American Journalism: History, Principles, Practices - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786413719 ISBN 13: 9780786413713

Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2002

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Authors

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.

Reviews

Published in 1690, Publick Occurrences, Both Forreign and Domestick, was the first newspaper in the American Colonies and perhaps the shortest lived, as the authorities banned it after one issue. With this beginning, American journalism has changed dramatically over its 300-year history, from the early years of partisan political newspapers to today's multimedia coverage of all aspects of life. Sloan, a professor of journalism at the University of Alabama, and Parcell, a doctoral candidate there, have collected 39 essays, each providing a historical overview of an important aspect of journalism history. Topics include theoretical subjects like ethics and objectivity, types of news coverage such as photojournalism and foreign correspondence, and issues related to technology, including television journalism and news transmission. The contributors are primarily academics, and each short essay concludes with a list of selected readings. With each essay written by a different specialist and the collection arranged in no discernible order, readers can pick and choose the selections they prefer. Since the book, with its double-column format, has the look and feel of a textbook, it is most appropriate for academic libraries. Judy Solberg, George Washington Univ. Lib., Washington, DC
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786413719
• ISBN 13: 9780786413713
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384
• Editor: Sloan W. David, Parcell Lisa Mullikin