Journalism Basics: A Guide to the News Business
By Tony Rogers, About.com Guide
What Is Journalism?
From the invention of the printing press to the American revolution and the rise of the country's great newspapers, the history of journalism is a fascinating journey. Read about it here. Also, learn about the First Amendment and libel law, the foundations of Americans press freedoms, and get acquainted with the newsroom terms and lingo used by real reporters.
Skills
From doing your first interview to writing a lede, here are some of the basic skills you'll need for producing well-reported and tightly written news stories.
- 10 Steps For Producing The Perfect News Story
- Finding Stories To Cover
- Thorough Reporting
- The Basics of Conducting Interviews
- Getting "Good" Quotes For News Stories
- The Basics of Associated Press Style
- Writing Ledes
- How to Structure News Stories
- How To Use Attribution in a News Story
- Tips For Basic Broadcast Newswriting
- Sports: Writing The Short Game Story
Equipment
The 21st-century journalist needs more than just a reporter's notebook and a pen to do the job. Here are some of the kinds of gear you'll need to be as versatile as possible.
- Interviewing: Notebooks vs. Recorders
- A Citizen Journalist's Toolkit
- Journalists Find That Twitter Can Be An Effective Reporting Tool
Ethics
The power of the press is enormous. But with that power comes responsibility. All good journalists observe a professional code of conduct and ethics. Learn about those here.