The Bookshelf
The link below will take you to a page of books recommended for journalism educators, organized by subject — from teaching print, broadcast and online journalism to style guides and handbooks. The list is far from complete and we invite you to send any suggestions for books that would be of particular interest to Canadian journalism students and instructors, for us to consider adding to the list.
Photo by Stewart Butterfield, used under Creative Commons license
Journalism
Journalism – The Democratic Craft
by G. Stuart Adam and Roy Peter Clark
An anthology and textbook for instructors who want to integrate journalism theory and practice. It begins with inspirational reflections on journalism and democracy, followed by commentary on the journalistic craft. Each section features a concluding study guide and exercises that have been class-tested by the authors, G. Stuart Adam, a professor at Carleton University and Roy Peter Clark, a Senior Scholar at the Poynter Institute.
The Invention of Journalism Ethics: The Path To Objectivity and Beyond
by Stephen J. A. Ward
The book explores the ethical assertions of journalists over the past few centuries, focusing on the changing relationship between journalist and audience. This historical analysis leads to an innovative theory of pragmatic objectivity that enables journalists and the public to recognize and avoid biased and unbalanced reporting. The book’s author is an associate professor of journalism ethics at the University of British Columbia.
Morals and Media: Ethics in Canadian Journalism
by Nicholas Russell
The revised edition of this book outlines why the media behave the way they do and the many changes that have taken place in the Canadian media in the last 10 years. It also explores the differences between the ethical issues in the Canadian and American media.
Reporting
Digging Deeper, A Canadian Reporter’s Research Guide
by Robert Cribb, David McKie, Dean Jobb and Fred Vallance-Jones
A comprehensive guide to investigative journalism, written by four award-winning Canadian journalists. The book provides a step-by-step approach, from conceiving an investigative project to editing the final product. It also celebrates stories from some of Canada’s top investigative writers. More details and a link to order exam copies can be found at Oxford University Press.
The Canadian Reporter
by Carman Cumming and Catherine McKercher
An introductory news writing and reporting text based on the way journalism is practiced in Canada.
Writing
Page 1: 50 Years of Great Canadian Journalism
by Kathy English and Nick Russell
A collection of great Canadian journalism published in 1999. This book is a collection of stories in both French and English, as well as cartoons, that have won National Newspaper Awards in Canada.
Writing with Spirit: A Journalistic Guide to Effective Writing
by Lois Sweet
A book full of practical advice and examples about how to sharpen writing skills, written for writers of all levels and specifically with Canadian Christians in mind. The book is written by Lois Sweet, an associate professor of journalism at Carleton University and the author of God in the Classroom: The Controversial Issue of Religion in Canada’s Schools.
The PWAC Guide to Roughing it in the Market: A Survival Toolkit for the Savvy Writer
by Angie Gallop
A guide full of practial tips from more than 20 Canadian freelance writers who have been successfully making a living. They offer advice on how much to charge, sample letters, a sample contract as well as how to negotiate.
Interviewing
How to Interview: The Art of Asking Questions
by Paul McLaughlin
Self Counsel Series.
Broadcast Journalism
A guide to what makes good radio journalism, produced by CBC Learning and Development.
A guide to writing CBC Radio style.
A guide to writing for CBC Television, produced by CBC Learning and Development.
Storytelling with the Camcorder
A comprehensive guide for journalists working in news and current affairs about the technical and creative aspects of shooting with journalistic tools produced by CBC Learning and Development.
The Television Storyteller: A Guide for TV Journalists
Guidelines and tips for improving the quality of television journalism produced by CBC Learning and Development.
A practical guide to writing simply for television.
Online Journalism
Journalism 2.0: How to Survive and Thrive – A digital literacy guide for the information age
by Mark Briggs
An introductory textbook about journalism in a new media world.
Flash Journalism: How to Create Multi-Media News Packages
by Mindy McAdams
An excellent guide for those packaging news material for presentation online. Great step-by-step examples and additional online material for students and instructors.
Online News: Journalism and the Internet
by Stuart Allan
Published in August 2006 this book promises insights into the way in which journalism is evolving on the Internet, the emergence of blogging and its impact on journalism, and the influence of citizen journalism in stories such as the London bombings and the South Asia tsunami.
Computer-Assisted Reporting
Digging Deeper: A Canadian Reporter’s Research Guide
by Robert Cribb, David McKie, Dean Jobb and Fred Vallance-Jones
A comprehensive guide to investigative journalism, written by four award-winning Canadian journalists. The book provides a step-by-step approach from onceiving an investigative project to editing the final product. It also celebrates stories from some of Canada’s top investigative writers. More details and a link to order exam copies can be found at Oxford University Press.
Style Guides, Dictionaries and other Handbooks
Editing Canadian English
by The Editors’ Association of Canada
An important tool to help sort out specific distinctions between British and American editorial style and language usage. This helpful reference is especially useful for editors, journalists, writers, students, teachers, copywriters and anyone who needs authoritative information on the proper usage of Canadian English.
A guide to writing according to the most widely accepted Canadian news style. The new, 14th edition promises easy-to-follow guidelines on:
– capitalization, punctuation, abbreviations and other style and editing issues
– a chapter on writing for and about the Internet
– advice on writing with style and colour as well as good taste
– up to date information on changes to Canada’s laws on polls, elections and youth justice
– current advice on how to use access-to-information laws
