CCJ Tools

OJR's Tips for Writing for the Web

By RJI on January 9, 2007 0 Comments

The Online Journalism Review writes...

Publishing Tools for Online Journalists

By RJI on January 9, 2007 0 Comments

The Online Journalism Review collected a list of sites and programs to help online journalists quickly and easily begin using multimedia and the internet to advance reporting and storytelling. The applications they assembled are low-cost, and many are even free.

Making Money on Your News Content Website

By RJI on January 9, 2007 0 Comments

The Online Journalism Review's how-to guide for making money on a news content website is designed to "help journalists learn how to make extra money, or even a full-time wage, by publishing independently online."

OJR's Ethics of Online Journalism

By RJI on January 9, 2007 0 Comments

On the Online Journalism Review website it is written that "The ethics of online journalism are, ultimately, no different than the ethics of journalism...That said, here are some basic qualities that any good online writer ought to demonstrate..."

How People Learn from the Press

By RJI on January 8, 2007 0 Comments

Every time a newspaper lays out a front page, or a TV station puts together a broadcast, it is doing more than determining where and how stories should be played. It is in some ways expressing a theory about how people interact and learn from the news. Story slots and lengths are generally picked to reflect the many aspects of the community and the larger world, not just a narrow set of interests.

Understanding Military Rank

By RJI on December 18, 2006 0 Comments

To the outsider, military rank is at once baffling and yet readily understandable once you learn the basics.

On Anonymous Sources: The Freedom Forum

By RJI on December 5, 2006 0 Comments

Rules to consider for when and how to use anonymous sources from the Freedom Forum:

Tips for TV Stations On How to Avoid Copyright Violations On Their Websites

By RJI on December 1, 2006 0 Comments

In her December 1, 2006 column on the TVNewday website, columnist Mary Collins wrote:

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Editorial Standards and Policies

By RJI on December 1, 2006 0 Comments

I. Introduction

This document is an update of the Public Broadcasting Service ("PBS") program policies adopted in 1971/72 and updated in 1987.

Huliq.com: A Unique Opportunity for Student Journalists to Get Published

By RJI on November 30, 2006 0 Comments

Huliq.com describes itself as an independent news organization whose mission is to present news stories submitted by student and citizen journalists.

Using E-mail as a Reporting Tool

By RJI on November 27, 2006 0 Comments

At a time when the credibility of newspapers is in question, it seems imperative that we interact with our readers whenever appropriate and whenever possible. With e-mail, we have the unprecedented ability to include our readers in nearly all phases of the news-gathering process.

Putting the Story in the Black Box

By RJI on November 20, 2006 0 Comments

The Black Box is a system Reed designed to help reporters handle unruly information. It aids them in sorting through and prioritizing the information they have and helps reporters quickly and clearly make the case for their stories to their editors. With the system, writing a story is essentially boiled into four phases:

Statistics Every Writer Should Know

By RJI on November 14, 2006 0 Comments

"A simple guide to understanding basic statistics, for journalists and other writers who might not know math."

Click here to visit this resource at RobertNiles.com.

Making the Political Meaningful

By RJI on November 7, 2006 0 Comments

Citizens frequently complain that political coverage is boring and seems to have no bearing on their lives. Keeping your audience caring about what you are covering is at the heart of any journalist's mission, but it is particularly important in political coverage. Here are a few ways to keep people involved by showing how politics matters to them.

How Networks "Make the Call" on Election Night

By RJI on November 6, 2006 0 Comments

It’s one of the most misunderstood parts of Election Night coverage – “the call,” that moment (or moments) when a network anchor puts his or her finger to their ear and dramatically announces a campaign victor, often before even most of the votes have been counted. Making “the call” is a scientific process, overseen by smart people with letters like Ph.D. behind their names. But for the audience, it too often resembles a magic act.

A Dozen Tips for Writing News Online

By RJI on November 6, 2006 0 Comments

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Write and edit with online readers' needs and habits
in mind. Web usability studies show that readers tend
to skim over sites rather than read them intently.
They also tend to be more proactive than
print readers or TV viewers, hunting for
information rather than passively taking in
what you present to them.

Think about your target audience.
Because your readers are getting their news
online, chances are they are more
interested in Internet-related stories than TV
viewers or newspaper readers, so it may make sense
to put greater emphasis on such stories. Also, your
site potentially has a global reach, so consider
whether you want to make it understandable
to a local, national or international
audience, and write and edit with that in
mind.

Standards for Education Reporters

By RJI on October 31, 2006 0 Comments

Experienced school reporters know plenty about standards. The struggle to set standards that define what students should know and be able to do at various stages of their education has been at the heart of school reform since the late 1980s.

So if journalists are going to understand the value of standards, it will be those covering schools. It is appropriate, then, that the Education Writers Association, the professional organization for the nation's education reporters, would write standards for the school beat.

Seven Basic Rules for Investigative Reporting

By RJI on October 11, 2006 0 Comments

Avoid Political Partisanship. You will cut off 50 percent of your effectiveness if you investigate only one political party or even have a special leaning toward investigations of one party.