Essential Journalism

Jonathan Baker is an award-winning journalist and journalism teacher. His first foray into journalism was during a gap year spent on the Ashbourne News Telegraph in Derbyshire. He joined the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo as a graduate trainee and passed his NCTJ Proficiency Test there before joining BBC Radio in London. He held senior positions in BBC radio, television and multimedia newsgathering. He was variously Executive Editor of the Radio Newsroom, Executive Editor of Radio 5 Live News Programmes, Editor BBC of the One o’Clock and Six o’Clock Television News, Editor of the BBC Ten o’Clock News, and World News Editor. For four years he was Head of the College of Journalism, responsible for the training of the BBC’s 8,000 journalists. His last role at the BBC was Head of Newsgathering. He was appointed Founding Professor of Journalism at the University of Essex, where he devised and delivered an NCTJ-accredited undergraduate course in multimedia journalism. He is a winner of the NCTJ Chairman’s Award for outstanding contribution to high standards of journalism training.

"Today's journalists need to be flexible, adaptable and multiskilled, while respecting the core values that underpin the best journalism. This book is about applying time-honoured principles in a digital age - and as such, should be required reading for established professionals, as well as those taking their first steps in journalism." - Francesca Unsworth, Director of News and Current Affairs, BBC "From the outset, readers of this exceptionally relevant textbook are given a compelling insight into the changing industry they are preparing for. Such knowledge is invaluable for thriving in today's - and tomorrow's - newsroom. This a guide packed with expert knowledge and highly practical advice, which should grace the bookshelves - digital or real world - of any journalist." - Alison Gow, President of the Society of Editors and Audience and Content Director North West, Reach plc."The need for properly trained journalists delivering trusted news has never been greater. While the media landscape is more complex than ever, the core skills needed remain the same. Anyone seeking a career in the industry should read this book to gain a better understanding of journalism in its many forms and the vital role it continues to play in our society." - Martin Wright, Editor in Chief, Midland News Association

• FOREWORDBy Alex Crawford, Patron of the National Council for the Training of Journalists. PREFACEACKNOWLEDGEMENTSPART ONE: JOURNALISM AND JOURNALISTS1 The journalism landscape2 The nature of journalism: The nature of news3: You, the reporter4 Ethics5 RegulationPART TWO: STORYFINDING AND STORYTELLING6 Storyfinding: The general reporter7 Storyfinding: Sources8 Storyfinding: Interviewing9 Storytelling: Anatomy of a news story10 Storytelling: Writing a news story11 Storytelling: Language and style12 Storytelling: Reporting numbers and statisticsPART THREE: MULTI-PLATFORM JOURNALISM13 The digital journalist: the digital scene and writing for the website14 The digital journalist: social media and online research15 The radio journalist: the radio scene and writing for radio16 The radio journalist: news summaries and radio reporting17 The television journalist: the television scene and picture gathering18 The television journalist: continuous news and television reporting19 The print journalist20 The mobile journalist: The freelance journalistPART FOUR: SPECIALIST PRACTICE21 The feature writer22 The court reporter23 The political reporter24 The specialist reporterThis book summarised in two pagesFurther readingIndex