Writing for the Mass Media

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This successful text offers a simple organization, clear writing, abundant exercises, and precise examples that give students the information about media writing and the opportunity to develop their skills as professional writers. Using a workbook-style format, it introduces and explains the major forms of media writing: inverted pyramid for print and Web, dramatic unity for broadcast, copy platforms for advertising, and the various writing structures required for public relations. Writing for the Mass Media also...
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More About This Book

Overview

This successful text offers a simple organization, clear writing, abundant exercises, and precise examples that give students the information about media writing and the opportunity to develop their skills as professional writers. Using a workbook-style format, it introduces and explains the major forms of media writing: inverted pyramid for print and Web, dramatic unity for broadcast, copy platforms for advertising, and the various writing structures required for public relations. Writing for the Mass Media also covers all major areas of media, including the Internet. In addition, its basic and practical approach makes this text an excellent book for any introductory writing course.

New to the Sixth Edition

  • A completely rewritten chapter on writing for the Web uses innovative exercises to develop writing skills, accounts for many of the structures and demands of the web environment, and helps students navigate in this medium.
  • Many new examples of good writing are featured in the text, against which students are encouraged to model their own writing.
  • New exercises found in many of the chapters, including those involving grammar and style, allow students to put content into practice.
  • An updated Companion Website (ablongman.com/stovall6e) and Instructor’s Manual, with additional material for lectures and discussion, as well as some additional exercise material, provide supplementary material for users.
  • A glossary provides easy access to definitions of terms used throughout the book.
Praise for Writing for the Mass Media

"Stovall’s strengths aremany. . .the book is a bargain and the inclusion of exercises for each chapter heightens its bargain status. Likewise, the back-to-basics approach makes the book accessible to a wide range of students."

"For those who are in search of breadth, Stovall’s greatest virtue has to be the diversity of media writing tasks addressed. Not one of the competitors that I have used offers nearly the diversity of writing assignments treated by Stovall."
Laurence W. Fennelly, Macon State College

"Stovall’s text is easy to read and the information is easy to access for any entry-level course in media writing."
Christine Cranford, East Carolina University








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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780130979650
  • Publisher: Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference
  • Publication date: 10/28/1993
  • Edition description: Older Edition
  • Edition number: 3
  • Pages: 311
  • Product dimensions: 8.30 (w) x 11.01 (h) x 0.77 (d)

Table of Contents

Preface vii
Chapter 1 Sit down & write 1
What is good writing? 2
Getting ready to write 2
Techniques for good writing 6
Writing for the mass media 9
Becoming a professional 9
Text and images 11
And finally ... 13
Points for consideration and discussion 13
Further reading 14
Exercises 15
Chapter 2 Basic tools of writing 17
Grammar 25
Punctuation 26
Spelling 29
Computer aids 32
Words, words, words 34
Writing with clarity 35
Points for consideration and discussion 36
Further reading 36
Exercises 37
Chapter 3 Style and the stylebook 61
Accuracy 61
Clarity 62
Brevity 66
Journalistic conventions 67
Journalistic style 71
Stylebooks 73
The Associated Press Stylebook 74
Language sensitivity 77
Conclusion 78
Points for consideration and discussion 78
Further reading 79
Exercises 81
Chapter 4 Writing in the media environment 111
News culture 112
News values 113
Gathering the news: Five Ws and One H 115
Personal sources 116
Interviewing 117
Observation 123
Stored sources of information 124
The importance of accuracy 127
Deadlines 128
Ethical considerations 131
Writing by example 132
Points for consideration and discussion 133
Further reading 133
Exercises 135
Chapter 5 Writing for print 151
Characteristics of news stories 151
The inverted pyramid 157
The lead paragraph 160
Developing the story 163
Using quotations 171
Other story structures 173
Editing and rewriting 176
Feature styles 178
Parts of a feature story 182
Thinking graphically 183
Information for graphics 184
Forms of graphic presentation 185
Challenge of writing 188
Points for discussion 189
Further reading 189
Exercises 193
Chapter 6 Writing for the Web 225
The audience 228
Creating content 231
Concision 232
Thinking laterally 239
E-mail 242
Wanted for the Web: writers and editors 243
Points for consideration and discussion 243
Exercises 245
Chapter 7 Writing for broadcast 253
Selection of news 254
Characteristics of writing 255
Story structure 258
Broadcast writing style 260
Broadcast copy preparation 264
Putting together a newscast 265
Conclusion 268
Points for consideration and discussion 268
Further reading 269
Exercises 270
Chapter 8 Writing advertising copy 287
A love-hate relationship 288
The field of advertising 289
Beginning the process: needs and appeals 291
The audience 293
The product 296
The advertising situation 299
Copy platforms 300
Writing the ad 302
Elements of a print ad 305
Writing advertising for broadcast 308
Other media 318
Conclusion 319
Points for consideration and discussion 319
Further reading 320
Exercises 321
Chapter 9 Writing for public relations 337
The work of the PR practitioner 338
Characteristics of the PR practitioner 340
Writing news releases 343
Letters 348
Company publications 353
Oral presentations 359
Conclusion 364
Points for consideration 364
Further reading 365
Exercises 366
Chapter 10 Writers & the law 377
The First Amendment 377
Defamation 379
The plaintiff's case 381
Affirmative defenses 382
Privacy 385
Copyright 387
Trademark 390
Advertising 391
Broadcast regulation 393
Conclusion 394
Further reading 394
Appendix A Copy-editing symbols 395
Appendix B Grammar and diagnostic exams 397
Appendix C Problem words and phrases 409
Appendix D Advertising copy sheets 417
Index 429
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