MediaWriting Print, Broadcast, and Public Relations

MediaWriting is an invaluable resource for students planning to enter the dynamic and changing world of media writing in the twenty-first century. With easy-to-read chapters, a wealth of updated, real-world examples, and helpful "How To" boxes throughout, this textbook explains the various styles of writing for print, broadcast, online, social media, public relations, and multimedia outlets. Some of the features included in the book are: A re-written Chapter 13, Writing and Reporting in the New New Media, with updates to how social media is used today Expanded chapters on print reporting methods and the Associated Press Stylebook Updates to Chapters 5 and 6,Legal Considerations in Media Writing, and Ethical Decisions in Writing and Reporting, discuss recent court cases and current ethical issues Explanatory "How To" boxes that help readers understand and retain main themes Illustrative "It Happened to Me" vignettes from the authors’ professional experiences Discussion questions and exercises at the end of every chapter Designed to meet the needs of students of print and broadcast media, public relations, or a wannabe jack-of-all trades in the online media environment, this reader-friendly primer will equip beginners with the skills necessary to succeed in their chosen writing field.

Table of Contents Preface: Introduction to MediaWriting 1. Communication Theory and News Values 2. Fundamentals of Writing and Editing 3. Crafting Leads and Observing Style 4. Writing and Reporting the News 5. Legal Considerations in Media Writing 6. Ethical Decisions in Writing and Reporting 7. The Art of Interviewing 8. Research from Documents and Other Sources 9. Using Quotations and Sources in News Reporting 10. Feature Writing 11. Preparing Broadcast Copy 12. Reporting for Radio and Television 13. Writing and Reporting in the New New Media 14. Preparing Publicity Releases 15. Writing for Organizational Media 16. Advocacy and Speech Writing Communication, the Future, and You

W. Richard Whitaker is Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Broadcasting at Buffalo State College (SUNY). Ronald D. Smith is Professor of Public Communication and former Chair of the Communication Department at Buffalo State (SUNY). Janet E. Ramsey, is an emerita Professor of Journalism and Distinguished Service Professor and Dean Emerita at Buffalo State College (SUNY).