Journalism And Resources For News Reporting

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For the past few decades, what passes for journalism would fail the standards taught in any university. It is supposed to be about the who-what-why-when-and where and not the "I think", "I believe" subjectives nor the "It has been said" or "People say" speculatives.

News reporting must get back to its roots - to tell the story without becoming a part of it. It has nothing to do with what the reporter feels about the situation. It is only about the plain, cold, hard facts. Stop with the moralizations, the rationalizations, making excuses for or against and the other aspects of personalizing a story until it is no longer fact, but mere opinion. Give the audience credit for a few brain cells and let them come to their own conclusions.

Where Do You Come In?

With the Internet being easily available to the masses, the news can now be a people's arena. If those journalists with degrees have made a mockery of the profession, I'm sure there are many more talented people around the world who can present a story just as well as the pros.

If you have this inkling to be heard reporting the news, why not you? Get yourself a web site or a blog. Go out into the world and reel in the news you witness and share it. We can all use some fresh voices to balance out the mainstream media. Here are some references to help you become a reporter:

• Reference Sources & Tools for Journalists - Reference Sources. and Tools. This site is unlike any other. A single search box allows you to search one or all of the top American reference works.
• Journalism & Media Resources & References - freedoms [speech, expression, information. trade, professional groups. news media sites. trade publications. advocacy groups. reporting tools. political reporting tools. economic reporting tools.
• About Earthquakes - The Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno investigates earthquakes and their effects in Nevada and eastern California. NSL faculty perform seismic research worldwide.
• American Copy Editors Society - ACES site that includes tips, headlines, misused and commonly confused words.
• The American Editor
• American Media Columnist Index - Site provides a listing to over 500 political and editorial columnists whose work is published on the Internet. The index lists writers from Tom Abate to Mort Zuckerman, and also includes: Russell Baker, David Broder, Nat Hentoff, Molly Ivins, Thomas Oliphant , William Raspberry and Richard Reeves.
• AssignmentEditor.com - One stop information site for television reporters and print journalists to research and find news stories.
• Broadcasting & Cable
• Business Research Guides - Site by Rutgers University offers business research guides. This resource is divided into eighteen sections, including Business News Sources, Job Searching, Market Research, and Financing Your Business.
• CIA's Analysis Of The Soviet Union, 1947-1991 - All Documents are in PDF format.
• CIA: World Fact Book - The Central Intelligence Agency has issued the 2000 edition of its well-regarded 'World Fact Book' which is full of information about all the nations of the world.
• Census Bureau
• Muckraker: Center for Investigative Reporting - "The Center for Investigative Reporting seeks an informed citizenry and a dynamic democracy. To accomplish this, CIR conducts in-depth investigations of hidden or complex topics that impact public life, for broadcast or print in the media.
• Climate Change - New scientific findings released by Canada's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate provide new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the past 50 years is attributable to human activities.
• Copy Editing for Magazines
• Copy Editor - Links to dictionaries, stylebooks and other resources for copy editors.
• CyberJournalist.net - Tips and talk for online writers and editors.
• CyberTimes Navigator: New York Times - "Navigator is the home page used by the newsroom of The New York Times for forays into the Web. Its primary intent was to give reporters and editors new to the Web a solid starting point for a wide range of journalistic functions without forcing all of them to spend time wandering around blindly to find a useful set of links of their own."
• DefenseLink - Dept. of Defense news and briefings
• DefenseLink: Fact File - The Defense Fact File is an inter-service collection of important information. The DoD Fact File was designed and edited for reporters, and to assist military public affairs offices in giving maximum access and information to the civilian media.
• Earth from Space - Site presents the NASA Space Shuttle Earth Observations Photography database of over 375,000 images. A clickable map allows you to view landscapes, hurricanes and weather, water habitats, and other geographic features.
• Earthquake Information Center
• Editor & Publisher
• The Electronic Journalist@spj.org - "A complete resource for journalists including FOIA contacts and information, professional development, and journalism awards."
• Environmental Media Services - "A nonprofit organization dedicated to providing journalists with the most current information on environmental issues.
• Fact Check - A look into news stories to separate lies, exaggerations and mis-statements from the truth.
• FacsNet - A free site for a responsible press.
• Facts About Newspapers 2000: NAA - A statistical summary of the newspaper industry published by the Newspaper Association of America.
• FedStats - U. S. Government Statistics
• FedWorld Information Services - U. S. Government Databases
• The First Amendment Handbook - Online copy of their basic 1999 guidebook to all areas of media law relevant to journalists. From The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP), a nonprofit organization providing free legal help to reporters and news organizations.
• FOI Resource Center - comprehensive, searchable site on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was put together by the Society of Professional Journalists. It contains a state-by-state guide to access laws and contacts, sample request letters, news, the act, its history, and links to more resources on the Internet.
• Folio
• Gallup Organization, The - The highly regarded Gallup polling organization has put up a Web site which is full of information of great value to journalists, especially during the election season. From the home page, click on 'Gallup Poll' to get a detailed look at the latest polling by Gallup.
• Glossary of Stock Market Terms: Nasdaq
• Guide to Electronic and Print Resources for Journalists
• High School Journalism - Resources presented by by American Society of Newspaper Editors.
• Homicide Trends in the United States - This site contains a series of charts that describe homicide patterns and trends in the United States since 1976. Homicide is of interest not only because of its severity but also because it is a fairly reliable barometer of all violent crime. At a national level, no other crime is measured as accurately and precisely.
• The House of Representatives
• Investigative Reporters and Editors - "IRE provides educational resources to reporters, editors and others interested in investigative journalism and works to maintain high professional standards.
• inequality.org - Created by journalists, writers, and researchers, inequality.org is a non-profit organization that questions conventional measures of progress and prosperity, and looks instead at the new economy's have-nots often ignored by mainstream media coverage.
• Journal of Mass Media Ethics - "The Journal of Mass Media Ethics is devoted to explorations of ethics problems and issues in the various fields of mass communication.
• JournalismJobs.com - "The job board for media professionals."
• JournalismNet - links to search engines, directories, newspapers, magazines, archives and other US, Canadian, UK journalism sites.
• Journalist's Toolbox: Online Resources for Reporters and Editors - features more than 15,000 web sites helpful to the media and anyone else doing research.
• Journalism UK - "Journalism UK is aimed at print journalists writing for UK magazines or based in the UK, although broadcasters may find the news and other resources useful.
• Journalist's Guide to Gun Policy Scholars and 2nd Amendment Scholars - Featuring experts -- liberals, moderates, and conservatives -- whose research has led them to be skeptical of gun control.
• Journalism Resources - useful Internet resources for journalists assembled by Karla Tonella at the University of Iowa. There are 30 pages of links to such things as news sources, journalism magazines and media law resources.
• Media Associations
• Media Awards
• Media Museums
• The Media Channel - "On Media Channel, you will find original news, opinions and reports. You will also have access to hundreds of media issues organizations from all points on the globe. These include media watch groups, university journalism departments, professional organizations, anti-censorship monitors, and trade publications."
• Media Research Center - "Bringing Political Balance and Responsibility to the Media"
• NIH Health Information - Gateway to a complete index of health information for researchers, healthcare professionals, public and patients, educators and the media. Excellent ready reference covers virtually all healthcare topics and conditions.
• Nasdaq Newsroom, The - Main sections of this site are: Nasdaq News, Viewpoint, Indexes & Statistics, All About Nasdaq, Company Finder, and New Listings.
• National Archives and Records Administration
• National Hurricane Center
• Newspaper Association of America - links to newspapers, Presslink, TechNews, new media, Digital Edge, vendors, seminars & reports.
• NewsLink
• Newspaper Archives - U.S. and International Newspaper Archives on the Internet.
• Newsroom for Students - an inside look at journalism including tips for conducting research, Internet scavenger hunts, and more.
• Newstream.com - an online source for journalists to get free multimedia content to add to their news sites.
• NewsWatch - "NewsWatch's mission is to watch the media watchdog on behalf of news consumers, and to give a voice to consumers who want to talk back to the media."
• The Online Writing Lab: Purdue University - U.S. and International Newspaper Archives on the Internet
• Poisonkitchen.com - a website that focuses on newspaper journalism and is geared toward reporters, photographers and copy editors.
• Power Reporting: Resources and Training for Journalists - this directory is useful for laypersons, as well as reporters. The site, annotated and updated daily, is well-organized. Web links cover government information, people finders, company research, nonprofit research, general reference, and more.
• Poynter.org - Everything you need to be a better journalist.
• Press Freedom Survey 2000 - Site offers a country-by-country worldwide assessment of press freedom. This year's study, which examines freedom of the press in 186 countries, pays special attention to government restrictions on Internet access.
• Presstime Magazine
• Price's Lists of Lists
• Project for Excellence in Journalism - An initiative for journalists concerned about the standards of the news media.
• Public Agenda Online: Public Opinion and Public Policy - Subtitled "the journalist's inside source for public opinion and policy analysis," this site addresses controversial issues such as: abortion, America's global role, crime, the economy, education, the government, the family, the federal budget, gambling, health care, illegal drugs, immigration, Internet speech/privacy, Medicare, race, right to die, social security, and welfare.
• Pulitzer Prizes, The - Provides listings of Pulitzer Prize winners in all categories from 1917 to the present. Also has a history of the prize, plus links to resources on the Pulitzer.
• Quill Magazine
• Redflagsweekly.com - "The mission of redflagsweekly.com is to probe health and medical scientific issues in a manner that one rarely encounters in mainstream news reports."
• Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press - a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal help to journalists and news organizations.
• The Reporter's Notebook - "The Reporters Network was formed in October 1995 by Bob Sablatura, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, to promote the Internet as a research and communications medium for working journalists. Our goal is to provide a variety of services to the journalism community and the general public it serves.
• Revising Prose - site describes twelve basic principles of good prose style and illustrates most of these principles with examples.
• RobertNiles.com - Four guides for journalists.
• Statistics Every Writer Should Know
• The Stats Board
• Finding Data on the Internet
• The Senate
• September 11: Journalists' Resources
• The SLOT: A Spot for Copy Editors - Information on copy editing with tips, rules, and explanations on the less understandable parts of the English language.
• Sree.net - "Journalism professor specializing in training journalists to speak the different media "languages" of print, new media & broadcast; freelance technology writer; Web site critiquer; networking nut."
• Stateline.org - News, information and statistics on all 50 states written by journalists for journalists, policy makers and engaged citizens. A joint project of the University of Richmond and the Pew Charitable Trusts.
• Tools for Online Journalists - "The Reporters Network was formed in October 1995 by Bob Sablatura, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, to promote the Internet as a research and communications medium for working journalists. Our goal is to provide a variety of services to the journalism community and the general public it serves."
• Top 200 Government Contractors - 1999
• USUS: The Usually Useful Internet Guide for Journalists - "USUS is a comprehensive Internet guide for journalists. It was created for those who want to have a better understanding of the Internet and its potential as a journalistic research tool."
• Vanderbilt University's TV Archives - "The Television News Archive collection at Vanderbilt University is the world's most extensive and complete archive of television news. The collection holds more than 30,000 individual network evening news broadcasts and more than 9,000 hours of special news-related programming."
• Web Sites for Journalists - "An annotated introduction to selected Web pages of value to journalists."
• White House Press Briefings by Date
• Who's Alive and Who's Dead
• Who Owns What - Media companies continue to grow, and a shrinking number of them shape what we view and read. What does that mean for journalists -- and for the nation? Here are some tools for thinking about that. First, an essay on media concentration by Tom Goldstein, dean of Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism. Next, an essay on the Viacom/CBS merger by New York University's Mark Crispin Miller. And finally, WHO OWNS WHAT, CJR's Web guide to what the major media companies own.
• National Library Directory - Search for public, academic, and special library homepages and online catalogs.
• Dewey Decimal Classification System - Thousand categories from DDC 21. DDC 22 available from OCLC
• Acqweb - Information about acquisitions and collection development
• ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom
• American Library Association - National organization for libraries and librarians
• Become a Librarian - An excellent place for anybody who's thinking about joining the profession
• Censorship Pages -   Supplies information about the freedom of speech and of the press in reference to the written word. Follows free speech in the US and abroad plus banned books
• Internet Public Library - Includes frequently asked requested reference questions
• OCLC Connexion - An OCLC initiative to create a metadata system for bibliographic records and pathfinders describing electronic resources, formerly called CORC.
• Library of Congress
• Online catalogs
• Copyright Office
• Classification system
• American Memory - Historical Collections from the National Digital Library
• Gateway to Library Catalogs Library of Congress - Search hundreds of library catalogs using Z39.5
• Library Support Staff - Resources for library paraprofessionals, includes online learning sites.
• LISNews - Gathers library news in academic & public libraries
• Internet Library for Librarians - Index of sites of interest for library science 
• Librarian's Yellow Pages - Including listings for libraries and businesses in information science
• Library Journal
• LibrarySpot
• Gary Price's List of Lists - Frequently requested rankings, polls and lists compiled mostly by special interest groups and non-profit organizations
• National Archives and Records Administration - NARA, an independent federal agency, preserves and manages federal records; federal collections and preservation issues are posted on this site.
• Neat New Stuff on the Web - Weekly reviews of new sites by Marylaine Block, librarian without walls
• Online Books  Page - Library Science links to FT books such as Understanding MARC, Library of Congress Classification Outline (current edition) , and many specialized bibliographies.
• OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. - One of the premier world-wide bibliographic utilities
• Using Archives: A Practical Guide for Researchers
• Virtual Acquisition Shelf & News Desk - Current source of reference news and links for librarians
• WebJunction - Online community made up of libraries and other organizations that offers information about technology and computer issues