About "Newsthinking"
"Newsthinking" was first published
in 1981 by Writers Digest Books and purchased by about 10,000 writers.
After its first printing sold out, Bob Baker began distributing
the book himself in the mid-1990s. In 2000, the book was acquired
by Allyn & Bacon,
an international textbook company, which published it on June 4,
2001.
The new version of "Newsthinking" contains
a detailed appendix consisting of excerpts from "Nuts & Bolts," the
Los Angeles Times newsletter on writing that Bob created in 1998.
"Newsthinking" was originally written for college journalism
students and journalists in their first five years of work. But
it has developed a following among a broader range of journalists
and other writers, who applaud its sophisticated yet plain-spoken
approach to the biggest unspoken problem journalists have: "Now
that I've collected all this stuff, what the hell do I do with
it?"
"Newsthinking" Table of Contents
"Newsthinking" consists of ten chapters organized by the individual steps a reporter
puts each story through.
- Your Stance: Focusing
your powers of attention to handle the daily flood of new information
- Leads: An
introduction to "feedback" and "filters," and a journey inside
the mind of a reporter who has perfected them
- Sequencing: A
mental strategy for putting the overall story's facts in order
- Knowing
the Reader: He's impatient. He's in a hurry. What are you doing
to grab him?
- The
Perspective Paragraph: The bane of a thousand dead editors
- Your
Inner Voice: Exploiting the styles of silent speech
- Tapping
the Right Brain: Drawing on the "magic" of your writing
- Creativity: The
objective side of "magic." While you're fancifully searching for
that unique approach, here's how to make sure you're headded in
the right direction.
- Schizophrenia
in Editing: Dr. Jekyll, the reporter, meets Mr. Hyde, the editor
- Coping with Pressure: How
to spot it and how to keep your balance
"Newsthinking" observations
by professionals and professors
"It is, I believe,
the first prewriting book written from a journalistic perspective.
It was a breakthrough in the way journalists thought about their
craft . . . 'Newsthinking' was a book published before its time
. . . If you missed it the first time around, I commend it to
you now. After all, most of us are just reaching the point at which
we can truly appreciate it."
-- Jack Hart, Managing Editor/Weekends of
the Oregonian, who has edited Pulitzer Prize-winning stories
in each of the last two years
"This is the best book
on newswriting I've ever read. The three major strengths are
a wonderfully conversational and at times irreverent writing
style, a truly fresh angle on teaching newswriting-nobody else
has looked at the 'inner game' in this way-and excellent use
of graphics…This is the only text I've seen that explains
the writing process, which is the toughest thing to communicate
to students . . . It's exactly what we've needed in our writing
courses."
-- Stanley Wearden, associate professor
of journalism and mass communication, Kent State University
"Bob
Baker 'slays the dragon' of journalism . . . 'Newsthinking'
takes a hardened topic like journalism-a discipline where
many large books have been written about concise writing-and
'boils down to sugar' the qualities a writer needs for succinctness
. . . The reader is taken on a sojourn into the discipline of psychology.
Baker uses mental exercises, mental imagery and mental toughness
throughout the book to teach lessons in topics such as audience
perspective, voice and brain function . . . His sense of
balance is impeccable; his first-things-first approach places
the reader/writer at the helm of a navigable journalism . . .
I believe that most students will respond to this text as I
did as a journalism student twenty years ago when it was
originally published."
-- Rob Walsh, professor of communication,
Mitchell College, Statesville, NC
"This is not a typical
'how-to' book and does not read like one. This book is truly
how to think. And it is written in a way that helps the reader
understand the process the author is describing . . . I've
started trying to use the 'Newsthinking' 'filters' as I write
my memos!"
-- Dr. Dudley
Turner, director, school
of communication, University of Akron
To
order by phone from Allyn & Bacon, call (800) 278-3525. Ask for ISBN
0-321-08756-9. |
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