Because reporting is changing, this volume offers readers a thorough introduction to the rapidly evolving world of gathering information for local news organizations. This easy-to-read text is filled with contemporary examples and solid advice for the beginning reporting student. Designed for students with a foundation in news writing, it provides chapters on such basics as news research, interviewing, and observation skills. It further offers a chapter on the use of personal computers as research and reporting tools. Readers will find useful tips and examples written by award-winning professional journalists that reflect the numerous changes in the art and science of information gathering in the past decade.

This remarkable and timely book examines the news in Latin American during the early 1990s, emphasizing government-press relations, the contemporary practice of journalism, and the role of regional, national, and international news agencies. The authors capture the complexity and variety of traditions and cultures in Latin America, describing and explaining all of this within the context of mass communications. A major contribution to the study of democracy"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.

Produced to fill a gap in current knowledge about the state of journalism in Latin America, this timely book chronicles how recent changes toward democratization and privatization in the region have influenced mass media industries and the practice of journalism. Written as a tribute to earlier books about the development and status of Latin American news organizations, this text provides a readable overview of journalism in the area. Unlike those in previous works, these chapters are divided by issues and subject matter instead of by nations and regions. Each chapter concludes with a "spotlight" case study to illustrate the reading material. These features -- along with several easy-to- follow tables, topical examples suitable for class discussions, and a variety of sources including original interviews with media professionals -- all combine to form the most up-to-date book currently available on this constantly changing subject.

*Provides broad coverage of feature writing in variety of media. *Perfect primer for students taking Feature Writing and Journalistic Writing courses, but will also be useful for professionals given its practical nature. *Updated to include more international examples and coverage of new digital and social media platforms.

*Provides broad coverage of feature writing in variety of media. *Perfect primer for students taking Feature Writing and Journalistic Writing courses, but will also be useful for professionals given its practical nature. *Updated to include more international examples and coverage of new digital and social media platforms.

This volume offers unique and timely insights on the state of online news, exploring the issues surrounding this convergence of print and electronic platforms, and the public's response to it. It provides an overview of online newspapers, including current trends and legal issues and covering issues of credibility and perceptions by online news users. The heart of the book is formed by empirical studies - mostly social surveys - coming out of the media effects and uses traditions. The chapters are grounded in theoretical frameworks and bring much-needed theory to the study of online news. The frameworks guiding these studies include media credibility, the third-person effect, media displacement, and uses and gratifications. The book ends with a section devoted to research on online news postings. This book is appropriate for scholars, researchers, and students in journalism, mass communication, new media, and related areas, and will be of interest to anyone examining how people use the web as a source for news.

This volume offers unique and timely insights on the state of online news, exploring the issues surrounding this convergence of print and electronic platforms, and the public's response to it. It provides an overview of online newspapers, including current trends and legal issues and covering issues of credibility and perceptions by online news users. The heart of the book is formed by empirical studies - mostly social surveys - coming out of the media effects and uses traditions. The chapters are grounded in theoretical frameworks and bring much-needed theory to the study of online news. The frameworks guiding these studies include media credibility, the third-person effect, media displacement, and uses and gratifications. The book ends with a section devoted to research on online news postings. This book is appropriate for scholars, researchers, and students in journalism, mass communication, new media, and related areas, and will be of interest to anyone examining how people use the web as a source for news.

Computers have changed the landscape of both gathering and disseminating information throughout the world. As journalists quickly move toward the 21st century and perhaps, a new era of electronic journalism, resources are needed to understand the newest and most successful computer-based news reporting strategies. Written to serve that purpose, this book is designed to show both professional journalists and students which of the newest personal computing tools are being used by the nation's leading news organizations and top individual journalists. It further describes how these resources are being used on a daily basis and for special projects.
In recent years, computers have taken on new and dominating roles in the process of news analysis, newsgathering, and news processing. Today's forward-thinking journalists often seek guidance over what they can do to strengthen their ability to be society's information processors and managers. This volume focuses upon how successful journalists are using computers through a major national computer-assisted reporting (CAR) study of daily newspapers. The study included two national surveys and a series of personal interviews with many of the nation's leading CAR specialists. Several current examples of stories used for successful database- and online-oriented news assignments are provided as part of a series of case studies incorporated throughout the book. The additional depth of description and the presentation of portions of stories themselves should help readers to understand the complete process involving CAR-oriented journalism.
Substantial analytical detail is used to discuss the extent of computer use in newsrooms, computer training, CAR projects, CAR in daily reporting, hardware and software most commonly used, levels and types of online services used in news research, and portable hardware and software. The book concludes with the author's assessment of the effects and impact of personal computing in the newsroom and the future of personal computer applications in newsgathering. Explaining and defining advanced applications or terminology for readers, the approach to the book assumes a minimal familiarity with computers, but no advanced knowledge of computer operation.