RENT TEXTBOOKS

Most chapters conclude with "Exercises" and "References."

I. THE COMPONENTS OF GOOD WRITING.

1. Writing for Today's Audiences.
Reaching Audiences.
Knowing Audiences.
The Writing Process Explained.
Considering Audiences.

2. Tools for Writers: Spelling, Grammar, Style, and Math.
Spelling in the Computer Age.
Grammar To the Rescue.
Grammar Problems Up Close.
Watching Style.
Copyediting Symbols.
Math for Journalists.
... MORE Suggested Readings.

3. Guidelines for Good Writing.
Watchwords of Writing.
Keys to Good Writing.
Words.
Sentences.
Paragraphs-Short Paragraphs.
Where We Are.
The Way to Clearer Writing.
Editing, Editing, Editing.
Putting the Rules in Practice.

4. Getting to the Point.
What's the Point?
In the Beginning Comes the Lead.
News Elements.
News Values.
General Rules for Leads.
Summary Leads.
Other Lead Formats.
Choosing a Lead Type.

5. Beyond the Lead: Writing the Message.
The Inverted Pyramid.
Organizing a Story.
News Peg and Nut Graph.
Other Organizational Styles.
Unifying Writing.
News versus Feature.
Moving on with Writing.

II. GATHERING INFORMATION.

6. Recognizing Bias and Stereotypes.
The Bias Habit.
Considering Specific Groups.
Overcoming Bias in Writing.

7. Research and Observation.
Getting Started in Research.
Government Sources.
Online Research.
Observation.

8. Legal and Ethical Issues.
Libel.
Privacy.
Copyright and Plagiarism.
Ethics in Gathering Information.
Other Newsgathering Dilemmas.

9. Interviewing, Quotations, and Attribution.
Interviewing as a Challenge.
Research Before Interviewing.
Getting the Interview.
Writing the Questions.
Conducting an Interview.
Selecting and Using Quotes.
More on Attribution.
Covering Speeches.

III. OTHER MEDIA WRITING STYLES.

10. Electronic Media.
Print and Electronic Media Writing.
Leads and Structure.
Writing Guidelines.
Style in Copy.
Broadcast Formats.
Online Writing
Trends in Electronic Media.
Other Trends.

11. Public Relations Writing.
What Is Public Relations?
The Role of Good Writing.
The Media as a Public.
Communications Tools.
Public Relations and Advertising.
Communications Planning.
Wrap-Up.

12. Advertising.
Advertising in the Information Age.
Advertising and Today's Audiences.
Advertising on the Internet.
Tips for Ad Copy That Sells.
All Writers Can Learn from Advertising.

Appendix A. The Abused Words List.

Appendix B. Keys to Grammar and Style Quizzes.

Appendix C. Key to Math Test.

Index.