American Journalism

News consumers made cynical by sensationalist banners—“AMERICA STRIKES BACK,” “THE TERROR OF ANTHRAX”—and lurid leads might be surprised to learn that in 1690, the newspaper Publick Occurrences gossiped about the sexual indiscretions of French royalty or seasoned the story of missing children by adding that “barbarous Indians were lurking about” before the disappearance. Surprising, too, might be the media’s steady adherence to, if continual tugging at, its philosophical and ethical moorings.
These 39 essays, written and edited by the nation’s leading professors of journalism, cover the theory and practice of print, radio, and TV news reporting. Politics and partisanship, press and the government, gender and the press corps, presidential coverage, war reportage, technology and news gathering, sensationalism: each subject is treated individually. Appropriate for interested lay persons, students, professors and reporters.
Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Author and editor of numerous books W. David Sloan is retired from teaching journalism at the University of Alabama. He lives in Northport, Alabama.
Lisa Mullikin Parcell, is a professor of communication at Wichita State University.

Edited by W. David Sloan and Lisa Mullikin Parcell
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 384
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliographies, indexes
Copyright Date: 2002
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1371-3
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5155-5
Imprint: McFarland

Preface     1

1. The Purposes of Journalism     3

2. Politics and Partisanship    14

3. The Press and Government    23

4. Concepts of News    34

5. Ethics    44

6. Press Criticism    55

7. Characteristics of Journalists     66

8. Training and Education of Journalists    76

9. Women in Journalism    87

10. Publishers    97

11. Economics, Business, and Financial Motivations    106

12. Mergers, Chains, Monopoly, and Competition    116

13. Freedom of the Press     125

14. Press Rights and Laws    135

15. News Gathering    144

16. Cooperative News Gathering    153

17. Coverage of Washington    163

18. The Press and U.S. Presidents    171

19. Coverage of Political Campaigns     181

20. Coverage of Crime    189

21. Coverage of Sports    198

22. Investigative Journalism    209

23. Reform Journalism, Exposés, and Crusading    219

24. The Press and War    229

25. War Coverage    236

26. Foreign Correspondence    248

27. Objectivity    258

28. Sensationalism and Tabloidism    267

29. Radio Journalism    277

30. Television News    286

31. News Writing Structure and Style    296

32. Editorial Writing    306

33. Newspaper Design    316

34. Newspaper Illustrations    325

35. Photojournalism    335

36. Cartoons, Comics, and Caricature    343

37. Technologies of News Gathering and Transmissio    350

38. Printing Technologies    358

Contributors     369

Index     373

“solid…comprehensive…excellent supplementary reading”—Choice; “39 essays, each providing a historical overview of an important aspect of journalism history”—Library Journal.