Reaching Audiences: A Guide to Media Writing, 5th Edition

Reaching Audiences: A Guide to Media Writing is the essential writing handbook for any student who want a brief yet thorough guide to correct, clear writing for the media. This text stresses the importance of clear, concise, accurate writing in a media world that is increasingly online. The book sets up the writing process and the essential art of editing while reinforcing the importance of the audience in considering the structure of media messages. Illustrative and specific real life examples provide guidance for students in improving their writing. Specific skills related to spelling, grammar, accuracy, word usage, bias, research, interviewing, and other important topics are covered. By recognizing today’s ever-changing media environment, this text is grounded in the basics of good writing essential to communicators in print, online, broadcast, and strategic communication.

I. THE COMPONENTS OF GOOD WRITING

1. Writing for Today's Audiences

Reaching Audiences

Knowing Audiences

The Writing Process Explained

2. Tools for Writers: Spelling, Grammar, Style, and Math

Spelling in the Computer Age

Grammar To the Rescue

Grammar Problems Up Close

Math for Journalists

Suggested Readings

3. Editing, Editing, Editing

Watching Style

Editing Responsibilities

Editing for Online and Other Formats

Putting the Rules in Practice

4. Guidelines for Good Writing

Watchwords of Writing

Keys to Good Writing

Words

Sentences

Paragraphs–Short Paragraphs

The Way to Clearer Writing

II. CONSTRUCTING THE MESSAGE

5. Getting to the Point

What's the Point?

In the Beginning Comes the Lead

News Elements

News Values

General Rules for Leads

Summary Leads

Other Lead Formats

Writing Leads for Online Media

Choosing a Lead Type

6. Beyond the Lead: Writing the Message

The Inverted Pyramid

Organizing a Story

News Peg and Nut Graph

Other Organizational Styles

Unifying Writing.

7. Producing Online Content

The World Goes Online

Electronic Media Then and Now

What’s Different about Online Content

The Components of a News Site

Structuring Messages Online

Challenges and Opportunities

8. Beyond Breaking News

News versus Feature

Obituaries

Speech Stories

III. GATHERING INFORMATION

9. Research and Observation

Getting Started

Government Sources

Online Research

Observation

10. Interviewing, Quotes, and Attribution

Interviewing as a Challenge

Research Before Interviewing

Getting the Interview

Writing the Questions

Conducting an Interview

Selecting and Using Quotes

More on Attribution

11. Recognizing Bias and Stereotypes

The Bias Habit

Considering Specific Groups

Overcoming Bias in Writing

12. Legal and Ethical Issues

Libel

Privacy

Copyright and Plagiarism

Ethics in Gathering Information

IV. OTHER MEDIA

13. Broadcast Media

The Medium Changes the Style

Print versus Broadcast Copy

Leads and Structure

Writing Guidelines

Broadcast Formats

Trends in Broadcast Media

14. Strategic Communication

The Importance of Good Writing.

Public Relations in Practice

Advertising’s Role in Strategic Communication

Strategic Communication Online

Appendix A. Keys to Grammar and Style Quizzes

Appendix B. Key to Math Test

Index.