computer 314
New Forms for a Digital Age 316
Tips From an Online Newsroom: Q&A With David Ho,
The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition 320
Electronic Ethics: Brave New World 322
A Final Word 323
Online Writing: The Coaching Way 323
Glossary of Important Terms 324
Exercises 324
Readings 325
Hotlist 326
Chapter ID: First Assignments 323
Introduction 328
Hps for Success for Beginning Journalists 328
First Assignment: Writing About Accidents 330
First Assignment: Writing About Fires 332
First Assignment: Writing About Festivals, Fairs, Parades and More 337
Story Ideas for Fairs, Festivals, Parades and More 338
First Assignment: Writing About Meetings and Hearings 340
A life in Journalism: Heather Svokos, Lexington Herald Leader 345
First Assignment: Writing About Speeches 350
Writing the Speech Story 353
First Assignment: Writing Obituaries 355
A Life in Journalism: Greg Toppo, The Associated Press 358
How 1 Wrote the Story 362
First Assignment: Writing About News Releases 363
Writing Workshop: Writing a Police Brief 367
First Assignments: The Coaching Way 367
Glossary of Important Terms 368
Exercises 368
Readings 369
Hotlist 370
Chapter 1 1 : Doing the Right Thing:
Libel, Privacy and Ethics 372
Introduction 373
Libel 373
A Life in Journalism: Frank Greve, Knight Ridder Newspapers 378
Privacy 381
A New Trend: Reportorial Conduct 382
Taping Phone Calls 385
Copyright and the Journalist 388
Ethical Decision Making 390
Doing Ethics: Ask Good Questions to Make Good Ethical Decisions 391
Guiding Principles for the Journalist 392
Coriflict of Interest 393
Ethics in American Newsrooms: A Brief History by Robert Haiman 393
Fabrication: The Legend on the License 396
The Ethics of Reconstruction 399
Where Credit Is Due: Avoiding Plagiarism 400
Doing the Right Thing: The Coaching Way 402
Glossary of Important Terms 404
Exercises 404
Readings 405
Hotlist 406
Chapter 12: Storytelling on Deadline -^DS
A Life in Journalism 408
The Clock Is Ticking 410
What's a Story? 413
The Process of Storytelling on Deadline 419
Enterprise: A Broadcast Storyteller's View: John Larson,
NBC's "Dateline" 420
Finding Stories in the News 422
Reporting for Story 423
Reporting Techniques 425
Focusing in the Field 427
Planning on the Fly 429
Drafting on Deadline 430
Rewriting for Readers and Viewers 431
Story Example 432
How I Wrote the Story 434
A Conversation With Mark Fritz of The Associated Press 436
The Clock Ticks: How a Deadline Storyteller Works 437
How I Wrote the Story 439
Storytelling on Deadline: A Writing Workshop 446
Deadline Storytelling: The Coaching Way 450
Glossary of Important Terms 451
Readings 451
Hotlist 452
Chapter 1 3: Dn the Beat 454
Ingredients of Successful Beat Reporting 454
Getting—and Staying—Organized 458
The New Beats 459
First Beat: Covering a Community 461
Story Example 1 463
Story Example 2 465
Covering a New Frontier: The Suburbs 468
Beginner's Beats: Covering Government 475
Beginner's Beats: Covering Council Meetings 475
Student Example 476
Beginner's Beats: Covering Cops 480
A Life in Journalism: Karin Fischer, Charleston Daily Mail 480
Tips for Covering Cops 483
Essential Terms for Police Reporters 485
Covering Cops: From News Release to Brief to Story 486
Beginner's Beats: Covering Courts 490
Glossary: Essential Terms for the Court Reporter 495
Beginner's Beats: Covering Education 498
A Life in Journalism: Holly Kurtz, Orlando Sentinel 500
Beginner's Beats: Covering Sports 502
Story Example 503
How I Wrote the Story 505
Working a Beat: The Coaching Way 507
Exercises 508
Readings 508
Hotlist 510
Chapter 14: Numbers and the
Introduction 513
Beg(nning Journalist 513
Why Math Matters 514
Numbers in the News: A Random Sample 516
The Basic Math Skills You'll Need 517
Rates and Percents 520
Math Workshop: Percentages 521
Changing Decimals to Percents and Vice Versa 521
Percent Of 521
Rates 525
Per-Capita Rate 526
A Life in Journalism: Making News Sense of Numbers 526
Reporting on Budgets 528
Advanced Math Skills 531
Vital Statistics: Birth, Death, Health, Disease 532
Polls and Surveys: Numbers That Tell Us What We Think 534
Writing With Numbers 535
Tips From the Experts 536
Reporter's Toolbox; Calculators 537
Getting Smarter 538
Making Sense of Numbers: The Coaching Way 538
Glossary of Important Terms 539
Exercises 540
Readings 540
Hot list 541-
Chapter IS: Getting—and Keeping a Job 543
Introduction 543
Job Hunting: Step by Step 544
Frequently Asked Questions About Job Interviews 552
Job Prospects, Salaries and Benefits: What You Can Expect 554
Jim Naughton's Rules for Job Hunting 555
Start at a Small Paper 556
Keeping a Job 558
A Life in Journalism: Lessons to a New Reporter
(From an Almost New One) 558
Top 10 Ways to Survive Your First Year in Journalism
(And Every Year After) 563
Getting—and Keeping—a Job: The Coaching Way 568