ABSTRACT

In this practical and engaging new edition, experienced reporter and teacher Sue Ellen Christian offers a fully updated and fresh take on reporting without bias, examining the way that we categorize people, filter information and default to rehearsed ways of thinking.

This book is about biases that affect journalism at every stage of reporting and writing. Included throughout are stories and advice from working reporters and editors, providing real-world voices and experiences, and covering questions of culture, stereotyping, sources, writing, editing, visuals and reflective practice. This advice and guidance is coupled with practical exercises that give readers the chance to apply what they learn. Christian provides a career-long foundation for those looking to edit their thinking and to champion a more inclusive and open-minded approach to coverage of our multicultural society.

Offering a concise, readable and highly applicable guide to managing coverage of contemporary social issues, this book is an ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate students of journalism and early career journalists.

chapter 1|23 pages

Context, Culture and Cognition

Making the Case for Reflective Practice in Journalism

chapter 2|21 pages

Habits of Thought

How Cognitive Processes Influence Journalistic Practice

chapter 3|23 pages

Encountering the News

How the Mind Organizes and Interprets Information – and How Story Ideas Get Lost in the Process

chapter 4|26 pages

Story without Stereotype

How Stereotypes May Influence Reporting in Stealthy Ways – and What to Do about It

chapter 5|30 pages

Understanding Culture, Understanding Sources

How Social Groups Serve as Lenses for Looking at the World

chapter 6|23 pages

Training the Reporter's Eye

What Attracts Journalists' Attention Can Influence How They Portray Events and Explain Behaviors

chapter 7|25 pages

Critical Decisions before Deadline

Why Even Experienced Journalists Neglect Certain Facts and What to Do About It

chapter 8|30 pages

The Power of Words and Tone

When Words Suggest Unintended Meanings

chapter 9|30 pages

Attribution, Images and Editing without Bias

When to Include Data, What Images Communicate and How to Determine Cause

chapter 10|24 pages

Addressing Negativity

How to Manage Hate Speech, Hostile Sources and Misinformation

chapter 11|26 pages

Journalism and Reflective Practice

Cultivating an Open Mind