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News Writing
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News Writing

Second Edition

Other Titles in:
Journalism

November 2013 | 192 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd

"Deserves to be on every journalism student’s reading list and every tutor’s book shelf. It is clear, straightforward and scholarly in a very accessible way... bursting with good advice and insight which should benefit all who all read it."
- Kate Jenner
, School of Journalism and Digital Communication, University of Central Lancashire

"A first-class no-nonsense guide to news writing... Anna McKane's wealth of experience both as a journalist and a lecturer in journalism gives News Writing the edge over similar tomes."
- Kate Shanahan, Lecturer in Journalism, School of Media, Dublin Institute of Technology


The ability to hone and craft an eye-catching news story is fundamental to good journalism. It is an essential skill that the young journalist of today must carry with them. The growth of online journalism and the use of social media has meant that the skills required in news writing are evolving, opening up fresh challenges and exciting new possibilities.

Anna McKane's News Writing takes you step-by-step through the key aspects of writing news on both print and online platforms, equipping you with all that you need to become an articulate, accurate and engaging journalist. Crucially, the book will show you how to:

• create an attention-grabbing intro or first paragraph

• structure the content of your story effectively

• use the appropriate language.

Fully updated to account for the role of online journalism, this second edition guides you through the essentials of website presentation, from headlines and standfirsts to the use of smartphone images and links. An all-new chapter shows you how to use Twitter and online blogs to piece together a winning story, and up-to-date examples and exercises throughout encourage you to pick apart and analyse the techniques used in a variety of recent news stories across a range of platforms.

This is the essential workbook to take you through your studies in Journalism and News Writing.

 
What Makes News?
 
Gathering the News
 
The Effective Intro
 
The Inverted Pyramid
 
News as a Conversation
 
Make it a News Story, Not a Narrative
 
Presentation and Headlines
 
Other Ways into the Story
 
Accuracy and Getting it Right
 
Choosing the Right Words
 
Writing for Clarity
 
Grammar and Punctuation
 
More News Models
Epilogue

 
Appendix

 
Glossary

 
Further Reading

 
Index

 

The author has done a great job in updating and revising her useful book. It deserves to be on every journalism student’s reading list and every tutor’s book shelf. It is clear, straightforward and scholarly in a very accessible way. It is bursting with good advice and insight which should benefit all who all read it.

Kate Jenner
University of Central Lancashire

Anna McKane has written a first-class no-nonsense guide to news writing which is suitable for both journalism students and freelance journalists. Her wealth of experience both as a journalist and a lecturer in journalism gives News Writing the edge over similar tomes. It covers all the tenets of good news reporting for both print and online in a way that is clear, informative, and entertaining.

Kate Shanahan
Dublin Institute of Technology

A straightforward, easy to read guide to news writing which should be a valuable tool to all journalism students and a quick reminder for trainee reporters too. Highly recommended.

Mrs Amanda Leigh
Dept of Information & Communication, Manchester Metropolitan University
April 27, 2016

A competent book, sets out what should be the content of a news writing course. I am looking for something more inspirational and less technical/academic, but I would totally endorse the content of this book

Mr John Murphy
School of Humanities, Hertfordshire University
May 26, 2015

McKane's Newswriting is one of the essential texts for university students.

Ms Mary Williams
School of Social Historical and Literary Studies, Portsmouth University
March 10, 2015

This book is a great teaching tool for Introduction to Journalism modules, but also for specific modules such as Business Journalism where it is necessary to first introduce journalism concepts and then discuss business journalism.

Dr Martina Topic
Leeds Business School, Leeds Beckett University
February 3, 2015

Book does not use current journalism terms (i.e. the term "intro" is not used by journalists--the appropriate term is "lede" or "lead") and does not go into enough depth. Also the book is presented in a very basic, non-dynamic way. I wish it had more engaging content, graphics, photos, etc.

Dr Wendy Weinhold
Communication, Languages & Cultures, Coastal Carolina University
November 13, 2014

It is a very good book/manual that will be used as suplemental resource to journalism writing class.

Dr Sonia Nelson
Dept of Mass Communication, Sultan Qaboos University
February 5, 2014

This is an excellent book and a valuable update on the previous edition. I will definitely added to our reading lists and to our library

Mr Sean Dodson
Faculty of Business and Law, Leeds Metropolitan University
January 21, 2014

I found this very useful, particularly on developing reports so that journalists sustain the interest. I have used some of the examples to illustrate points in seminars.

Mr Guy Hodgson
Department of Media, Chester University
November 27, 2013

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter One: What Makes News?