Principles of American Journalism: An Introduction

Designed to engage, inspire and challenge students while laying out the fundamentals of the craft, Principles of American Journalism introduces readers to the core values of journalism and its singular role in a democracy. From the First Amendment to Facebook, the new and revised edition of this popular textbook provides a comprehensive exploration of the guiding principles of journalism and what makes it unique:

• the profession's ethical and legal foundations;
• its historical and modern precepts;
• the economic landscape of journalism;
• the relationships among journalism and other social institutions;
• the key issues and challenges that contemporary journalists face.

Case studies, exercises, and an interactive companion website encourage critical thinking about journalism and its role in society, making students more mindful practitioners of journalism and more informed media consumers.

Stephanie Craft is Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before earning a doctorate in Communication from Stanford University, she worked as a newspaper journalist in California, Arkansas, and Washington.

Charles N. Davis is the dean of Grady College at the University of Georgia, and is the former executive director for the National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC), headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism. In 2008, Davis was named the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Teacher of the Year.