The 2013 Edition Of The Journalist's Guide To Gun Violence Coverage

[Jack Burton]

Step by step guidelines for being an ace reporter when it comes to guns and firearms.

http://www.gunlaws.com/pdf/Dr. Brown's Guide.pdf

 

[KLB]

There are few journalists these days. We are stuck with mere reporters.

 

[Jack Burton]

There are few journalists these days. We are stuck with mere reporters.

I'd rather have just a reporter who does what the title implies. It wasn't until the profession got gussied up with "journalists" and their college degrees that they started in writing more about what they felt than what the facts were.

 

[Tomc1947]

Any Journalists members here? If so, I'd like to hear your comments.

 

[XSVskill]

After reading the first paragraph I was certain this wasn't legit...scrolled to the bottom to check sources and what not.

sure enough: "Political Satire, copyright 2013, Michael Brown. May be distributed freely in its full and unmodified
form."

 

[KLB]

I'd rather have just a reporter who does what the title implies. It wasn't until the profession got gussied up with "journalists" and their college degrees that they started in writing more about what they felt than what the facts were.

My issue is they all just regurgitate the same nonsense. They don't even seem to write their own copy. Each network just has their own slightly different version.

 

[Jack Burton]

My issue is they all just regurgitate the same nonsense. They don't even seem to write their own copy. Each network just has their own slightly different version.

Don't confuse the "news readers" at the tv stations with real reporters. They are far apart. There are a few network people who deserve to have the title but the majority of them are primped and pampered show dogs compared to the wolf of a real reporter.

 

[Jack Burton]

After reading the first paragraph I was certain this wasn't legit...scrolled to the bottom to check sources and what not.

sure enough: "Political Satire, copyright 2013, Michael Brown. May be distributed freely in its full and unmodified
form."

The purple text in the OP might have been a hint

 

[KLB]

Don't confuse the "news readers" at the tv stations with real reporters. They are far apart. There are a few network people who deserve to have the title but the majority of them are primped and pampered show dogs compared to the wolf of a real reporter.

That was pretty much my point. I just made the distinction between Journalist and reporter. A reporter to me is one that reads the news. A journalist is one that goes out and does the work to get the stories.

 

[LarryC]

When I was a young lad (long time ago), "Reporters" did "report" the news. Back then there was no TV or internet (or computers). Their "report" consisted of only FACTS. For instance if their was someone found shot, they reported the name (this was always a day or two later so the names could be reported), the location, Date the incident occurred and if known the person or persons involved, and possibly the condition of the person shot. Conjecture was not involved - only FACTS. There was a section in the papers called the "Editorial column" - This was where the "Editor" or persons could express opinions and everyone knew it was not complete fact but "opinion". If a crime was reported there was no "comments" about how it could have been prevented etc. only Who, What, When and Where. Good papers and radio did a pretty decent job of reporting the facts and people could form their own opinions.

Then came along the "Commentators" - At that time they weren't called journalists or reporters - that apparently didn't believe the common people had intelligence enough to form opinions - so they repeated the news, interjecting their ideas and views on the facts, often severely biased toward the ideas held by the owners of the papers and radio stations. Today these idiot's dribble is accepted as facts and "news", even though the facts are often wrong and totally biased by the "commentators".

Many of the books, school teachers and educators today are much the same, instead of teaching "facts" they tend to try to influence young minds into thinking and believing "their way", rather than teaching facts and allowing the young to form their own thoughts and opinions.

 

[Redtbird]

That's what I wanted to do when I read this dreck. While I never went to an official journalism school, I did grow up around the newspaper business, and took every journalism course at the junior college I attended. Plus, I was a writer on the school's paper.

The big thing we were taught was to REPORT THE NEWS ONLY. Do not editorialize. Do not inject personal feelings or emotions into any news story. Who. Where. What. When. Why. PERIOD!

Write a good first first paragraph to catch the reader's eye, then develop the story as the events unfolded. Include photographs that relate to the story and help enhance what you wrote.

If any budding reporter wants to follow the guidlines in the "style book" above, then they should go to work for the National Enquirer or any of the other similar rags you can get in the check out lines of the stores. Personally I wouldn't use any of these types of "newspapers" to cover the bottom of a bird cage or to train a new puppy.

Unfortunately this is what modern day journalism is becoming. Trash. Junk. Garbage. Sensationalized stories. Questionable facts (I use the word 'facts' very loosely). 10 per cent truth and 90 per cent made up by the person typing on a puter keyboard (I refuse to call them a writer!).

I better quit writing before I get myself in trouble with the Mods for getting too descriptive in describing this type of trash.