The Human Journalist: Reporters, Perspectives, and Emotions

by Jim Willis

Overview

Willis examines the many orientations and perspectives of reporters that gather and present the news of the day. Debunking the notion that there are limited perspectives jourbanalists may use, Willis examines up to 15 different orientations that reporters bring to their work. These perspectives run the gamut, from the traditional approach of distancing oneself completely from events and people involved to becoming part of the story's fabric to ascertain the story's true essence.

Willis also suggests that, for many stories, it is wholly appropriate for jourbanalists to feel what a non-professional would experience at such an event, and to allow those emotions to fuel the reporting and writing of the story. Several examples are discussed in detail, including the coverage of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275973070
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/30/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.38(d)

About the Author

JIM WILLIS holds the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Jourbanalism at the University of Memphis. He has authored or co-authored seven books on jourbanalism and the news media and he continues to report on significant events for newspapers such as The Daily Oklahoman.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Jourbanalist's World
The Evolution of Jourbanalism
Seeking the Best Seat in the House
Objectivity and Subjectivity
Writer/Reader Dynamics
Jourbanalists and Emotions: From Oklahoma City and Beyond
Scientific Jourbanalism
The Human Jourbanalist
Jourbanalists and Traumatic Stress
Bibliography
Index