Writing and Reporting the News for the 21st Century: The Speed at Which We Travel

Book excerpt: Writing and Reporting News in the 21st Century: The Speed at Which We Travel introduces students to the fast-paced and ever-changing landscape of modern media. The text highlights the importance of embracing technology and social media while abiding by the ethical considerations that aspiring journalists must follow. The first section of the book presents students with guiding principles for practicing accurate and fair journalism, as well as the various codes of ethics used across journalistic mediums, namely print, digital, and broadcast. The second section provides an overview of the basics for writing news for online, print, radio, and TV outlets. It also posits valuable advice that will help new journalists conduct an effective interview, pose meaningful questions, and capture what the source has to say accurately. The final section demonstrates the myriad ways the study of journalism can lead to successful careers in marketing, public relations, full-time reporting, editing, or producing. Writing and Reporting News in the 21st Century is ideal for introductory courses in journalism. It is also a valuable supplemental text for foundational courses in marketing, public relations, and technical writing. Yumi Wilson earned her B.A. in journalism from the University of Southern California and M.F.A. in creative non-fiction from the University of San Francisco. She is an associate professor of journalism at the San Francisco State University. Grace M. Provenzano earned her B.S. in social sciences at Michigan State University and M.M.C. in mass communication from Arizona State University. She is a lecturer at Iowa State University's Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. Gina Baleria earned her B.A. in English, with emphases in film and history, from the University of California, Los Angeles; M.A. in communication: media studies from Stanford University, and Ed.D. in educational leadership from San Francisco State University. She is a lecturer at San Francisco State University.