Books on Reporting at the University of Illinois
You can find books by searching our Library Catalog using subject terms like:
- Investigative reporting
- Reporters and reporting
- Journalism--authoring
- Journalism--editing
- Mass media--authorship
Here are some suggested books to get you started.
Online Newsgathering: Research and Reporting for Journalism by
Journalists used to rely on their notepad and pen. Today, professional journalists rely on the computer-and not just for the writing. Much, if not all, of a journalist's research happens on a computer. If you are journalist of any kind, you need to know how to find the information you need online. This book will show you how to find declassified governmental files, statistics of all kinds, simple and complex search engines for small and large data gathering, and directories of subject experts. This book is for the many journalists around the world who didn't attend a formal journalism school before going to work, those journalists who were educated before online research became mainstream, and for any student studying journalism today. It will teach you how to use the Internet wisely, efficiently and comprehensively so that you will always have your facts straight and fast. Online Newsgathering: . reflects the most current thinking . is pertinent to both industry and education . focuses on what people need to know Please visit the authors' companion website at www.journalismaustralia.com for additional resources.
Call Number: Available OnlineISBN: 9780240808512Publication Date: 2012
Watchdog Journalism: The Art of Investigative Reporting by
Watchdog Journalism: The Art of Investigative Reporting takes readers into the world of Pulitzer Prize reporting. Drawing from intriguing interviews and archival research, author Stephen J. Berry reveals the drama of the job and the passion of its practitioners as he narrates the back stories of six investigative projects that earned the craft's most coveted honor. Rather than focusing solely on huge assignments that are out of reach for everyday journalists, the book explores stories that could emerge on the beat in "Anywhere, USA." Each chapter provides a fascinating case study that covers interviewing, working sources, ferreting out records, and dealing with partners and editors. This case-study approach details the genesis, development, and outcome of these stories, offering students a chance to see how journalists view their roles as public watchdogs and as professionals competing in an increasingly profit-centered environment. The text also discusses how crucial it is for journalists to follow a model of performance and ethical reporting standards in order to advance the role of journalism in our society. Providing a mix of suspense, fun, and serious discourse, Watchdog Journalism is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in investigative reporting. It is also a great resource for general readers, educators, and journalists curious about Pulitzer-quality reporting.
Call Number: Communications Library Stacks PN4781 .B395 2009ISBN: 9780195374025Publication Date: 2008-08-12
Sports Journalism: An Introduction to Reporting and Writing by
Sports Journalism introduces students to sports reporting careers and to the writing style sports writers and media relations professionals use. The book stresses the importance of basic writing fundamentals and high ethical standards, essential values for sports journalists. Introductory chapters acquaint readers with issues and challenges in an industry in transition: changing technology, multimedia capability, citizen journalists and bloggers, shrinking news holes, and the deadline-dictated lifestyle of sports journalists. Skills chapters elaborate on news values and the conventions of journalism as they apply to sports writing. From leads to nut grafs, inverted pyramid to Model T, simple sentences to headlines, interviewing to using quotations, Sports Journalism focuses on the basics. The book expands the writer's experience into building relationships with sources and media contacts, using numbers and statistics, practicing AP style, and abiding by legal and ethical standards. An easily accessible format uses checklists, illustrations, and anecdotes to show story organization, news release format, news conference protocol, and media guide content. Chapters include suggested exercises and activities.
Call Number: Communications Library Stacks PN4784.S6 S88 2010 (Temporary Online Access HathiTrust)ISBN: 9780742561731Publication Date: 2009-10-15
Investigative Journalism: Proven Strategies for Reporting the Story by
Investigative Journalism is a "how-to" primer for beginning investigative journalists. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter William C. Gaines uses a unique case-study method to teach readers what investigative reporting is, why it is important, and how it is practiced. The case studies are punctuated by reflective questions and answers that systematically guide readers through the narrative. This clever pedagogical device mimics the path of a reporter gathering information and working on a story. Readers will get a first-hand, real-life look at investigative journalists doing their job. Recognizing that most instructors involve their students in writing actual stories right away, Investigative Journalism is concise and practical. Gaines reveals many strategies to generate story ideas, choose subjects to investigate, and uncover and sift through information and data. Along with the case study exercises, Investigative Journalism is loaded with specific resources used by practicing reporters, plus chapter-specific assignments for student reporters to launch their own investigations. Each chapter concludes with a chapter summary and class assignments. The cases are based on real investigative stories. Only the names and places have been changed to protect reporters, their sources, and the secrets they have revealed to the author. Students will find these how-to cases widely applicable to the entangled bureaucracies, the free-wheeling local governments, or potential medical insurance fraud scandals they may find in their first jobs in countless cities and towns across the country.
Call Number: Communications Library Stacks PN4781 .G274 2008 (Temporary Online Access HathiTrust)ISBN: 9780872894143Publication Date: 2007-06-12
Convergence Journalism by
Book Companion Site For at least a decade, media prognosticators have been declaring the death of radio, daily newspapers, journalistic ethics, and even journalism itself. But in Convergence Journalism_an introductory text on how to think, report, write, and present news across platforms_Janet Kolodzy predicts that the new century will be an era of change and choice in journalism. Journalism of the future will involve all sorts of media: old and new, niche and mass, personal and global. This text will prepare journalism students for the future of news reporting.
Call Number: Main Stacks 070.4 K834cISBN: 9780742538863Publication Date: 2006-05-05
Books on News Writing and Media Writing at the University of Illinois
Reaching Audiences: A Guide to Media Writing by
Reaching Audiences: A Guide to Media Writing is the essential writing handbook for any student who want a brief yet thorough guide to correct, clear writing for the media. This text stresses the importance of clear, concise, accurate writing in a media world that is increasingly online. The book sets up the writing process and the essential art of editing while reinforcing the importance of the audience in considering the structure of media messages. Illustrative and specific real life examples provide guidance for students in improving their writing. Specific skills related to spelling, grammar, accuracy, word usage, bias, research, interviewing, and other important topics are covered. By recognizing today's ever-changing media environment, this text is grounded in the basics of good writing essential to communicators in print, online, broadcast, and strategic communication.
Call Number: Communications Library Stacks 808.066302 Y81r2010ISBN: 9780205693108Publication Date: 2009-03-24
Writing for Visual Media by
Writing for Visual Medialooks at the fundamental problems a writer faces in learning to create content for media that is to be seen rather than read. It takes you from basic concepts to practice through a seven-step method that helps you identify a communications problem, think it through, and find a resolution before beginning to write. Through successive exercises, Writing for Visual Mediahelps you acquire the basic skills and confidence you need to write effective films, corporate and training videos, documentaries, web sites, PSAs, TV shows, nonlinear media, and other types of visual narratives. You'll explore your visual imagination and try out your powers of invention. The companion web site enriches the content of the printed book with video, audio, and sample scripts. It includes scripts and the video produced from them; visual demonstrations of concepts; and an interactive, illustrated glossary of terms and concepts. Please visit www.focalpress.com/cw/friedmann-9780240812359 click on the Interactive Content tab, and follow the registration instructions.
Call Number: Available OnlineISBN: 9780080961880Publication Date: 2012-11-12
Working the Story: A Guide to Reporting and News Writing for Journalists and Public Relations Professionals by
Working the Story: A Guide to Reporting and News Writing for Journalists and Public Relations Professionals is far more than a textbook for students and newcomers to news reporting and public relations. It is an invaluable reference guide for professionals in both fields. Best of all, it follows its own teachings: it is concise and to the point, easy to read, and clearly understandable. Unlike other works in the field, it does more than just offer advice to writers on how to write. It provides the background every reporter and public relations professional needs to do the job, from how governmental bodies work to how to cover a board meeting. Douglas Perret Starr and Deborah Williams Dunsford not only explain what to look for and how to write a news article but also offer advice on how news stories should be written for greatest impact or how to generate copy for different media types, from the printed page to the computer screen to the radio and television broadcast. Drawing on a lifetime of study and practice, Starr and Dunsford cover a vast array of topics: techniques for interviewing, covering, and writing hard news stories, features, columns, and arts reviews; what public relations is, what it is not, and how it interrelates to newswriting; and speech ghostwriting and preparing corporate spokespersons for crises, briefings, and hostile interviews. Working the Story also includes eminently practical appendices on everything from keyboard shortcuts to common word definitions and usages in news reporting, from freelancing to applying for a job. Intended for beginners and seasoned professionals alike, Working the Story should sit near the keyboard of every student, every reporter, and every public relations officer and publicist.
Call Number: Communications Library Stacks PN4775 .S685 2014ISBN: 9780810889101Publication Date: 2014-01-14
Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producing by
Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producingpresents a solid foundation for any student learning how to become a broadcast journalist in today's world of convergent journalism. The broadcast industry continues to morph as newer and more advanced content platforms are hatched and developed, and broadcast journalists must understand how to writer, report, and produce for multiple platforms simultaneously. Broadcast News Writing, Reporting, and Producingis completely overhauled to reflect the trends of convergent journalism on every page. New co-author Frank Barnas brings a multi-faceted perspective of writing, reporting, and producing that allows for multi-platform delivery systems, and shows students with real-world examples the functions and practices of today's media. The new edition has been rewritten and restructured to accommodate common 16-week course modules, and is now divided into four major sections of the news: gathering, writing, reporting, and producing. The comprehensive approach of this text brings a multi-tiered perspective of writing, reporting, and producing that is needed more than ever in today's world of convergent journalism. New photos and illustrations, a restructuring of the text, expanded end-of-chapter exercises, newer and more relevant examples, and more information on producing all contribute to giving readers what they need most: a nuanced understanding of how the media of today function in a world without news boundaries.
Call Number: Available OnlineISBN: 9780240811833Publication Date: 2017
Melvin Mencher's News Reporting and Writing by
More than a quarter of a million students have learned the craft and ethics of journalism from Melvin Mencher's News Reporting and Writing. This classic text shows students the fundamentals of reporting and writing and examines the values that direct and underlie the practice of journalism. The changing nature of electronic media today may make this a scary time for journalism students, but it also presents an opportunity for young journalists to shape the direction of new media.
Call Number: Communications Library Stacks PN4781 .M4 2011ISBN: 9780073511993Publication Date: 2010-02-17
Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing by
Journalists in today's media environment require a skill set that can be adapted to a variety of media. Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing: Foundational Skills for a Digital Age teaches students the foundational skills they need to successfully report and write the news in an evolving digital landscape. Author Vince F. Filak offers guidance on the essential skills of the industry while weaving in the "how-to's" of writing digital news. Recognizing that well-crafted stories are founded on sharp prose, this new text covers the foundational elements of newswriting, such as lead writing, structure, and storytelling while also teaching students how to think critically and determine what matters most to their readers. Key Features: An audience-centric approach encourages students to understand why and how news is relevant to the lives of their readers before they even start digging into their stories. "Write Now! Exercises" provide students with an opportunity to immediately practice the core set of skills they have just learned and apply these skills to various platforms. "Consider This" debates spark classroom discussions by encouraging students to take a closer look at a current issue or ideological dilemma and make a valid case for their position. "Thoughts from a Pro" offer students an up-close look at a specific aspect of reporting and writing from a professional who is plying their trade each day.
Call Number: Communications Library Stacks PN4775 .F45 2019ISBN: 9781506344744Publication Date: 2018-01-16
