SYNPOSIS"Today the Internet stands as the single largest source of information available anywhere in the world".
The Internet today plays a vital part in our lives. From a journalist's perspective, the Net will only get better and the information it provides useful. The book is very important for journalists as it provides an in-depth analysis of how to succeed in Internet reporting. "Today the new frontier for computer savvy journalists is the Internet", says Christopher Callahan, Former Associated Press Reporter who makes his emphasis clear on the Internet as reporting tool.
The first chapter `Journalists and the Net' explains what is the Internet and how to think strategically about the Internet. `Navigating the Net' teaches about building a reliable set of sources and explains terms like the worldwide web, navigators and bookmarks.
`Evaluating Information from the Internet' deals with myths about the Internet, its credibility and how to decode web addresses. `Basic Reporting Resources and References' explain newsroom policies for Internet reporting, telephone and crisscross directories, and how to find state and public records.
`Top Data Sites for News Stories' give web addresses of federal government, business, legal sources, state and local government and other federal agencies. ` On Line News' deals with growth of on line newspapers, local news breaking, newspaper archives and national publications.
`Strategic Searching' explores the right way of using search engines to get best results and provides a list of best search engines. ` Building an Electronic Beat' and `Electronic Mail' explain how to build a new system of Internet sites specific to news beat, E-mail decoding, finding E-mail addresses.
`Mailing Lists and Newsgroups' talk about E-mail discussion groups and newsgroups to find expert sources. ` Professional Development' lists some of the best journalism web sites and explains how the Internet can be useful to journalists. The last chapter ` The Future of the Internet' explores what the future may hold for journalists looking toward the Internet as a reporting tool.
Word count - 327.
Commentary
"This is not a computer book: it's a journalism book." says Christopher Callahan, associate dean at the university of Maryland college of Journalism who is also a senior editor at AJR (American Journalism Review). The book is written in clear, plain prose with as little jargon as possible. As a bonus, each chapter is supplemented by stories from other journalists on how they have used the Internet to do their work - track tornadoes in Minnesota, investigate the state of fisheries and wetlands, analyze standardized tests in elementary schools and details how recycled hazardous waste gets into fertilizer.
This book is a great help to college journalism students and professional reporters and editors to enhance their skills as journalists with help of the Internet. Journalists can save time with the help of the Internet and use the time in other aspects of a story through more in depth reporting. The Net can help a great deal in cases where no sources are available.
I personally liked the book, as I now know how to use the Internet efficiently. It is also a good guide for students who are not familiar to the Net. This is a practical text that offers a journalism perspective in reporting. Many such books on Internet usage have very general tips on how to surf the Net, while Callahan's book has a specific journalism audience, which is very efficient.
Anecdotes in each chapter explain how reporters around the country have been able to do stories that would have been costly or too time intensive to go after without the Internet. This book establishes a personalized list of bookmarks, databases, and the electronic equivalent of a journalist's contact book. One of the positive aspects of the book lies in the web addresses listed. They can be beneficial to journalists who can use them effectively.
The best chapter I liked in the book was on how to decode web addresses. Students have a difficult time to find correct web addresses or sites related to journalism. Callahan has given useful tips to find correct web addresses and search engines. Also the chapter on, On-line News was very interesting as it talked about how On-Line news really breaks stories on the Net.
One negative aspect of the book is its target on American journalists. The book can be a useful guide to American journalists as the information is relevant to their interests. Students in India would benefit less from the web addresses and information on America, but the book is useful as a good guide to the Internet.
Thus we can say that Callahan's book teaches us to use the Net effectively.
Word count- 441.
