Principles of American Journalism: An Introduction

Designed to engage, inspire, and challenge students while laying out the fundamentals of the craft, this textbook - now in its fourth edition - introduces readers to the core values of journalism and its singular role in a democracy.

From the First Amendment to Facebook, this popular textbook provides a comprehensive exploration of the guiding principles of journalism and what makes it unique. Authors Stephanie Craft, Charles N. Davis, and Joy Jenkins cover the profession’s ethical and legal foundations, its historical and modern precepts, the economic landscape of journalism, the relationships among journalism and other social institutions, and the key issues and challenges that contemporary journalists face. They also discuss the current ambiguities and transitions - economic and technological - occurring in the field, from nonprofit news sites to social media’s effects on journalism.

Filled with relevant case studies, exercises, and discussion questions that encourage critical thinking about journalism and its role in society, this book helps students become better-informed media consumers as well as more mindful practitioners of journalism.

Stephanie Craft is Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Illinois, USA. Her research addresses definitions and measures of news literacy, how journalists articulate norms of practice, and journalism ethics. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Media Ethics, Journalism Practice and Journalism & Communication Monographs.

Charles N. Davis is Professor and Dean of the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, USA. Davis has served as Department Chair at the Missouri School of Journalism and also spent five years at Mizzou as Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.

Joy Jenkins is Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Missouri, USA. Jenkins’ studies have focused on how local newsrooms are managing the transition to a digital media environment, the influence of market concerns on journalists’ public service roles, how perceptions of audience and local impact shape journalistic identity, and the ways news organizations use digital platforms to facilitate dialogue with audiences.