Don't subscribe to a newspaper but looking for an easy way to keep up on what's
happening in the world? The answer is as close as the nearest computer keyboard.
Hundreds of news organizations publish web sites that feature up-to-the-minute
news. Here's an alphabetical sampling of what's out there:
ABC News | AP Breaking News | AP Top News | AP Washington News | The Boston Globe | CBS News
The Cedar Rapids Gazette | The Chicago Tribune | CNN | The Daily Iowan | The Des Moines Register
Des Moines Today | The Iowa State Daily | Kansas City Star | The Los Angeles Times | London Telegraph
Minneapolis Star-Tribune | MSNBC | The Nando Times | The New York Daily News | The New York Post
The New York Times | The Simpsonian | The Times of London | The Washington Post
USA Today | The Washington Times
Lexis-Nexis: An extremely comprehensive full-text collection of general and topical news from U.S. and other sources, searchable by keyword and available to Simpson students through Dunn Library. All students should use this resource for this and other courses. For our purposes, Lexis-Nexis is an incredible backgrounding tool.
OJR's Guides to Journalistic Resources: These guides list useful journalistic Internet resources, as recommended by journalists who use them regularly in the course of their reporting.
The Power of Words: The Providence Journal has been publishing online writing tips for two years. Check this site for lots of great tips from professionals. Note how many of the categories of information here correspond directly to topics we're discussing in our course.
Newspaper Interviewing 101: These are tips for beginners on conducting journalistic interviews. The were written for participants in the Detroit Free Press high school apprenticeships.
Newspaper Writing 101: These are tips for beginners on writing newspaper articles. Again from the Detroit Free Press.
Follow Your Curiousity to Find Better Stories: Some tips on finding winning story ideas, from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
Sometimes a good story is right under your nose: Karen Lee Ziner found a story in the fact that a boat was rotting away on a vacant lot in the middle of the city. Here's how she found the story.
The Elements of Style: William Strunk wrote this little handbook for his students at Columbia University in 1918. It remains a wonderfully concise guide for students who are interested in becoming better writers.
Associated Collegiate Press: The site for students interested in college journalism. Includes information on ACP conventions, which Simpson students often attend.
The Journalist's Toolbox: A very comprehensive site for students interested in learning and working in journalism and communications.
Thinking Critically about World Wide Web Resources: The World Wide Web has a lot to offer student journalists, but not all sources are equally valuable or reliable. Here are some points to consider.
Howard Kurtz: Kurtz is the Washington Post's writer on media issues. He often tackles stories of interest to journalists. Click on his name for a frequent update on his work.