A Journalistic Approach to Good Writing: The Craft of Clarity - Softcover

Knight, Robert M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813812089 ISBN 13: 9780813812083

Publisher: Iowa State Pr, 2003

Synopsis

In this update of the 1998 edition, Knight (journalism and English composition, Gettysburg College, PA) expands examples and exercises in explaining "what makes good writing good" for both traditional and electronic media. He also gives a concise history of the English language, and appends material on proper word usage, and newspaper and broadcast styles. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About this title

Review

"An indispensable guide for all writers--journalists, essayists, novelists, playwrights, and poets alike! A thoroughly engaging, canny, entertaining, and wholly informative compendium of how to write clear English. Author Robert M. Knight brings light, depth, and admirable pacing to his work. Every writer should own a personal copy of this remarkable book--and use it daily." --Kevin Klose, president and CEO, National Public Radio

"An indispensable guide for all writers journalists, essayists, novelists, playwrights, and poets alike! A thoroughly engaging, canny, entertaining, and wholly informative compendium of how to write clear English. Author Robert M. Knight brings light, depth, and admirable pacing to his work. Every writer should own a personal copy of this remarkable book and use it daily." Kevin Klose, president and CEO, National Public Radio"

From the Author

For journalists and for people who just want to write better
This book is obviously aimed at a journalistic audience, but it was written with a broader audience in mind.

For the person who struggles to write so much as a two-paragraph memo, this book offers a skills-based approach to good, honest communication. It focuses on the ability of the writer to transmit a concept, idea or fact to the reader, viewer or listener so that it loses nothing in translation. It should look the same, sounds the same, smells the same, tastes the same and feels the same as it did when it left the writer's head. It should have the same mass, the same heft.

For the person who must face the news media, perhaps for the first time, this book offers a broad glimpse of each medium and how each works. And it shows how to address the news media in language they understand and respond to. The book offers some insights for people in public relations and marketing communication as well as journalism.

A Journalistic Approach to Good Writing: The Craft of Clarity received this review from Helen Thomas, dean of the White House press corps:

"Robert M. Knight has written a wonderful bible for those lucky persons who aspire to a great profession. ... This book is profoundly informative, fun to read and stresses the importance of accuracy, clarity and brevity. It makes sense out of the English language."

The author is a veteran journalist who has written for more than 40 publications and news services; frequently for the Chicago Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor, Reuters and the Washington Post. He lives in Biglerville, Pa., near Gettysburg. He taught journalistic writing for 13 years at Northwestern University's University College in Chicago and Evanston, Ill. He holds a master's degree from DePaul University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado.

Edition details

• Publisher: Iowa State Pr
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813812089
• ISBN 13: 9780813812083
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 269