Public Affairs Reporting Now News of, by and for the People

Everyday life, no whether the issues or events arise next-door or a continent away, raises questions and concerns that the public counts on journalists to answer and, more important, confront. More than ever before, we all rely on the news media for warnings, explanations and insights. The profession - and society - cannot afford lazy, inept, uncommitted journalists. Today's reporters must learn how to cover public affairs intelligently and thoroughly. First you must learn about the institutions and people who influence the news; understanding how a legislative conference committee functions or how a trial is conducted remain important pre-requisites. But it is not enough merely to know how to report. Journalists must also understand how they see, define and influence the news.Don't be fooled by the daily dose of fluffy stories about fads, fashions or fetishes. People love to revel in celebrity gossip or fantasize about extreme makeovers. But Donald Trump's love life or the South Beach Diet don't satisfy when people worry about a home invasion in their neighborhood or a rezoning proposal to bring a Wal-Mart super center to town or a Department of Education report that their child's school scored bottom-most in reading achievement.Public Affairs Reporting Now is intended to teach you the best practices and give you the best advice for covering what's generically known as "public affairs reporting. It's a term that's neither inspiring nor precise, but it's long been a convenient way of describing the kind of news coverage that keeps people informed as citizens and keeps our institutions, public and private, focused on the public good.

Chapter 1: The Roles and Realities of Reporting A Reporter's WorldReporting as an Attitude The Competent Reporter (revised heading) Communication Literacy Cultural Literacy Technological LiteracyModels for Journalism and Journalists Humanistic Reporting Anticipatory Reporting Explanatory ReportingChapter 2: The Ways and Means of ReportingThe Beat SystemReporting as a Practice and Convention (new section)Methods of Reporting Observation Interviewing Documents and Data Social-Science Research Information Technology Chapter 3: To Err is Human - But Often AvoidableWarning: Potential Errors Ahead Interviewing Errors Seeing and Believing Counting on Numbers Out of Context Not Getting Fooled Exaggeration Shaping the News? Haste and Waste A Question of Taste Letting Ignorance Show Evaluating and Selection InformationTelling the Whole StoryChapter 4: The Neighborhood Approach to Public Affairs Coverage Why Focus on the Neighborhood?Neighborhood Profile Getting to Know You Mapping and Reconnoitering Find a GuideLessons and Leads from HistoryFinding and Reporting on Neighborhood-based StoriesChapter 5: Closed Meetings, Seal Records and "Off Limits Signs Access and the Right to Gather News Access to Governmental Meetings Access to Government Records Loopholes and Exemptions Access to the Judicial System Grand Juries Juvenile Cases Pretrial Proceedings Trials Restrictive Orders Court Records and Documents Civil Law and Access Contempt Power Dealing with "Off Limits Signs New Battlegrounds over Access Fear of TalkingChapter 6: Government News for the People Covering the City and the Hall Functions and role of city government The Structure of City Government Who's Who in City Hall Covering Council Meetings Preparation What to Expect Legislative Process Writing Meeting Stories Financing City Government Revenue and Expenditures Borrowing The Budget-Making Process Cities and Land Use Covering Local Government County Government Township Government Regional Government Special Districts Covering State and Federal Government State Government Federal GovernmentChapter 7: Public Safety: Crimes to Corrections Crime and the News Media Behind the Badge Inside the Police Department Organization Hiring and Training Facilities and Equipment Communications and Intelligence Operating Policies Working with Police The Blotter Stories from the Police Beat Press-Police Relationships Danger Zones Arrests, Warrants and Rights Crime Statistics Bias and Labels Handle with Care Public-Safety Agencies Sheriff's Department State Police Federal Law Agencies Crime Laboratories Medical Examiners Fire Departments and Emergency Services Jails, Prisons and PenitentiariesChapter 8: Into the Legal Maze The Judicial System: Structure and Process A Long, Winding Road Roots and Branches of Law Principles, Characteristics and Qualities Civil Cases Commencing a Civil Action Covering the Civil Courts Criminal Cases The Genesis of a Criminal Case Covering the Criminal CourtsChapter 9: The Trial and Thereafter The Big Show Stage Directions (new section) The Jury Opening Statements Evidence and Witnesses Closing Arguments The Decision Reporting Trials Verdicts, Judgments, Sentences and Appeals Understanding the Court's Words and Actions (new section) SentencingProbation, Parole and PardonsCivic Verdicts and JudgmentsAppealsFinding, Reading and Explaining Court DecisionsChapter 10: Special Beats, New Challenges The Scientific World Medicine Scientific Research Health and Wellness Environment Education Education on the Local Level State and Federal Involvement Higher Education What's Wrong with Education - and What's Right? Religion, Values and Ethics (expanded heading) Diversity in Life and Viewpoint (new heading) The Homeless and Disadvantaged African-Americans Women Sexual Orientation People with Disabilities Older Citizens Children Business and Economic News Into the Business World Takeovers and Mergers Economic Indicators Labor Campaigns and Elections Politicians and the Press The Character of Campaigns Campaign Finance and Disclosure Election CoverageChapter 11: Lessons in Law and Ethics Libel Elements of Libel Determining Fault: A Tough Call Defenses Private Lives vs. The Public's Business Intrusion Embarrassing Facts False Light Privacy and Libel Danger Zones Journalists and Their Sources Granting Anonymity: Risks and Rewards Reporting Rumors Dealing with Sources Quoting Sources Telling the Truth A Journalist's Creed

G. Michael Killenberg is professor and founding director of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at USF St. Petersburg, a Program of Distinction at the university. He joined USF in 1988 after 15 years at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, where he was director of graduate studies in mass communications. In his professional career, he has been a reporter and editor for weekly and daily newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. His publications have focused on media law, community reporting and ethics in news interviewing. He is the author of Public Affairs Reporting: Covering the News in the Information Age (1992), and co-author of Before the Story: Interviewing and Communication Skills for Journalists (1989); The Conversation of Journalism: Community, Communication and News (1994); and Interviewing: Speaking, Listening and Learning for Professional Life (1999). In 1998, he received the USF Professorial Excellence award.