The Essentials of Journalism

This collection of guides explains the basic principles and elements of good journalism.

What is journalism?

Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information. It is also the product of these activities.

Journalism Essentials: Introduction

What makes journalism different than other forms of communication?

What is the purpose of journalism?

The elements of journalism

What does a journalist do?

The journalist as a ‘committed observer’

The theory of the interlocking public

Bias and objectivity

Journalism attempts to be fair and accurate. It does this through objective methods and managing bias. These guides help you understand and navigate those processes.

The lost meaning of ‘objectivity’

Understanding bias

Tools to manage bias

Verification and accuracy

A journalist’s first job is to “get it right.” But how? These guides help you understand how to think about accuracy and practice verification.

Journalism as a discipline of verification

The Hierarchy of Accuracy

The Hierarchy of Information and concentric circles of sources

The Protess Method of verification

Crafting good journalism

The Elements of Journalism describes journalism as “storytelling with a purpose.”

What makes a good story?

Good stories are important and interesting

Boring versus engaging stories – what’s the difference?

Good stories prove their relevance to the audience