David Spark – författare

This guide to all aspects of the reporter''s job, has been extensively revised and updated for a third edition. It considers:What is news?How the modern newsroom operatesHow facts are gathered and checkedThe reporter and picture ideasDistrict reportingTechniques of interviewingNews writing and newspaper languageHow to summarizeReporting the courtsPolitical and industrial reportingAspects of sportswritingFeature writing and arts reviewing The book also includes an important new chapter on the place of local government in newspaper coverage and it examines a newspaper''s internal structure and the reporter''s daily work in the light of the latest technology.This classic textbook is a must for all journalism and media courses and offers the ideal career introduction for the young journalist.

This guide to all aspects of the reporter''s job, has been extensively revised and updated for a third edition. It considers:What is news?How the modern newsroom operatesHow facts are gathered and checkedThe reporter and picture ideasDistrict reportingTechniques of interviewingNews writing and newspaper languageHow to summarizeReporting the courtsPolitical and industrial reportingAspects of sportswritingFeature writing and arts reviewing The book also includes an important new chapter on the place of local government in newspaper coverage and it examines a newspaper''s internal structure and the reporter''s daily work in the light of the latest technology.This classic textbook is a must for all journalism and media courses and offers the ideal career introduction for the young journalist.

This important book defines what investigative reporting is and what qualities it requires. Drawing on the experience of many well-known journalists in the field, the author identifies the skills, common factors and special circumstances involved in a wide variety of investigations. It examines how opportunities for investigations can be found and pursued, how informants can be persuaded to yield needed information and how and where this information can be checked. It also stresses the dangers and legal constraints that have to be contended with and shows real life examples such as the Cook Report formula, the Jonathan Aitken investigation and the Birmingham Six story. David Spark, himself a freelance writer of wide experience, examines how opportunities for investigations can be found and pursued, how informants can be persuaded to yield needed information and how and where this information can be checked. He also stresses the dangers and legal constraints that have to be contended with and shows investigators at work in two classic inquiries: · The mysterious weekend spent in Paris by Jonathan Aitken, then Minister of Defence Procurement· The career of masterspy Kim PhilbyInvestigative Reporting looks at such fields for inquiry as company frauds (including those of Robert Maxwell), consumer complaints, crime, police malpractice, the intelligence services, local government and corruption in Parliament and in overseas and international bodies.The author believes that the conclusions that emerge from this far-reaching survey are of value not only in investigative journalism, but to practitioners in all branches of reporting.

This important book defines what investigative reporting is and what qualities it requires. Drawing on the experience of many well-known journalists in the field, the author identifies the skills, common factors and special circumstances involved in a wide variety of investigations. It examines how opportunities for investigations can be found and pursued, how informants can be persuaded to yield needed information and how and where this information can be checked. It also stresses the dangers and legal constraints that have to be contended with and shows real life examples such as the Cook Report formula, the Jonathan Aitken investigation and the Birmingham Six story. David Spark, himself a freelance writer of wide experience, examines how opportunities for investigations can be found and pursued, how informants can be persuaded to yield needed information and how and where this information can be checked. He also stresses the dangers and legal constraints that have to be contended with and shows investigators at work in two classic inquiries: · The mysterious weekend spent in Paris by Jonathan Aitken, then Minister of Defence Procurement· The career of masterspy Kim PhilbyInvestigative Reporting looks at such fields for inquiry as company frauds (including those of Robert Maxwell), consumer complaints, crime, police malpractice, the intelligence services, local government and corruption in Parliament and in overseas and international bodies.The author believes that the conclusions that emerge from this far-reaching survey are of value not only in investigative journalism, but to practitioners in all branches of reporting.

Detailed and down-to-earth, this book delivers:

• Guidance on news gathering, from government and business to sport and religion

• Guidance on news writing, drawing on over 300 examples that have appeared in print, discussing why they work or how they could have been better

• Guidance on feature writing, including profiles, comment, leading articles, obituaries and reviews

• Specific chapters on ethical reporting and the possibilities and pitfalls of investigative journalism

• A review of the new financial realities that the internet is imposing on the media.

Informed by over half a century′s professional experience and fully revised to give a nuanced account of the skills required in an online environment, this book is an essential companion for your journalism degree and beyond.