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JOURNALISTIC SKILLS

or… 

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1. How to report

2. How to write

3. How to dodge PR calls 4. How to pin down slippery sources

5. How to meet deadlines and still have a

life 6. After the fact: How to soothe bruised

egos

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George Orwell

Worked as a dishwasher in Paris

Lived as a tramp in London

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6 rules for writers -- Orwell

In his essay Politics and the English Language (1946),Orwell wrote about the importance of precise andclear language:

Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech

which you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

Never use the passive where you can use the active.

Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday Englishequivalent.

Break any of these rules sooner than say anything

outright barbarous.

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Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Broke the Watergate Scandal

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Chitra Subramaniam

Broke the Bofors scandal

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Pauline Kael

Regularly skewered films

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In the arts, the critic is the only

independent source of

information. The rest is

advertising.

-- Pauline Kael

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P. Sainath

Informed the world about

rampant farmer suicide

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“I became a journalist to come

as close as possible

to the heart of the world.” 

– Henry Luce 

The less you know the more you believe.

-- Bono 

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What is news?

News is the communication of 

selected information on current events which

is presented by print, broadcast, Internet or 

word-of-mouth to a third-party or massaudience.

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What is newsworthiness?

The degree to which a subject has relevance

to the public or a special audience to warrant

press attention or coverage.

Key words:

Relevance

Usefulness

Interest

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Elements in a potential story

(News Values)

Impact

Conflict

Novelty

Prominence

Proximity

Timeliness

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Purpose of news

The central purpose of journalism is to provide

citizens with accurate and reliable information

they need to function in a free society.

From www.Journalism.org

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Myriad roles -- helping define community,

creating common language and common

knowledge, identifying a community's goals,

heroes and villains, and pushing peoplebeyond complacency.

 Also involves other requirements, such as

being entertaining, serving as watchdog and

offering voice to the voiceless.

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Principles of Journalism

1. JOURNALISM'S FIRST OBLIGATION IS TO

THE TRUTH

2. ITS FIRST LOYALTY IS TO CITIZENS

3. ITS ESSENCE IS A DISCIPLINE OF

VERIFICATION

4. ITS PRACTITIONERS MUST MAINTAIN AN

INDEPENDENCE FROM THOSE THEYCOVER

5. IT MUST SERVE AS AN INDEPENDENT

MONITOR OF POWER

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Principles of Journalism

6. IT MUST PROVIDE A FORUM FOR PUBLIC

CRITICISM AND COMPROMISE

7. IT MUST STRIVE TO MAKE THE

SIGNIFICANT INTERESTING ANDRELEVANT

8. IT MUST KEEP THE NEWS

COMPREHENSIVE AND PROPORTIONAL9. ITS PRACTITIONERS MUST BE ALLOWED

TO EXERCISE THEIR PERSONAL

CONSCIENCE 

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Types of news (based on beat)

General

Political

Business

Regional

Entertainment

Niche (health, science, technology)

Crime

Sensational

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Types of news (based on

impact)

Hyperlocal

City and state

National news

International news

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News formats

Print

Television

Online