A-Z Tool Index
Accuracy
- Addressing Errors [1]
- Build an Internal Accuracy System [2]
- Circles of Corroboration [3]
- Developing Methods of Verification [4]
- Explaining Yourself [5]
- Hierarchy of Accuracy [6]
- Limiting Legal Risk [7]
- Reporting the 'True War' [8]
- Reviewing Quotes with Sources [9]
- The Lost Meaning of Objectivity [10]
- The Red Pencil Technique [11]
- The Skeptical Editing Technique [12]
- Why reporters get it wrong [13]
- Wikipedia & Newsrooms [14]
Accuracy Checklists
Anonymous Sources
- A Psychological Approach to Requests for Anonymity from Sources [20]
- Cox Newspapers Guidelines on Source Anonymity [21]
- Dallas Morning News Policy on Confidential Sources [22]
- On Anonymous Sources: Deborah Howell [23]
- On Anonymous Sources: Glenn Guzzo [24]
- On Anonymous Sources: The Freedom Forum [25]
- On Anonymous Sources: The New York Times [26]
- Requests for Confidentiality: Written Agreements [27]
Beat Reporting
- Accident Story Checklist [28]
- Budget Story Checklist [29]
- Covering Religion on Any Beat [30]
- Covering Social Security Reform [31]
- Covering the Flu Season [32]
- Explaining Energy Choices [33]
- Getting a Grip on Growth [34]
- Making the Most of Meeting Stories [35]
- Reporting on Guns [36]
- Reporting on Risk [37]
- Reporting on Rural Realities [38]
- Reporting on SARS [39]
- Standards for Covering Trials [40]
- Standards for Education Reporters [41]
- Staying Afloat in Murky Budget Waters [42]
- Translating Transit Stories for Viewers [43]
- Working With Sources on Your Beat [44]
Beat Reporting for TV
- Accident Story Checklist [45]
- Bringing Court Stories to Life [46]
- Budget Story Checklist [47]
- Cashing in on Campaign Finance [48]
- Conquering the Consumer Beat [49]
- Covering Religion on Any Beat [50]
- Covering Social Security Reform [51]
- Covering the Flu Season [52]
- Educating Viewers about Education Finance [53]
- Explaining Energy Choices [54]
- Getting a Grip on Growth [55]
- Making the Most of Meeting Stories [56]
- Reporting on Guns [57]
- Reporting on Risk [58]
- Reporting on Rural Realities [59]
- Reporting on SARS [60]
- Standards for Education Reporters [61]
- Staying Afloat in Murky Budget Waters [62]
- Translating Transit Stories for Viewers [63]
- Working With Sources on Your Beat [64]
Bias
Book Writing
Business Pressures
Capturing Voices
- Arranging Your Interview Questions [79]
- Avoiding the Suits [80]
- Broaden Your Source Base [81]
- Capturing the Reaction [82]
- Dumb Is Smart [83]
- Follow-up Questions [84]
- Getting Anecdotes [85]
- How Do You Feel? [86]
- Including Children's Voices [87]
- Interview Preparation [88]
- Know Your Funnels [89]
- Know Your Interviewee [90]
- Leading Them On [91]
- Less Is More [92]
- News from the Outside In [93]
- Nine Steps to Citizen Journalism Online [94]
- Off on a Tangent [95]
- Questions Guaranteed to Engage (Maybe) [96]
- SF Chronicle's Two Cents Project [97]
- Sounds from Silence [98]
- Sure-fire Openers [99]
- Telling the News Through Conversation [100]
- Using E-mail as a Reporting Tool [101]
- Viewers' Choice [102]
Communication
- Getting Past Barriers to Newsroom Communication [103]
- Getting Staff Involved [104]
- How an Open Newsroom Fosters Conscience [105]
- Integrating an Online Focus Into Your Newsroom Operations [106]
- Newsroom Role Reversals [107]
- Rethinking "The Merc" [108]
- The Importance of Humor [109]
- The One-Minute (OK, Maybe Five-Minute) Editor [110]
- The Reporter-Editor Relationship [111]
Conflicts of Interest
- Commercial Bribery Policy [112]
- Conflicts of Interest Checklist [113]
- Gifts Policy [114]
- The Trouble with Harry [115]
- Trust Me, I'm For [Candidate's Name Here] [116]
Digital/Online Journalism
- 'Everyone's Guide to By-Passing Internet Censorship' [117]
- A Dozen Tips for Writing News Online [118]
- Converting TV Scripts to the Web [119]
- Dos and Don'ts of Web Journalism [120]
- Five Rules for Building a Successful Online Community [121]
- How to Report a News Story Online [122]
- Integrating an Online Focus Into Your Newsroom Operations [123]
- Limiting Legal Risk [124]
- Making Money on Your News Content Website [125]
- Multimedia Literacy is Not Optional [126]
- New Citizen Journalism Sites Add to '08 Presidential Campaign Coverage [127]
- Nine Steps to Citizen Journalism Online [128]
- OJR's Ethics of Online Journalism [129]
- OJR's Tips for Writing for the Web [130]
- Online Ethics: Paid Promotional Content [131]
- Online Journalism Ethics: A New Frontier [132]
- Online Storytelling Forms [133]
- Precise Online Editing [134]
- Publishing Tools for Online Journalists [135]
- SF Chronicle's Two Cents Project [136]
- Shooting Better Online Video [137]
- The Internet-TV Connection [138]
- Tips for TV Stations On How to Avoid Copyright Violations On Their Websites [139]
- What TV Stations Look for in New Reporters [140]
- Writing Headlines, Page Titles, and Subject Lines for the Web [141]
Diversity: Ideas & Tools
- Cultural and Class Diversity [142]
- Diversity Checklist [143]
- Diversity Comes From the Bottom Up [144]
- Diversity Reviews [145]
- Does Diversity Make a Great Newsroom? [146]
- Retaining Minority Journalists [147]
- What is Diversity? [148]
Editing
- 'Hyperlocal' Copy Editing [149]
- Addressing Errors [150]
- Precise Online Editing [151]
- The Editing Model [152]
- The One-Minute (OK, Maybe Five-Minute) Editor [153]
- The Reporter-Editor Relationship [154]
- The Skeptical Editing Technique [155]
Ethics & Special Issues
- 'Everyone's Guide to By-Passing Internet Censorship' [156]
- A Journalist's Guide to the Geneva Conventions [157]
- Arab Americans - Questions and Answers [158]
- Army Times - General Standards of Conduct [159]
- Code of Ethics for Dow Jones [160]
- Commercial Bribery Policy [161]
- Conflicts of Interest Checklist [162]
- Converting TV Scripts to the Web [163]
- Covering a Serviceperson's Death [164]
- Covering Bioterrorism [165]
- Covering Intelligence Issues [166]
- Embedding Release for Iraq 2003 [167]
- Ethics Checklist [168]
- Ethics Guide for Public Radio Journalism [169]
- Ethics: Journalism's "Underpants" [170]
- Excerpts from Ethics Codes on Plagiarism [171]
- Explain Controversial Coverage To Your Audience [172]
- Gifts Policy [173]
- Ground Rules for Embedded Reporters in Iraq [174]
- How to Survive as Ombudsman [175]
- Integrating an Online Focus Into Your Newsroom Operations [176]
- Interviewing Victims - Tips & Techniques [177]
- Interviews with Victims of Accidents or Other Tragedies or Their Relatives [178]
- Journalist as "Committed Observer" [179]
- Living Your News Organization's Values [180]
- Making Money on Your News Content Website [181]
- New York Times Code of Conduct (PDF) [182]
- New York Times Editorial Board Blog [183]
- Nine Steps to Citizen Journalism Online [184]
- OJR's Ethics of Online Journalism [185]
Ethics Codes
- Army Times - General Standards of Conduct [186]
- Code of Ethics for Dow Jones [187]
- Ethics Checklist [188]
- Ethics Guide for Public Radio Journalism [189]
- Ethics: Journalism's "Underpants" [190]
- Limiting Legal Risk [191]
- New York Times Code of Conduct (PDF) [192]
- OJR's Ethics of Online Journalism [193]
- Online Ethics: Paid Promotional Content [194]
- Online Journalism Ethics: A New Frontier [195]
- Photojournalism Ethics Guidelines [196]
- Proposed Ethics Code for Coverage of Victims [197]
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Editorial Standards and Policies [198]
- RTNDA Ethics Code [199]
- RTNDA Ethics Guidelines [200]
- San Antonio Express-News Ethics Code [201]
- SPJ Code of Ethics [202]
- The Trouble with Harry [203]
- Trust Me, I'm For [Candidate's Name Here] [204]
Freedom of Information
- Help with Federal FOIA [205]
Independence
Interviewing
- Arranging Your Interview Questions [212]
- Avoiding the Suits [213]
- Capturing the Reaction [214]
- Dumb Is Smart [215]
- Follow-up Questions [216]
- Getting Anecdotes [217]
- Getting the Most from Your Interviews [218]
- Handling Tough Interviewees [219]
- How Do You Feel? [220]
- Interview Preparation [221]
- Know Your Funnels [222]
- Know Your Interviewee [223]
- Leading Them On [224]
- Less Is More [225]
- Loosening Lips [226]
- Off on a Tangent [227]
- Questions Guaranteed to Engage (Maybe) [228]
- Sounds from Silence [229]
- Sure-fire Openers [230]
- Ten Tips for a Better Interview [231]
- Using E-mail as a Reporting Tool [232]
- Working With Sources on Your Beat [233]
Investigative Tips
- Build Your New Understanding [234]
- Burden of Proof [235]
- Help with Federal FOIA [236]
- Opening the Process [237]
- Recognizing A Source's Biases and Agendas [238]
- Reporting Tips from Pulitzer Winners [239]
- Rosenbaum Note-Taking Method [240]
- Seven Basic Rules for Investigative Reporting [241]
- The "Civil Disobedience Test" for Journalism [242]
- What Did You Really Learn? [243]
Living in the Newsroom
- Community Coverage Training [244]
- Creating a "Brownbag" Program [245]
- Cultural and Class Diversity [246]
- Diversity Checklist [247]
- Diversity Comes From the Bottom Up [248]
- Diversity Reviews [249]
- Does Diversity Make a Great Newsroom? [250]
- Getting Past Barriers to Newsroom Communication [251]
- Getting Staff Involved [252]
- How an Open Newsroom Fosters Conscience [253]
- How to Survive as Ombudsman [254]
- Integrating an Online Focus Into Your Newsroom Operations [255]
- Juggling Daily News with Enterprise [256]
- Learning to Cover the Community [257]
- Living Your News Organization's Values [258]
- Managing Time Better [259]
- Multimedia Literacy is Not Optional [260]
- Newsroom Role Reversals [261]
- Retaining Minority Journalists [262]
- Rethinking "The Merc" [263]
- Ten Tips on Time Management [264]
- The Importance of Humor [265]
- The One-Minute (OK, Maybe Five-Minute) Editor [266]
- The Reporter-Editor Relationship [267]
- What Does an Ombudsman Do? [268]
- What is Diversity? [269]
- What TV Stations Look for in New Reporters [270]
Local TV
- Local TV News Project [271]
Managing Your Newsroom
- Changing a Newsroom's Culture [272]
- Cox Newspapers Guidelines on Source Anonymity [273]
- Creativity in Newsrooms: Suggestions for Editors [274]
- Dallas Morning News Policy on Confidential Sources [275]
- Diversity Checklist [276]
- Explaining Yourself [277]
- Getting Staff Involved [278]
- Inspiring Your Staff [279]
- Integrating an Online Focus Into Your Newsroom Operations [280]
- Living Your News Organization's Values [281]
- Requests for Confidentiality: Written Agreements [282]
- Retaining Minority Journalists [283]
- Ten Rules for News Managers [284]
- The Editing Model [285]
- The One-Minute (OK, Maybe Five-Minute) Editor [286]
- Training on a Shoestring [287]
- What Some News Organizations Promise [288]
- What TV Stations Look for in New Reporters [289]
Organizing the Story
Original Research
- Campaign 2000 [294]
- Local TV News Project [295]
- The Clinton-Lewinsky Scandal [296]
- The Truth Testing Role of Journalists - Case Study [297]
- Wikipedia & Newsrooms [298]
Plagiarism
Political Reporting
- A Primer on Understanding Polling [301]
- As The Nose Grows [302]
- Broaden Your Source Base [303]
- Cashing in on Campaign Finance [304]
- Covering the Whole Campaign [305]
- Digging for Sources [306]
- Escaping the Campaign Bubble [307]
- How Networks "Make the Call" on Election Night [308]
- Making Convention Coverage Interesting [309]
- Making the Political Meaningful [310]
- New Citizen Journalism Sites Add to '08 Presidential Campaign Coverage [311]
- Organization and Planning [312]
- Paul Krugman's 2004 Campaign Rules [313]
- Ruts, Traps, and Thinking Outside the Box [314]
- The Truth Testing Role of Journalists - Case Study [315]
- Using Polls and Talking to Citizens [316]
- Why reporters get it wrong [317]
Politics
Reporting
- A Guide to Using Crime Numbers [322]
- A Primer on Understanding Polling [323]
- A Psychological Approach to Requests for Anonymity from Sources [324]
- Accident Story Checklist [325]
- Accuracy Checklist: Detroit Free Press [326]
- Accuracy Checklist: San Jose Mercury News [327]
- Accuracy Checklist: Society of Professional Journalists [328]
- Accuracy Checklist: Stemer and MacCluggage [329]
- Adding Substance to Nat Sound Stories [330]
- Addressing Errors [331]
- Arranging Your Interview Questions [332]
- Avoiding the Suits [333]
- Bringing Court Stories to Life [334]
- Broaden Your Source Base [335]
- Budget Story Checklist [336]
- Build an Internal Accuracy System [337]
- Build Your New Understanding [338]
- Burden of Proof [339]
- Capturing the Reaction [340]
- Cashing in on Campaign Finance [341]
- Circles of Corroboration [342]
- Conquering the Consumer Beat [343]
- Covering Religion on Any Beat [344]
- Covering Social Security Reform [345]
- Covering the Flu Season [346]
- Covering the Whole Campaign [347]
- Cox Newspapers Guidelines on Source Anonymity [348]
- Dallas Morning News Policy on Confidential Sources [349]
- Developing Methods of Verification [350]
- Digging for Sources [351]
Statistics & Numbers
- A Guide to Using Crime Numbers [352]
- A Primer on Understanding Polling [353]
- Finding the Median [354]
- Five Common Number Mistakes [355]
- How Good Are Your Numbers? [356]
- How Poll Sampling Works [357]
- Margin of Error and Confidence Interval [358]
- Meaning of Mean [359]
- Per Capita and Rates [360]
- Percent Changes [361]
- Standard Deviation [362]
- Statistics Every Writer Should Know [363]
- Where to Get Reliable Numbers Online [364]
Storytelling
- "Making a Narrative" [365]
- A Dozen Tips for Writing News Online [366]
- Adding Substance to Nat Sound Stories [367]
- Before Reporting, Ask These Three Questions [368]
- Connect the Story to Deeper Themes [369]
- Develop Characters [370]
- Find a Hook [371]
- Find the Inherent Structure [372]
- Give Background and History [373]
- Keeping an Open Mind [374]
- Learning to Love the Paper Trail [375]
- Make Every Word Count [376]
- Multimedia Literacy is Not Optional [377]
- News from the Outside In [378]
- OJR's Tips for Writing for the Web [379]
- Online Storytelling Forms [380]
- Principles of Composition [381]
- Putting the Story in the Black Box [382]
- Reporting the 'True War' [383]
- Rosenbaum Note-Taking Method [384]
- Shooting Better Online Video [385]
- Standards for Covering Trials [386]
- Story Structures [387]
- Telling the News Through Conversation [388]
- The Internet-TV Connection [389]
- The Many Sides of a Story [390]
- Using Context to Make Stories Interesting [391]
- Using Graphics in Continuing Coverage [392]
- Using Graphics to Make the Complex Clear [393]
- Writing Clearly on Deadline [394]
Time Management
Training & Mentoring
Understanding Journalism
- How to Write a Letter to the Editor [406]
- Finding the Right Person to Contact at a News Organization [407]
- Getting Stories on Local TV News [408]
- How Networks "Make the Call" on Election Night [409]
- How People Learn from the Press [410]
- How the News is Framed [411]
- How to Survive as Ombudsman [412]
- How to Talk to the News Media [413]
- Living Your News Organization's Values [414]
- New Citizen Journalism Sites Add to '08 Presidential Campaign Coverage [415]
- New York Times Editorial Board Blog [416]
- Reinvent Journalism in 10 Easy Steps [417]
- Rethinking "The Merc" [418]
- What Citizens Should Expect from the Press [419]
- What Does an Ombudsman Do? [420]
- What Some News Organizations Promise [421]
Victims of Crime/Tragedy
Visuals & Graphics
- Adding Substance to Nat Sound Stories [426]
- Learning to Love the Paper Trail [427]
- Multimedia Literacy is Not Optional [428]
- Political Cartoons in the Age of Hillary and Barack [429]
- Shooting Better Online Video [430]
- The Internet-TV Connection [431]
- Using Graphics in Continuing Coverage [432]
- Using Graphics to Make the Complex Clear [433]
Wartime News Coverage
- A Journalist's Guide to the Geneva Conventions [434]
- Arab Americans - Questions and Answers [435]
- Covering a Serviceperson's Death [436]
- Covering Bioterrorism [437]
- Covering Intelligence Issues [438]
- Defense Department's Nine Principles of Combat Coverage [439]
- Embedding Release for Iraq 2003 [440]
- Explain Controversial Coverage To Your Audience [441]
- Ground Rules for Embedded Reporters in Iraq [442]
- Jessica Lynch: Media Myth-Making in the Iraq War [443]
- Production Standards for Coverage of Terrorists [444]
- Reporting on Risk [445]
- Reporting the 'True War' [446]
- Spotting a Phony War Hero or POW [447]
- Understanding Military Rank [448]
- Understanding War Crimes [449]
- Useful Web Sites for Covering the Military [450]
- What to Bring Into the Field [451]
- When to Keep Secrets [452]
Watchdog Reporting
- Build Your New Understanding [453]
- Burden of Proof [454]
- Faux Investigations [455]
- Help with Federal FOIA [456]
- Interpretative Investigative Reporting [457]
- Original Investigative Reporting [458]
- Recognizing A Source's Biases and Agendas [459]
- Reporting on Investigations [460]
- Reporting Tips from Pulitzer Winners [461]
- Rosenbaum Note-Taking Method [462]
- Seven Basic Rules for Investigative Reporting [463]
- Standards for Covering Trials [464]
- The History of the Watchdog Mission [465]
- The Watchdog as Prosecutor [466]
- The Watchdog Misunderstood [467]
- What Did You Really Learn? [468]
Writing Story Copy
- A Dozen Tips for Writing News Online [469]
- Connect the Story to Deeper Themes [470]
- Develop Characters [471]
- Find a Hook [472]
- Find the Inherent Structure [473]
- Give Background and History [474]
- Make Every Word Count [475]
- Multimedia Literacy is Not Optional [476]
- OJR's Tips for Writing for the Web [477]
- Principles of Composition [478]
- Story Structures [479]
- The Many Sides of a Story [480]
- Writing Clearly on Deadline [481]