Each chapter begins with "SIDEBAR: Key Concepts and Terms," and concludes with "Questions for Discussion," "Related Websites," and "Reading and Reference."
Preface. I. WHAT.
1. News and Society. News Values.
Why News Matters.
SIDEBAR: Everybody Talks About the Weather.
News and the Social Order.
SIDEBAR: Theodore Roosevelt and the Bully Pulpit.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Journalist's Dilemma.
Pressures on Journalists.
SIDEBAR: A Passport, a Keyboard and a Paycheck.
The Job of the Journalist.
2. Culture of Journalism. The World of the Journalist.
Character and Characteristics.
Skepticism and Cynicism.
Working Within the News Organization.
Dealing with Sources.
Objectivity and Fairness.
SIDEBAR: Liberal or Conservative Media? (Part 1).
Unacceptable Practices.
SIDEBAR: Liberal or Conservative Media? (Part 2).
News Organizations in the Larger Culture of Journalism.
SIDEBAR: Civic Journalism.
A Dynamic Culture.
3. Becoming a Journalist. Prepare.
Learn About the Field.
Getting Trained.
SIDEBAR: Getting Help.
Go to Work.
SIDEBAR: Joining Up.
Get Started.
II. WHERE.
4. Newspapers. Initiators of Journalism.
Organizational Structure: the Business Side.
Organization Structure: the Editorial Side.
SIDEBAR: The Black Press: An Alternative Voice in American Journalism.
The Editorial Page.
Newspapers Today.
SIDEBAR: Small Newspaper, Big-time Journalism.
Major Players in the Newspaper Industry.
The Future of Newspapers.
5. Magazines. SIDEBAR: On the Cover of Rolling Stone.
Why Magazine Journalism?
Structure of the Magazine Industry.
SIDEBAR: Slate.com: Overcoming the E-zine Doubters.
Creating a Magazine.
Staff Structure and Employment.
SIDEBAR: A Month in the Life of the Art Director.
Magazine Journalism.
Freelance Writing.
The Future of Magazines.
6. Television and Radio. Impact and Immediacy.
Radio: News at a Different Level.
Local Television.
SIDEBAR: Public Broadcasting.
Television News.
SIDEBAR: The JFK Assassination: Television's First Big Story.
Regulation of Broadcasting.
The Future of Broadcasting.
7. News Web Sites. The Difference of the Web.
SIDEBAR: Getting the News-September 11, 2001.
The News Web Site.
Owned and Operated.
Independently Owned.
SIDEBAR: Questions of Credibility Plague the Web.
News Sites that Didn't Mean to Be.
Web Logs: a New Form of Journalism?
Whither Web Sites?
III. WHO AND HOW.
8. Reporters. What Reporters Do.
Personal Characteristics.
SIDEBAR: Profile of the American Journalist.
Becoming a Professional.
SIDEBAR: The Most Gratifying Moment.
Getting there: Becoming a Reporter.
9. Reporting. Five W's and One H.
Types of Sources.
SIDEBAR: Tips on Covering a Beat.
Interviewing.
SIDEBAR: A Dozen Interviewing Tips.
A Note on Accuracy.
10. Writing News and Features. Basic Writing Characteristics.
SIDEBAR: Writing Values and Advice.
Writing Conventions.
Attribution.
Other Writing Conventions.
The Inverted Pyramid.
The Lead Paragraph.
SIDEBAR: Inverted Pyramid Checklist.
Developing the Story.
Feature Styles.
Characteristics of Feature Writing.
Read, Analyze, Emulate.
11. Style. Wire Service Stylebooks.
SIDEBAR: Trademarks.
Journalistic Conventions.
SIDEBAR: Basic AP Style Rules.
Language Sensitivity.
12. Editors. The Most Important Job.
Who is the Editor?
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Giving up Editorial Control.
Traits of an Editor.
The Editor-Writer Relationship.
SIDEBAR: Editors, Watch Out for Those Writers.
What the Editor Must Do.
Getting to be an Editor.
13. Editing and Headline Writing. Accuracy.
Checking Facts.
SIDEBAR: A Day in the Life of a Copyeditor.
Brevity.
Clarity.
Editing Procedure.
Principles of Headline Writing.
Guidelines.
Procedure.
Headlines on the Web.
14. Visual Journalists. Words and Pictures.
Photojournalism-Journalism, Only Different.
Life and Times of the Photojournalist.
The Digital Revolution.
Designers.
Graphics Journalists.
The Importance of the Visual.
15. Graphics Journalism. Principles of Design.
Conventions of Graphics.
The Good Graphic.
Types of Graphics.
Developing Infographics.
16. Photojournalism. Basics of Photojournalism.
Photographer's Commitment.
The Photojournalist in Action.
Newsworthy Photos.
Photo Editing.
Cropping.
Scaling.
Digital Photography.
SIDEBAR: The Associated Press Policy on Handling Photographs.
Ethics and Taste.
Cutlines.
17. Publication Design. Design.
Visual Logic.
Type.
Type on the Page.
Illustration.
White Space.
Newspaper Design.
Types of Newspaper Design.
Principles of Layout.
News Judgment.
SIDEBAR: Steps in Laying Out a Page.
Laying Out a Page.
Twelve Rules.
Web Site Design.
18. Broadcasters. Broadcast Journalists.
The World of Broadcasting.
Selection of News.
News Department Organization.
How Reporters Work.
SIDEBAR: Make the News Relevant for People's Lives.
Broadcast News Formats.
Salaries in Broadcast Journalism.
Getting into Broadcast Journalism.
19. Writing for Broadcast. Characteristics of Writing.
Story Structure.
SIDEBAR: Lose the Accent.
Broadcast Writing Style.
Broadcast Copy Preparation.
SIDEBAR: The Hissing Sibilant.
Putting Together a Newscast.
Conclusion.
IV. WHEN.
20. Beginnings of Journalism. Where Does Journalism Begin?
The Printing Press.
Dangerous Information.
The New World.
Benjamin Franklin.
SIDEBAR: Women in 18th Century Journalism.
The Fire of Revolution.
SIDEBAR: James Rivington and the Tory Press.
Partisanship.
21. Journalism Comes of Age. Change and More Change.
The Penny Press.
James Gordon Bennett and the New York Herald.
SIDEBAR Samuel F.B. Morse: What Hath God Wrought!
Sectionalism, Slavery and Abolition.
The Growth of Magazines.
SIDEBAR: Picturing the Rich and the Famous.
The Civil War.
The End of the War and its Aftermath.
22. New Realities, New Journalism. A Profession Matures.
A Generation of Growth.
An Age of Personalities.
SIDEBAR: Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.
Advancing Technology.
SIDEBAR: Yellow Journalism.
Reporters and Reporting.
SIDEBAR: "Stunt" Journalism Nellie Bly
Change in Advertising.
The Watchdog Press.
23. 20th Century and Beyond. A Century of Technology.
The Decline of Newspapers.
The Development of Radio.
Time and Development of the News Magazine.
SIDEBAR: Henry Luce and the March of Time.
Television.
SIDEBAR: Watergate: A 'Third-Rate Burglary' and a Pulitzer for Two Young Reporters.
Newspapers: Clouded Stability and Prosperity.
Expanding Television with Cable.
The Development of the Web.
V. WHY.
24. Law and the Journalist. Corruption in Minneapolis.
Legal Precedents.
SIDEBAR: The State of the First Amendment.
The First Amendment.
Defamation.
Defenses Against Libel Suits.
SIDEBAR: Developing the Concept of the Public Figure.
Copyright and Trademarks.
Privacy.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? What Would You Do?
Legal Protections for Journalists.
Free Press-Fair Trial.
Constant Vigilance.
25. Ethical Practices. The Good Journalist.
An Approach to Ethical Behavior.
SIDEBAR: Loyalty to What?
Ethical Difficulties.
Persistent Problems.
26. Present and Future. An Open Profession.
Financial State of the Profession.
Areas of Concern, Optimism.
Changing Technology, Changing Audience.
Appendix A: Grammar and Style Diagnostic Test. Index. 