Health and safety risk issues such as AIDS, hazardous waste disposal, airline disasters, and health care policy frequently dominate the news and require a new level of sensitivity and expertise on the part of journalists. This volume focuses on a study of the trends in risk reporting and offers guidelines on how to report the dangers of these risks more accurately. It also examines the ethical implications of reporting risks to the public. This work will be of interest to those studying communication, specifically in the areas of ethics in journalism and public health and medical reporting.

Willis examines the many orientations and perspectives of reporters that gather and present the news of the day. Debunking the notion that there are limited perspectives journalists may use, Willis examines up to 15 different orientations that reporters bring to their work. These perspectives run the gamut, from the traditional approach of distancing oneself completely from events and people involved to becoming part of the story's fabric to ascertain the story's true essence. Willis also suggests that, for many stories, it is wholly appropriate for journalists to feel what a non-professional would experience at such an event, and to allow those emotions to fuel the reporting and writing of the story. Several examples are discussed in detail, including the coverage of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The start of the 1990s saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany into one new nation that would be a formidable economic force around the world. But to many Americans educated by the news and entertainment media, the image of Germany remained a holdover from World War II and the Holocaust. When the American media were not presenting an outdated, jackbooted view of Germany, they were portraying it as a country epitomizing the world's Communist/Capitalist struggle. For three decades the American news and entertainment media presented the image of Germany as being a country hopelessly divided. Now they were faced with a new country and a new set of images to deal with just as Germany exerts itself more powerfully than ever on the world economic scene.

How much attention has this new Germany received in the American media, and how accurate are the new portrayals? Have the media images changed during the 1990s and, if so, how much and in what direction? Willis examines these issues as well as the status of international news in the American media. The result is a book of great interest to scholars, researchers, and students involved with the mass media, contemporary affairs, and European Studies.

An era that changed America forever is analyzed through the words of those who led, participated in, and opposed the protest movements that made the 1960s a signature epoch in U.S. culture. There is no better way to understand the 1960s than to read key speeches and texts from the decade, experiencing firsthand writings that capture a signature sense of passion and conviction. That is exactly the approach taken by this book as it analyzes major protest movements of the era, including the Vietnam War protests, the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Lib, the hippie movement, and the nascent GLBQT movement. Organized by movement, the work presents speeches, testimonies, and other important documents side-by-side with accessibly written, expert commentary. The documents and the themes they represent are linked to each other and to events during the decade to put the passionate thinking of the time in context and demonstrate its importance and legacy. By allowing readers to explore the 1960s in this visceral way, the book will provide an engaging learning experience for secondary school and university students, who will also gain helpful insights on how to evaluate historical documents. For the same reason, the volume will be a welcome resource for the general reader interested in understanding-or recalling-why the 1960s produced so many lasting changes in the American psyche. Opens a window on a revolutionary time when Americans stood up and demanded peace and tolerance Highlights the expectations of free speech and equal treatment for all Americans and shows how those expectations were translated into actions Includes background discussion of the 1960s and background discussion of each document Compares and contrasts key passages, encouraging the reader to cross-reference documents within the volume and connect the dots between them Examines exhibits as varied as Abbie Hoffman's testimony at the trial of the Chicago 7, Noam Chomsky's essay "The Function of a University in Time of Crisis," the Port Huron speech of the Students for a Democratic Society, Richard Nixon's Silent Majority speech, and Shirley Chisholm's Equal Rights for Women speech

From the launching of America's first newspaper to YouTube's latest phone-videoed crime, the media has always been guilty of indulging America's obsession with controversy. This encyclopedia covers 100 events in world history from the 17th century to the present--moments that alone were major and minor, but ones that exploded in the public eye when the media stepped in. Topics covered include yellow journalism, the War of the Worlds radio broadcast, the Kennedy-Nixon debates, JFK's assassination, the Pentagon papers, and Hurricane Katrina. These are events that changed the way the media is used--not just as a tool for spreading knowledge, but as a way of shaping and influencing the opinions and reactions of America's citizens. Thanks to the media's representations of these events, history has been changed forever. From classified military plans that leaked out to the public to the first televised presidential debates to the current military tortures caught on tape, "100 Media Moments That Changed America" will demonstrate not only an ever-evolving system of news reporting, but also the ways in which historical events have ignited the media to mold news in a way that resonates with America's public. This must-have reference work is ideal for journalism and history majors, as well as for interested general readers.

Chapters are in chronological order, beginning with the 17th century. Each chapter starts with a brief introduction, followed by media event entries from that decade. Each entry explains the moment, and then delivers specific details regarding how the media covered the event, America's response to the coverage, and how the media changed history.

This book looks at the news media's portrayal of reality and seeks answers as to why this portrayal often falls short of reality itself. Jim Willis examines the factors that contribute to the journalist's often faulty perception of reality, factors that are beyond the immediate control of the reporter: errant sources, competitive influences, the embedding process of storytelling, marketing's influence on the news, and the structure of news stories. The book stresses that the reporting process is more difficult than most critics and reporters realize, and points out that the best reporters are those who will take time to recognize challenges and work to overcome them. Ideal as a supplementary text for advanced courses in reporting, The Shadow World focuses on the complexities of good reporting. It studies the challenges that face today's journalist and provides practical guidance for the novice reporter.

Studying actual reporting cases, Willis discusses the difference between seeking accuracy and seeking truth in journalism. He examines state-of-the-art methods of good reporting and stresses the need for specializing, remembering the larger truth, treating rumors as rumors, and following appropriate role models. A useful guide discussing the full range of philosophical, theoretical, and practical considerations influencing the reporter, "The Shadow World" will be a valuable resource for the student of journalism.

You have the power to reinvent yourself The power lies not in your mind alone. It's also in your genes and DNA. It's what makes us human. Humans change - that's the essence of life. Everything, from the smallest plant to the largest mountain, is in the process of change. And that's especially true with human beings. We can't always recognize it when it happens slowly and we learn to adjust to the differences. But when a living organism stops changing, it dies. I'm not just talking about simple physical changes, here. Those changes are not that important, really. They're going to happen, one way or another, whether we are conscious of them or not. I'm talking about psychological, emotional and spiritual changes - the kinds of changes, for instance, that mold children into mature, emotionally balanced adults. Each of us, by the time we hit senior citizenship, will have made countless choices and agonized over millions of decisions. We tend to think of them as either good or bad. Some of them led to happy, productive, constructive events. Others got us into a world of trouble. But from the perspective of age, every choice was good in this sense: it offered the opportunity to learn something. Right or wrong, good or bad, whatever the consequences that followed our decision, we learned from what we have done. That kind of learning is called experience. That's all experience is - living through the consequences of choices and remembering what happened.

The 1960s on Film tells the narrative of the 1960s through the lens of the movie camera, analyzing ten films that focus on the people, events, and issues of the decade. Films create both an impression of and - at times for younger audiences - a primary definition of events, people, and issues of an era. The 1960s on Film examines the 1960s as the decade was presented in ten films that focused on that decade. Discussion will focus on both what the films have to say about the era and how close they come to accurately depicting it. For example, films such as Mississippi Burning and Selma tell the story of racial conflict and hope for reconciliation in the 1960s. Other films such as The Right Stuff and Hidden Figures show the deep fascination America had at that time with the burgeoning space program and NASA, while Easy Rider and The Doors analyze the role of rock music and drugs among young people of the decade. The Deer Hunter studies the controversies surround the war in Vietnam. Mad Men, JFK and Thirteen Days also receive significant treatment in this exciting volume. Provides a window into the 1960s by assessing how films about that decade portrayed people, events, and issues of the era Shows how movies can teach us about a given era's history and make that history more engaging through the dramatic arts and storytelling Provides a new perspective on the well-researched decade of the 1960s, through the lens of the movie camera Suggests areas of further exploration for students of popular culture

This concise and accessible encyclopedia contains nearly 300 entries on the world's major religions, as well as important articles on important holy places...prophets and historical figures...and spiritual practices and religions that predate organized religion... - Library Journal. From Aaron (the first high priest of Israel) to Zoroastrianism (once the dominant religion in Persia), The Religion Book provides an encyclopedic look at the practices of yesterday and today. Christians, Buddhists, Wiccans and the rest may have questions about others' belief or even their own, and The Religion Book expertly explains the similarities, differences, and original ideologies of believers and skeptics around the world. Are Nirvana and Heaven the same? Who are the Raelians, and why are they cloning people? What's the difference between Christian Scientists and Jehovah's Witnesses? Dogma? Karma? Feng Shui? What do they all mean? Devils, ghosts, the afterlife--do they really exist? If killing's a sin, why are there jihads? From the prominence of Catholics to the head scratching of the Red Paint People, The Religion Book is the go-to resource for all ages--and it doesn't require dressing in go-to-meeting clothes. The Religion Book: Places, Prophets, Saints, and Seers is a reader's convenient parchment pulpit of easy understanding to some of the most asked-about religious topics. Five hundred-plus pages explore 300 key religious figures, prophets, deities, places, and scriptures that play important roles in the major religions of the world. Willis respectfully explains terms and concepts as they relate to their respective belief systems, whether mainstream, pagan, or cultish.

In a postmodern age where the media's depictions of reality serve as stand-ins for the real thing for so many Americans, how much government policy is being made on the basis of those mediated realities and on the public reaction to them? When those mediated depictions deviate from the truth of the actual situation, how serious a situation is that? Time and again, both anecdotal evidence and scientific research seem to confirm that the news media often influence government action. At the least, they speed up policy making that would otherwise take a slower, more reasoned course. Sometimes the media serve as the communication link among world leaders who may be ideological enemies. Because of the enduring popularity of television news, government leaders monitor the networks' story selections and track public opinion trends generated by interviews done in these stories. These then become the substance of proposed legislation and/or executive action, as politicians strive to prove themselves able listeners to the heartland of America and also prove themselves worthy of re-election. This book examines many specific events that show how major news operations either painted a truthful or distorted picture of national and international events, and how governmental leaders responded following those representations.

Do we, the human species, really know who we are or where we came from or how we originated or our place in the cosmos? Or is much of what we have been taught wrong or misguided or possibly even blatant lies intended to keep people in power and everyone else in line? Exploring alternative theories on the establishment of society and civilisation, Hidden History: Ancient Aliens and the Suppressed Origins of Civilization looks at a variety of dissenting, suppressed, and forbidden accounts of history and the origins of humanity.

This book provides an insightful and comprehensive look at the issues regarding the use of the Internet and social media by activists in more than 30 countries—and how many governments in these countries are trying to blunt these efforts to promote freedom. The innovators who created social media might never have imagined the possibility: that activists living in countries where oppressive conditions are the norm would use social media to call for changes to bring greater freedom, opportunity, and justice to the masses. The attributes of social media that make it so powerful for casual socializing—the ability to connect with nearly limitless numbers of like-minded individuals instantaneously—enables political activists to recruit, communicate, and organize like never before. This book examines three aspects of the use of social media for political activism: the degrees of media freedom practiced in countries around the world; the methods by which governments attempt to block access to information; and the various ways in which activists use the media—especially social media—to advance their cause of greater freedoms. Readers will learn how these political uprisings came from the grassroots efforts of oppressed and unhappy citizens desperate to make better lives for themselves and others like them—and how the digital age is allowing them to protest and call attention to their plights in unprecedented ways.

Sifting through the historical and archaeological evidence, Ancient Gods: Lost Histories, Hidden Truths, and the Conspiracy of Silence by Jim Wills probes the myths, stories, history and facts of ancient civilisations, lost technologies, past catastrophes, archetypical astronauts and bygone religions to tease out the truth of our distant past and modern existence.

What remains of past inhabitants of the jungles, lost cities, underground and underwater structures and their civilizations? The reminders of the Ancients are everywhere. They are preserved in remnants in archaeology. They are found in stories from mythology. Who were these people? Aliens, humans, or myths? How did they rise, fall, and will they rise again? From pyramids and underground bunkers to watery graves and ancient astronauts, Lost Civilizations explores the archaeological evidence left behind by more than 70 of these ancient civilizations.

You have the power to reinvent yourself The power lies not in your mind alone. It's also in your genes and DNA. It's what makes us human. Humans change - that's the essence of life. Everything, from the smallest plant to the largest mountain, is in the process of change. And that's especially true with human beings. We can't always recognize it when it happens slowly and we learn to adjust to the differences. But when a living organism stops changing, it dies. I'm not just talking about simple physical changes, here. Those changes are not that important, really. They're going to happen, one way or another, whether we are conscious of them or not. I'm talking about psychological, emotional and spiritual changes - the kinds of changes, for instance, that mold children into mature, emotionally balanced adults. Each of us, by the time we hit senior citizenship, will have made countless choices and agonized over millions of decisions. We tend to think of them as either good or bad. Some of them led to happy, productive, constructive events. Others got us into a world of trouble. But from the perspective of age, every choice was good in this sense: it offered the opportunity to learn something. Right or wrong, good or bad, whatever the consequences that followed our decision, we learned from what we have done. That kind of learning is called experience. That's all experience is - living through the consequences of choices and remembering what happened.

Willis examines the many orientations and perspectives of reporters that gather and present the news of the day. Debunking the notion that there are limited perspectives journalists may use, Willis examines up to 15 different orientations that reporters bring to their work. These perspectives run the gamut, from the traditional approach of distancing oneself completely from events and people involved to becoming part of the story's fabric to ascertain the story's true essence.

Willis also suggests that, for many stories, it is wholly appropriate for journalists to feel what a non-professional would experience at such an event, and to allow those emotions to fuel the reporting and writing of the story. Several examples are discussed in detail, including the coverage of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Health and safety risk issues such as AIDS, hazardous waste disposal, airline disasters, and health care policy frequently dominate the news and require a new level of sensitivity and expertise on the part of journalists. This volume focuses on a study of the trends in risk reporting and offers guidelines on how to report the dangers of these risks more accurately. It also examines the ethical implications of reporting risks to the public. This work will be of interest to those studying communication, specifically in the areas of ethics in journalism and public health and medical reporting.

This text examines the startling and rapidly changing developments in media technology, especially as they affect journalism and the news media. We now stand at the threshold of a revolution in the news and entertainment media, and those media as we know them today may soon cease to exist. Whereas it had always been a simple matter to distinguish between newspapers, broadcast television, cable television, motion pictures, telephones, and computers, those distinctions are quickly blurring as a new universal media looms on the horizon. Here Jim Willis examines the new multimedia--and the concept of turbonews--and how journalism, the news media, and our lifestyles will be changed forever.

A necessity for the professional journalist's library, "Journalism: State of the Art" will prove a valuable resource for the student journalist as well. This book summarizes some 200 media studies many from the most prestigious journal in the trade, "Journalism Quarterly." In a paraphrased-synthesis format, and using informal terms, the author arranges some of the most interesting studies of the 1980s into eight subject headings including: Ethics Law, and the Journalist; Advertising in the 1980s; Polling and Precision Journalism; and Predictors of Readership and Viewship.

For many years there has been a gap between media researchers and the practicing journalist. Published research about journalism as a discipline may receive attention in the classroom but seldom gets in the newsroom. Viewing the gap between the researcher and practitioner, Willis offers comments from both sides. He surveys nearly 150 news executives on media research and gives an insightful look at what factors cause readers or viewers to pay attention to the news media. From trends in the industry to types of audiences, "Journalism: State of the Art" uses practical research studies presented in an accessible style. Offering the most current data available on media research, this book will prove a great instructional as well as reference tool. It is a must for college journalists, working press, and media marketers.

Willis' almost total textbook analysis of today's newspaper makes "Surviving in the Newspaper BusinesS" precisely what it claims to be: A how-to guide to newspaper management in the 1980s and beyond . . . a set of unified principles for successful management.' It explains the supervision and organization of each department and stresses the importance of keeping the paper responsive to the needs of its readers, advertisers and, somewhat surprisingly, even its employees. Willis talks about advertising, circulation and marketing strategies and how to deal with competition from TV, the suburban weeklies and labor unions. He looks at the editor as a people manager, ' something that more than one tradition-bound editor has been unable to do for himself. The book has sample budgets and organizational charts and even a discussion of the relative merits of adult vs. youth carriers. "Newspaper Research Journal"

Professor Jim Willis' book is a nicely condensed overview of the newspaper as a business. Though it is aimed at journalism students enrolled in newspaper management classes, it is also worthwhile reading for the curious reporter or copy editor who knows little about how newspapers make and spend money. . . . The book is sprinkled with good, common sense about balancing newspapers as a business against newspapering as good journalism. Professor Willis makes a gallant attempt to make sure students understand that though the newspaper must make a profit to survive, it will never truly excel unless it produces a good news-editorial product. "ASNE Bulletin"

"Surviving in the Newspaper BusinesS" is a how-to-do-it guide to newspaper management for the 1980s and beyond. It presents a set of unified principles for successful management and exposes the student to the primary mission of the newspaper: to deliver a quality product to the depth and breadth of the marketplace. Stressing the importance of the total newspaper concept, Willis portrays the successful newspaper as integrated internally among departments and externally with its readership and advertisers. In addition, he analyzes the newspaper's industrial environment, discusses management survival strategies, considers business and finance plans, and assesses organizational behavior in the newsroom. Included are a series of hands-on case studies offering further insights into topics discussed.