It’s been a long read, but I hope it was worth it. I was fortunate to have enough time to speak with many people and really comb through the literature and research. It was enlightening and taught me much about the field of journalism. In many ways, journalism is an old field, but it’s also a very new one.
With this book I drew together a verifiable work that was coherent and, when needed, transparent. Everything in this book can be traced back to an expert or the literature, and I did my best to present options and variations in pedagogy. Moreover, I balanced the information that I found and worked hard to explain the middles and the extremes. Finally, I paid much attention to the bibliography. (To learn more, I encourage you to turn to the bibliography.)
Although many journalists are smart people who are grounded in a firm understanding of the world, there is little solid ground in journalism. Ethics, style, roles, structure, craft, and so forth hold different definitions for different people. Even the word journalist doesn’t have a definite meaning.
This text is not meant to be dogma. It’s a coherent work meant to inspire your writing. Take what you want from it. I truly believe that anybody who appreciates this work in its entirety will be able to write strong articles. I also believe that this book will help improve the writing of anybody interested.
Remember that in many ways it’s helpful to be obsessive when you write. You need to pay attention to the details. But don’t let the details cloud the larger picture. You’ll never be able to write the “perfect” article, but you will be able to write a very good one that entertains and informs others.
I’m very grateful to all the people who helped me and to all the great sources who devoted their time when interviewing with me. I’m also grateful that I live in the digital age and was able to pull together a mini meta-analysis of sorts using the Internet. I am awed by technology.
If anybody is interested in contacting me, my e-mail is writer@naveedsaleh.com.