Field Guide to Covering Local News: How to Report on Cops, Courts, Schools, Emergencies and Government - Softcover

Bayles, Fred

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1608710017 ISBN 13: 9781608710010

Publisher: CQ Press College, 2011

Synopsis

In the latest installment of the Field Guide series, Fred Bayles takes you step-by-step through the process of identifying and covering the events and issues that matter most to your community. For the five local beats―cops, courts, emergencies, schools, and government―you′ll learn where to go for information and how to organize and present the stories your neighbors want and need. An overview of tools and techniques include tips on how to find sources, conduct interviews, work with editors, tap the power of the crowd and think multimedia. Then, for each beat, you′ll get specifics on:

• People: The best official and unofficial sources of info, and what to ask them. Places: Where to go on the beat, and what to look for while you′re there.
• Documents: Where to find records in offices and online, how to decipher and use them.
• Stories: Overview of common story types and how to go beyond them.
• Resources: Glossary of key terms, checklists, helpful web links.

About this title

About the Author

Fred Bayles is a journalism professor and director of the Boston University Statehouse Program, which publishes more than 250 bylined stories each semester on state government and politics in daily newspapers and websites around Massachusetts. He spent 30 years in daily journalism, including 20 years as a national correspondent for The Associated Press and USA TODAY. His work took him to more than 40 states and 10 countries. Assignments included the 1991 Gulf War, the 1994 Haiti incursion, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster and the O.J. Simpson investigation and verdict.

Edition details

• Publisher: CQ Press College
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1608710017
• ISBN 13: 9781608710010
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288