Book Review: Must-have books for journalists
Book Review:
Read, Read, Read!
Must-have books for journalists
By Jose Bimbo F. Santos
In any field, experience—whether your own or those of others—is said to be the best teacher. Journalists, as well as journalism students, will therefore find the following books useful as reference or simply for enjoyment. By no means a definitive list of the essential books on the craft, the list contains just a few of the titles that reporters and editors can run to in those moments of uncertainty. Others are simply good reads like that of the late Oriana Fallaci whose interviews were as controversial as they were illuminating.
Explaining the value of reference books on journalism, Vergel O. Santos, author of The Newswriting Formula, put it best when he said in his book’s introduction: “I think many of us practitioners tend to take more credit than we deserve for our instincts and to give none to theoreticians… I returned to the very theories I had been told on the job to forget and, relating them to the craft, found them to have influenced it decidedly.”
Most of these books have been around for some time. Except for one or two, they could be easily found in bookstores or the organizations that published them.
Interview with History (1976)
by Oriana Fallaci
This book is a rich collection of personal interviews done by the very colorful Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci who died in September this year. It includes the most notable leaders of her time and some of the more controversial political figures like American diplomat Henry Kissinger (with whom Fallaci was rumored to have had an affair), Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (whom she hated and ridiculed), and the Vietnamese general Vo Nguyen Giap (who defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu and whom she admired).
These interviews, conducted in the 1970s for the Italian news weekly L’Europeo, reveal as much about the subjects as the interviewer. Passionate, opinionated and outspoken, Fallaci—unlike a good number of celebrity journalists today—was well-informed and highly intelligent. In another book, she berated a television anchor who did not know the difference between a communist and an anarchist (“Oh my God! You cannot insult philosophy like this! Who prepared this question?”).
From her interviewees, she elicited unexpected reactions such as those of Kissinger who agreed with her that the Vietnam War was a “useless war.” Relentless in her questioning, she was not afraid to provoke (to former Israeli premier Golda Meir: “They say that you’re very hard, inflexible.”), taunt (to Arafat: “I’m only asking how old you are. You’re not a woman. You can tell me.”); or seduce (“Unless I’m mistaken, you’re a very cold man, Dr. Kissinger.”).
Stripped of the drama and sheer power of her work, Fallaci shows that her technique boils down to some old-fashioned journalistic values: preparedness for the interview, mastery of a subject matter, and boldness in asking questions.
Combining passion with impartiality, Fallaci said after Pakistani leader Ali Bhutto invited her to interview him: “I let him know that being his guest would not keep me from writing about him with the same independence of judgment that I applied to everyone without distinction, and that no amount of courtesy would buy me off.”
The interviews Fallaci gathered for her book took place more than three decades ago but they resonate like echoes whose first voices continue to be ignored by the foolish leaders of today.
Media in Court (1997)
by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility
This book provides a comprehensive road map of the country’s justice system useful for young reporters and journalism students.
Legal jargon and court procedures are explained. From arrest to judgment day, a reader is led to understand the legal process. A list of different legal terms is also appended to the book.
Similarly, the system’s weaknesses, like delays, are also detailed along with some suggestions on how to cope with them while reporting. Reporters are given tips on how to develop sources and work within the legal limits involved in covering the courts.
Staying Alive (2006)
by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism and the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists
With more than 60 journalists killed in the line of duty since 1986, the book Staying Alive should come in handy to every media person who wants to, well, stay alive in these dangerous times.
The manual, which advocates responsibility as the best preventive measure against attacks, provides a refresher course on ethical principles such as fairness and objectivity, and how to guard against discrimination and sensationalism.
It also contains a section on empowering the public as a means of helping build a more responsible press. Guidelines are provided on how a reader could write to a news organization or complain against a broadcaster or reporter.
Similarly, there are suggestions on how to deal with surveillance, death threats, unlawful searches and detention, secure the newsroom against attacks, and keep one’s family safe. Procedure for reporting an attack is also provided.
The book also gives tips on how to stay out of harm’s way, especially when covering rallies and conflicts.
The News Writing Formula (1989)
by Vergel O. Santos
This book is a detailed guide on the do’s and don’ts of news writing. It dissects the news story and explains the function of each part.
Santos shows what makes a lead effective and a story substantial and well organized. Tips on how to write a sidebar story are all given.
Written from the point of view of the journalist for whom English is a second language, the book makes a list of the pitfalls to be avoided like the use of idioms, unfamiliar expressions, awkward modifiers, and the passive voice.
Uncovering the Beat (1997)
by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
The book is a comprehensive guide to the eight major beats that a reporter may find himself assigned to, such as the police, the courts, Congress, the presidency, the economy, the environment, education, and health. Veteran journalists who have covered the beats explain the history, function, and structure of the government institutions as well as the officials who inhabit them.
“Intended as a road map, survival guide and security blanket” for journalists, Uncovering the Beat can also be a useful guide for the layman who simply wants to know the structures, policies, and practices of the highest offices of the land.
The Elements of Style (2000)
by William Strunk and E.B. White
Widely considered as the writer’s bible, The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White (then of the New Yorker) provides almost all the information one needs to know about writing. It sheds light on the most commonly misused words and expressions, rules on punctuation and grammar, and the logic of style. Simple and concise, this book is also fun to read.
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