Thoroughly revised and updated, the fourth edition of Writing for Journalists focuses on the craft of journalistic writing, offering invaluable insight on how to hook readers and keep them to the end of your article. The book offers a systematic approach to news and feature writing that starts with the basics and builds to more complex and longer pieces. The authors give the reader the tools they need to deliver engaging and authoritative writing that works across print and digital. Drawing on professional insight from writers across the industry, the book guides readers through the essential elements needed to write powerful and effective news stories, from hard news pieces to features on business, science, travel and entertainment reviews. New to this edition are hands-on writing exercises accompanying each chapter to help reinforce key points; chapters on how to build a professional profile, pitch stories and get commissioned; and a section on online writing, SEO, analytics and writing for social media. This is an essential guide for all journalism students and early-career journalists. It also has much to offer established journalists looking to develop their writing and lead editorial teams.

Thoroughly revised and updated, the fourth edition of Writing for Journalists focuses on the craft of journalistic writing, offering invaluable insight on how to hook readers and keep them to the end of your article.

The book offers a systematic approach to news and feature writing that starts with the basics and builds to more complex and longer pieces. The authors give the reader the tools they need to deliver engaging and authoritative writing that works across print and digital. Drawing on professional insight from writers across the industry, the book guides readers through the essential elements needed to write powerful and effective news stories, from hard news pieces to features on business, science, travel and entertainment reviews. New to this edition are hands-on writing exercises accompanying each chapter to help reinforce key points; chapters on how to build a professional profile, pitch stories and get commissioned; and a section on online writing, SEO, analytics and writing for social media.

This is an essential guide for all journalism students and early-career journalists. It also has much to offer established journalists looking to develop their writing and lead editorial teams.

Table of Contents

　

1. How to read like a journalist

How purposeful reading can develop your journalistic instinct and sharpen your writing

2. The news intro

Understand news values and learn how to construct a compelling opening paragraph

3. The first three paragraphs

A fail-safe formula to write the opening three paragraphs to any news story

4. News structure and style

How to structure longer news pieces and deal with more complex stories in style

5. Writing for the web

How to write for online; understand analytics and SEO and make social media work for you

Gavin Allen

6. Developing feature ideas

Understand your readers and learn how to develop news-driven feature ideas they will want to read

7. Starting your feature

Why ‘Showing, Telling and Quoting’ are a writer’s building blocks and the key to dynamic intros

8. Structure and quotes

How to use quotes and understand the three interviewee types essential to your writing

9. Storytelling and travel writing

Discover what storytelling does to your brain and how to use that in any piece of writing

10. Interview features

Professional writers explain how to research, structure and write the perfect interview

11. Writing reviews

How to write reviews on anything from literature and the arts to bicycles and fast cars

Harriett Gilbert

12. Making complex ideas accessible

Business and science journalists explain how to make complex stories accessible to all

Matt Swaine, Aiden O'Donnell and Nigel Stephenson

13. Boxouts, design and multimedia

How to write boxouts and plan multimedia content to deliver strong feature packages

14. The professional writer

Build your professional profile, hit deadlines, edit your work and develop a unique voice

Glossary

Key terms you may come across in the world of journalism

Recommended reading

Books on journalism, politics, business, science and the environment and Twitter lists to follow

Suggested answers

Appendix with answers to exercises in chapters 2, 3 and 5

Index

Praise for the first edition: 'There are books that are badly written, books that are well written and books that you wish you'd written. This is one of the latter. Hicks and his co-writers produce a book that is a joy to read and is packed full of helpful advice.' - Chris Frost, Journalist 'You don't have to be a journalist to read this book. Anyone with an interest in improving their writing skills and developing a sense of good style will find it useful Wynford Hicks takes a no-nonsense, sleeves rolled up approach to writing which has no time for preciousness.' - Roy Johnson, Mantex 'Writing for Journalists neatly fills a gap in the market for a no-nonsense book for trainees written by trainers who genuinely understand the industry and who have moved with the times.' - Sharon Wheeler, Journalism Studies Writing for Journalists is about the craft of journalistic writing: how to put one word after another so that the reader gets the message - or the joke - goes on reading and comes back for more. It is a practical guide for all those who write for newspapers, periodicals and websites, whether students, trainees or professionals. This revised and updated edition introduces the reader to the essentials of good writing. Based on critical analysis of news stories, features and reviews from daily and weekly papers, consumer magazines, specialist trade journals and a variety of websites, Writing for Journalists includes: advice on how to start writing and how to improve and develop your style how to write a news story which is informative, concise and readable tips on feature writing from researching profiles to writing product round-ups how to structure and write reviews a new chapter on writing online copy.