Journalism

School of Journalism

Although there are many possible definitions of w:journalism, a journalist is generally understood to be someone who tries to communicate the objective truth about a current topic to an interested but critical audience. A good journalist is somebody who realizes that the objective truth is unabtainable.

A journalist must understand the medium he works in. For instance, a newspaper reporter will write correct English.

Qualities that most news stories must possess:

• Topicality (is the subject interesting?; is it current?)
• Completeness (document the who, what, where, when, how; and if possible, why)
• Accuracy (use at least two distinct sources for each fact you report)
• Impartiality (interview all sides)
• Verifiability (name sources where possible)

Skills

• research
  • interviews
  • going under cover
  • documentation
  • short-hand
• composition/recording
• publishing

Style Guides

• The Guardian (newspaper)
• The Economist (weekly)
• Other resources (from the University of Iowa)