The Complete Idiot's Guide to Journalism

Book excerpt: Never has the world of journalism been so explosive, so global, and so competitive. Forget hourly news flashes; we live in a world of 24-hour breaking news with radio and TV stations and Internet sites updating stories by the minute and newspapers adjusting to stay fresh, in-depth, and relevant. While the number of newspapers and TV and radio stations has dropped over the last half century in the United States, instant, free-access Internet news portals have grown precipitously to not only fill any gaps in coverage but to force Big Media to change its game plans or risk losing readership. But in no way does this suggest any aspect of journalism is heading for the garbage heap-especially newspapers. Never before have Americans been so engaged in their world, and many mediums are needed to satiate that collective appetite for knowledge.