Guiding the way to proper punctuation and chapters 1, 2 & 3

AP Controls punctuation, and therefore, meaning:

If one writes like me, with semi-colons, commas, and dashes mixed all into one sentence, start over. Because there are so many punctuation notes, I'm going to cover the ones that I need to focus on the most: dashes, colons, commas, and semicolons.

Colons:
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or start of a complete sentence. Colons are good for emphasis, times, and dialogs. DASHES AND COLONS ARE NOT FRIENDS.

Commas:
Use to separate elements in a series, with equal adjectives (ie: to separate a series of adjectives equal in rank), keeping introductory clauses separate from their enemy, the main clause, and with conjunctions. Yes, you must place a comma after agreeing with someone, and no, it's not possible to omit the important comma with "no" either.

Dashes:
If you are writing, and suddenly have a change of thought, use Mr. Dash. Or, if you insert a series of items into a phrase. Please remember that spaces on both sides of a dash are necessary in all uses.

Semicolon:
Use to clarify a series. The AP Stylebook uses "He is survived by a son, John Smith, of Chicago; three daughters, Jane Smith, of Wichita, Kan., Mary Smith, of Denver, and Susan, of Boston; and a sister, Martha, of Omaha, Neb." as an example.

When "and, but, and for" are not present in a sentence, use the semicolon. The AP Stylebook does not like it when semicolons are used to separate independent clauses, prefering writers to just make the clauses individual sentences.

Alas, I like to break many of the AP's punctuation rules. But now, at least, I know how to play by the rules.

CH. 1: The Nature of News
When convergence was the hottest catch word in journalism, the Missouri Group chose to dedicated a whole chapter to talking about it. How journalists are finding themselves writing for print, online, and broadcast all for one story. No longer are print journalists just for newspapers-they are for multimedia presentations on the paper's website, even if using a camera is not their strong point.

News is Relevance, Usefulness and Interest. Basically, as a journalist, you have to know your audience. What may be relevant in one town is not necessarily important in another. The most important guidelines for judging what is news are: impact, conflict, novelty, prominence, proximity, and the most important, timeliness. In such a fast paced world, if a journalist doesn't cover a car crash the day it happened, instead holding it to the next day, the car crash has now become old, and therefore, not important to citizens.

Journalism has come under fire lately because of sensationalistic news stories, especially in broadcast news. Therefore, a journalist should always take into consideration his or her audience base before deciding to cover a story. Always make sure to tell the truth: We are serving the people, and they deserve to know nothing less than the truth. We uphold democracy by keeping the powers that be accountable for their actions. Therefore, we should be as accurate and fair as humanly possible so that our audiences know the facts.

Ch. 2: The Changing News Business
Media conglomerates are taking over news businesses and stuffing them into one room: print journalists in Florida share a newsroom with television and online journalists, all in the name of saving money. Does this really help the public get their news faster? In some ways, I think it does. Having journalists who have specialized in different areas in one room gives everyone a bit of a boost- if a print story needs to be written, as the print journalists, and likewise, have the television journalist take that print story and rewrite it for on air personalities.

On the other hand, it complicates things. The lines between print and broadcast are now blurred, with broadcast stations having websites and affiliations with papers. Stories can be shared, but advertising the parent or sister company is also expected. As a journalist, I don't like thinking about third parties when I'm writing, but with large corporations constantly breathing down your neck, it's hard not to. Journalists have to be stronger and more forceful now more than ever.

Ch. 2 also goes on to give a detailed description of a working newspaper: how it goes from a reporter's story to the final product on the streetcorner. Magazine production and organization is tackled in the same manner, although not as detailed, which is a shame, really. Long-form journalism is great, and the process from idea to final product is also long, difficult, and interesting.

Broadcast and Online production systems are tackled too, to complete the varied forms of journalism today.

Ch. 3: Interviewing
The most important part of an interview is to build trust with the person you need information from. If the interviewee doesn't trust you, you may be getting a party line, or simply no information at all. To further the process of getting an interviewee comforatable with you, do your research: know about the person whom you are speaking to, as well as the organization(s) that they work for. Be smart.
Sometimes, journalists have to work hard for their information, and have to ask tricky questions in order to get a source to reveal an important piece of knowledge. While this doesn't happen often, it can, and every journalist should know how and when to use investigative techniques to get a source to talk.

You are in control of the interview. The interviewee should not know the specific questions you are going to ask, although it's helpful to let them know of the general topic, that way they aren't totally suprised.

Always finish an interview by asking the source if you could call them back if you have any more questions--that way, no bridges will be burned, and if the story changes, or facts don't match, you have a way to figure out the truth.

Observe, as well as ask questions. Note surroundings and body language. All are important to include as background knowledge to a story, or give you a clue as to whether or not the person is lying.

And that is the long--and the short--of the journalism industry and how to get the facts.