Reaching Audiences 4e

Reaching Audiences provides a brief yet thorough guide to correct, clear writing for the media. This text sets up the writing process and shows students how to accomplish each task in a mass media context. Throughout the book, the importance of the audience in considering media and messages is stressed. Illustrative and specific real life examples provide students with guidance for improving their writing. Specific skills related to spelling, grammar, accuracy, word usage, bias, research, interviewing, and other important topics are covered. By recognizing that today's students are preparing for careers in a changing media environment, this text covers a wide range of fields (print, electronic media, public relations, and advertising) and illuminates the differences and similarities in writing styles among them.Examines the writing process and includes guidelines for good writing, grammar, punctuation, bias, sources, databases, editing as part of writing, the Internet, and different types of word usage. Assists students in becoming more sensitive to language and increases awareness of stereotypes in the chapter on bias (Ch. 6). Enables students to practice skills immediately after reading about them by providing a wealth of in-chapter exercises. Demonstrates to students how to evaluate their own writing via an extensive section on self-editing. Emphasizes grammar early in the text (Ch. 2). Discusses the Internet and its effect on mass communication and provides tips for writing for the Internet that better prepare students for the different media in which they may work. Provides a list of URLs throughout Chapter 9 to help students gain a professional orientation to the Internet.