News Writing
This
series teaches writing, reporting, editing, and communication information
in the public interest. Over 100 top journalists working in geographically
dispersed newsrooms of all sizes reveal the secrets of their trade.
Coverage of policy issues sheds light on journalism history, law
and ethics. A natural choice for students pursuing journalism or
communications, News Writing is also an excellent resource for improving
writing skills in general, for producing a school paper, and for
working journalists looking for useful and current continuing education.
It features interviews with renowned journalists, including Charles
Kuralt, Andy Rooney, and Linda Ellerbee.
Episode
Descriptions
1
What Is News? — Examines how journalists determine what
the public needs and wants to know. Reporters and editors from diverse
news organizations discuss editorial decision making and define
news as it relates to journalism ethics and the news-writing process.
2 Hard News Leads — This episode shows the power
and process of the summary lead in newspaper, broadcast, and PR
writing. A broad spectrum of writers, including White House correspondent
Helen Thomas and Chicago Defender editor Michael Brown, discuss
and demonstrate this basic journalism tool.
3 News Writing Language and Style — This episode
explores the specifics of print journalism style--from the AP to
Rolling Stone magazine--focusing on accuracy and detail. Enlivened
by humor as Dave Barry and other writers confess their language
sins and steer tomorrow's journalists toward production of professional
and pristine prose.
4 Development and Organization of a Story — This
program deals with use of the inverted pyramid as well as hourglass
and circle story shapes. Top journalists such as Bob Woodward, along
with Roy Peter Clark (The Poynter Institute), discuss and demonstrate
focus sentences, transitions, and nut graphs as story-development
techniques.
5 Dealing with Sources — This episodes illustrates
how to interview sources and work quotes into a news story. Larry
King (CNN), Deborah Wilgoren (The Washington Post), and others demonstrate
the interviewing process, touching on the use of paraphrase vs.
direct quotes, the mechanics of attribution, the ground rules for
using "off the record" comments, and other issues.
6 Good Writing vs. Good Reporting — This episode
considers the possibilities of conflict or compatibility between
these two elements. Top reporters discuss essential issues such
as accuracy, objectivity, fairness, and credibility along with the
elements of writing that make a news story exciting, fun, and compelling
to read.
7 Beat Reporting — This program covers the wide
variety of journalism career opportunities, with glimpses into the
working conditions and daily experiences on crime, sports, business,
government, and environmental beats as well as for general assignment
and wire service reporters.
8 Broadcast News Writing — This episode compares
the similarities and differences of broadcast and print journalism,
with insightful comments from a host of radio and TV journalists—among
them Sam Donaldson (ABC), Charles Kuralt (CBS), and Kurt Loder (MTV)—and
follows a young reporter as he assembles a daily news package.
9 Public Relations Writing — The interaction of
journalists and PR people is demonstrated in this episode. Professionals
from Capitol Records and the Golden State Warriors discuss the similarities
of writing press releases and hard news stories, while sympathetic
and unsympathetic journalists, including Andy Rooney (CBS) and Susan
Antilla (the New York Times), comment on the role of PR in the news.
10 Beyond the Summary Lead — This program encourages
novice writers to explore other creative introductory styles, including
anecdotal, quote, question, narrative, and direct address leads.
Journalists Gene Policinski (USA Today), David Waldholz (The Wall
Street Journal), and others give tips on ways to avoid boring leads
and grab readers in the first paragraph.
11 Feature Writing Styles — This episode explores
the difference between feature news, soft features, and advocacy
journalism, as Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kundsen (Sacramento Bee),
Joel Achenbach (The Washington Post), and others discuss their craft.
Concepts such as trend stories, personality profiles, background
stories, and human-interest stories are also introduced and illustrated
by working reporters.
12 Column Writing & Editorial Writing — This
program reveals the relationships among hard news writing, opinion
writing, journalistic critique, and column writing, illustrating
how "objective" front-page news can coexist with coverage
in other sections. Dave Barry and Andy Rooney examine humor in column
writing, Siskel and Ebert discuss criticism, and Pulitzer Prize-winning
editorial writers dissect the elements of good opinion writing.
13 Covering Disasters — This section demonstrates
use of journalism’s basic principles in crisis situations and
under deadline pressure. Journalists who have covered earthquakes,
chemical spills, severe weather, and plane crashes discuss the difference
between theory and practice during community emergencies.
14 The Ethics of Journalism — This episode introduces
a reporter's on-the-job ethical challenges. Journalists from a variety
of beats discuss issues such as conflict of interest, honesty, thoroughness,
objectivity, privacy, and balance, and one reporter demonstrates
real-life ethical decision making as she covers a controversial
local story.
15 Media Law — This program focuses on reporters'
rights and defenses for potential libel or invasion of privacy lawsuits
as well as concepts like open meeting, shield, and freedom of information
laws. In addition, Mark Goodman, attorney for the Student Press
Law Center, and author John Zelezny discuss legal issues that may
confront students working for a school newspaper or other publication.
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