Description
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
