The universal journalist / David Randall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Randall, David, 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Journalism.

Journalism--Vocational guidance.

Journalistic ethics.

Physical Description:

ix, 245 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Third edition.

Place of Publication:

London ; Ann Arbor, MI : Pluto, 2007.

Summary:

Translated into more than a dozen languages, this is an invaluable guide to the 'universal' of good journalistic practice for professional and trainee journalists worldwide. Good journalists everywhere share a common commitment to the search for truth, often in difficult circumstances. David Randall emphasises that good journalism isn't just about universal objectives: it must also involve the acquisition of a range of skills. This acclaimed book challenges old attitudes, procedures and techniques of journalism where they are seen as cynical and sloppy. This fully updated edition contains scores of new anecdotes and examples, drawing on the author's own experience as a national newspaper reporter and columnist, plus a completely new chapter on how to be a great reporter.

Contents:

1 What Makes A Good Reporter? 1

Attitudes

Character

A great reporter

2 The Limitations of Journalism 16

Owners' priorities

The journalistic culture

Readers' values

3 What Is News? 25

What is news?

News values

News value factors

A sliding scale for stories

4 Where Do Good Stories Come From? 35

The habits of successful reporters

Non-obvious sources

News editors

Stories that good reporters avoid

5 Research 49

What you should be looking for

Where to get it

Researching online

Printed sources

Research as a foreign correspondent

6 Handling Sources, Not Them Handling You 62

Guidelines for dealing with any source

Official sources

Handling unauthorised sources

Unattributable sources 'off the record'

Getting too close to sources

7 Questioning 72

How to approach people

The most useful questions in journalism

Questioning uneasy sources

Questioning elusive, evasive and hostile sources

Questioning by email

Press conferences

Celebrity interviews

8 Reporting Numbers and Statistics 90

Questioning data

Averages

Distribution

Percentages

Per head

Surveys

Opinion polls

Correlation

Projections

Real versus apparent rise

9 Investigative Reporting 106

What is investigative reporting?

Productive areas to investigate

Investigative reporting skills

How to run investigative operations

10 How To Cover Major Incidents 119

How to make sure your coverage of a disaster doesn't turn into one

Death tolls

The death call

All reporters are tough, aren't they?

11 Mistakes, Corrections and Hoaxes 131

Mistakes

How should you respond to mistakes?

Great newspaper hoaxes

12 Ethics 142

Grey areas

13 Writing for Newspapers 153

Planning

Clarity

Fresh language

Honesty

Precision

Suitability

Efficiency

Revision

The joys of writing

14 Intros 175

How to write sharp intros

Hard news approach

Other approaches

A word about feature intros

15 Construction and Description 189

Construction guidelines

Analysing story structures

Payoffs

Attribution

Description

16 Handling Quotes 203

When do you use quotes?

Accuracy

Attributing quotes

Inventing quotes

17 Different Ways To Tell A Story 212

Different approaches

How to write everything from a fly-on-the-wall piece to a backgrounder

18 Comment, Intentional and Otherwise 218

Comment in news stories

The big I

Political correctness

Analysis

Leaders or editorial opinion pieces

Columnists

Obituaries

19 How To Be A Great Reporter 231

Hard work

The application of intelligence

Intellectual courage

Meticulousness

Consuming appetite for books

A good knowledge of journalism's past

Obsessive nature

Reading for Journalists 237.

Notes:

Previous ed.: 2000.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0745326560

9780745326566

0745326552

9780745326559

OCLC:

77540926