Essential Journalism The NCTJ Guide for Trainee Journalists

Foreword by Sue Brooks

Preface to the First Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Acknowledgements

PART I

JOURNALISM AND JOURNALISTS

1 The journalism landscape

2 The nature of journalism. The nature of news

3 You, the reporter

4 The ethical journalist

5 Regulation

PART II

STORYFINDING AND STORYTELLING

6 Storyfinding: the general reporter

7 Storyfinding: finding and developing stories

8 Storyfinding: interviewing

9 Storytelling: anatomy of a news story

10 Storytelling: writing a news story

11 Storytelling: language and style

12 Storytelling: reporting numbers and statistics

PART III

MULTI-PLATFORM JOURNALISM

13 The digital journalist: the digital scene and writing for the website

14 The digital journalist: social media, verification, artificial intelligence, your safety online

15 The radio journalist:  the radio scene and writing for radio

16 The radio journalist: news summaries and radio reporting

17 The television journalist: the television scene and picture gathering

18 The television journalist: continuous news and television reporting

19 The print journalist

20 Remote working; the mobile journalist – the freelance journalist

PART IV

SPECIALIST PRACTICE

21 The feature writer

22 The court reporter

23 The political reporter

24 The specialist reporter

This book summarised in two pages

Further reading

Index

Biography

Jonathan Baker is a former editor and executive for BBC News, and a former Professor of Journalism at the University of Essex. He is chair of the NCTJ’s Quality Assurance and Standards Committee.

"This book is a clear and practical introduction to all aspects of modern journalism.  As importantly, it demonstrates that evidence-based journalism produced to high editorial standards has a hugely important part to play in defending democratic values, and resisting the tide of misinformation and disinformation that confront us every day."

Sarah Whitehead, Director of Newsgathering and Operations, Sky News, and President of the Society of Editors

"Today’s fast-changing newsrooms demand a whole range of digital and multiplatform skills, but they still rely on journalists with the curiosity to find a story, the tenacity to see it through, the fluency to tell it well, and the discipline to get it right. This practical, comprehensive book shows not only how good journalism works but why it still matters."

Ian Brunskill, Associate Editor, The Times and The Sunday Times

"Journalism may be a constantly evolving beast, but the roots and principles of ethical, accountable and accurate storytelling remain the same – just against a more complex landscape. This new edition successfully blends the time-honoured rigour and responsibility that comes with reporting with the modern approach to platform-agnostic delivery. In particular, the acknowledgement of the mental health impact and cyber attacks is a much needed and welcome addition. An absolute must for any journalism training programme reading list."

Professor Lisa Bradley, Head of Undergraduate Journalism, University of Sheffield 

"A truly essential guide to surviving and thriving in a fast-paced and ever-changing media environment, this book is packed with invaluable practical advice, expert knowledge and critical insight from industry experts.

From disinformation to data, Essential Journalism expertly navigates more recent developments in a noisy digital landscape while promoting the time-honoured fundamental skills and values which remain key to delivering the trusted news audiences deserve and expect.

Not only a highly recommended companion for seasoned professionals, it is an inspirational and motivational read for anyone embarking on a career in journalism. It successfully encapsulates the excitement and creativity of a newsroom environment and goes some way to explaining why journalism is simply the best job in the world."

Maria Breslin, Editor, Liverpool Echo