What Are Journalists For

He traces the intellectual roots of the movement and shows how journalism can be made vital again by rethinking exactly what journalists are for."--Jacket.

We live in a profoundly challenging era for journalists. While the profession has historically taken on the mantle of providing clear, sound information to the public, journalists now face competition from dubious sources online and smear campaigns launched by public figures. In The Power of Journalists, four of the United Kingdom’s foremost journalists—Nick Robinson, Barbara Speed, Charlie Beckett, and Gary Gibbon—give on-the-ground accounts of how they’ve weathered some of the most significant political events of the past five years, including the referendum on Scottish independence and Brexit. These monumental political decisions exposed each journalist to the dangerous vicissitudes of public opinion, and made them all the more certain of their mission. In describing the role of the journalist as truth-teller and protector of impartiality as well as interpreter of controversial facts and trusted source of public opinion, they issue a clarion call for good journalism.

Today’s journalists need to know both the skills of how to write, interview, and research, as well as skills that are often thought of as more intangible. This book provides a practical, how-to approach for developing, honing, and practicing the intangible skills critical to strong journalism. Individual chapters introduce journalism’s intangible concepts such as curiosity, empathy, implicit bias, community engagement, and tenacity, relating them to solid journalistic practice through real-world examples. Case studies and interviews with industry professionals help to further establish connections between concept and practice, and mid-chapter and end-of-chapter exercises give the reader a concrete pathway toward developing these skills. The book offers an important perspective for the modern media landscape, where any journalist seeking to make an impact must know how to contextualize events, hold power to account, and inform their community to contribute to a healthy democracy. This is an invaluable text for courses in journalism skills at both the undergraduate and graduate level and anyone training the next generation of journalists.

Research Skills for Journalists is a comprehensive, engaging and highly practical guide to developing the varied skillset needed for producing well researched, quality journalism across a range of platforms. Illustrated with original interviews and case studies, the book guides readers through a clear understanding of sources of news, as well as illustrating the skills needed to undertake successful digital and non-digital research and to conduct interviews for a variety of media. It examines the skills needed for basic data journalism and presents an in-depth exploration of the different research skills specific to producing print and online text, as well as those for broadcast and multimedia journalism. Key research skills explored in the book include: Developing digital research skills, including researching through search engines, messages boards, discussion groups and web forums, social media, apps, and using user generated content Working with data, including sourcing, auditing and analysing data, data visualisation and understanding the importance of accuracy and context Essential non-digital research skills, including telephone technique, using libraries and working with librarians, understanding copyright, working with picture libraries and research services, and producing freedom of information requests Working directly with people to research stories, including the power of persuasion, tracking down great contributors, managing and protecting sources, planning and managing interviews, and interviewing vulnerable people Researching for multimedia production of stories, including researching a radio story, podcast or video story, and planning for outside broadcasts. Research Skills for Journalists also explores specialist research skills needed for working overseas and investigates new areas, which could be used for journalism research in the future. The book is illustrated with original contributions by journalists from a variety of backgrounds; including veteran investigative journalist John Pilger, pioneering data journalist Simon Rogers and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s award-winning reporter Abigail Fielding-Smith. It is an invaluable guide for students and practitioners of journalism to the skills needed for finding and developing original news stories today.

Is journalism under threat? Censorship, political pressure, intimidation, job insecurity and attacks on the protection of journalists’ sources - how can these threats be tackled?Journalism at Risk is a new book from the Council of Europe, in which ten experts from different backgrounds examine the role of journalism in democratic societies. Is journalism under threat? The image of journalists, as helmeted war correspondents protected by bullet-proof vests and armed only with cameras and microphones, springs to mind. Physical threats are only the most visible dangers, however. Journalists and journalism itself are facing other threats such as censorship, political and economic pressure, intimidation, job insecurity and attacks on the protection of journalists’ sources. Social media and digital photography mean that anyone can now publish information, which is also upsetting the ethics of journalism. How can these threats be tackled? What is the role of the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights and national governments in protecting journalists and freedom of expression? In this book, 10 experts from different backgrounds analyse the situation from various angles. At a time when high-quality, independent journalism is more necessary than ever – and yet when the profession is facing many different challenges – they explore the issues surrounding the role of journalism in democratic societies.

At a time when the media’s relation to power is at the forefront of political discussion, this book considers how journalists can affect public discourse on politics, economy and society at large. From well-known and respected authors providing all new material, Making Journalists considers journalism education, training, practice and professionalism across a wide range of countries, including Saudi Arabia, Africa, India, USA and the UK. The book offers insights into: what journalism is how education makes the journalist and, therefore, the news models of journalism taught and practised across the globe the ethical implications of the process. When news reporting can lead to decisions on whether or not to got to war, everything can be affected by journalists and their mediation of the world. This text brings these present issues together in one invaluable resource for all students of journalism, politics and media studies.

Reporting for Journalists explains the key skills needed by the twenty-first century news reporter. From the process of finding a story and tracing sources, to interviewing contacts, gathering information and filing the finished report, it is an essential handbook for students of journalism and a useful guide for working professionals. Reporting for Journalists explores the role of the reporter in the world of modern journalism and emphasises the importance of learning to report across all media – radio, television, online, newspapers and periodicals. Using case studies, and examples of print, online and broadcast news stories, the second edition of Reporting for Journalists includes: information on using wikis, blogs, social networks and online maps finding a story and how to develop ideas researching the story and building the contacts book including crowd sourcing and using chat rooms interactivity with readers and viewers and user generated content making best use of computer aided reporting (CAR), news groups and search engines covering courts, councils and press conferences reporting using video, audio and text preparing reports for broadcasting or publication consideration of ethical practice, and cultural expectations and problems an annotated guide to further reading, a glossary of key terms and a list of journalism websites and organisations.

"This is the provocative argument that drives William McGowan's Coloring the News, a brave, searching work that examines journalism's most controversial issue. McGowan presents a fascinating insider's analysis of how a well-intentioned attempt to accommodate minorities and minority viewpoints has been overtaken by political correctness, which determines what stories get reported in the "elite" media and how. Along the way he dissects how the press has "mistold" key stories including California's Proposition 209 vote, the allegedly "racist" burnings of black churches in the South, the military's ongoing problems with the integration of women and gays, and the consequences of a chaotic immigration policy."--BOOK JACKET.