Community Journalism: Relentlessly Local

H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman Series

by Jock Lauterer

No matter how ambitious they may be, most novice journalists don't get their start at the New York Times . They get their first jobs at smaller local community newspapers that require a different style of reporting than the detached, impersonal approach expected of major international publications. As the primary textbook and sourcebook for the teaching and practice of local journalism and newspaper publishing in the United States, Community Journalism addresses the issues a small-town newspaper writer or publisher is likely to face.

Jock Lauterer covers topics ranging from why community journalism is important and distinctive; to hints for reporting and writing with a "community spin"; to design, production, photojournalism, and staff management. This third edition introduces new chapters on adjusting to changing demographics in the community and "best practices" for community papers. Updated with fresh examples throughout and considering the newest technologies in editing and photography, this edition of Community Journalism provides the very latest of what every person working at a small newspaper needs to know.

Genres: Nonfiction, Journalism

456 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jonathan Gregory "Jock" Lauterer was born in Bronxville, N.Y., but lived most of his life through the completion of his college education in Chapel Hill, N.C.; graduated with a double major in journalism and geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; journalist, editor, and publisher for the McDowell Express in Marion, N.C., and the Daily Courier in Forest City, N.C.; professor in the Communications Studies department at Pennsylvania State University for more than nine years; In 2000, Lauterer returned to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a teacher and photographer for the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and the founding director of the Carolina Community Media Project.

Reviews

[Mr. Sterner · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 2006, so the content does have some age on it. The sections about the internet and how small newspapers can survive definitely feel dated. However, the steady drumbeat of the book—local, local, local—was just what I needed to hear heading into this school year. Refocusing the school paper that I advise onto local coverage post-pandemic was what we needed to re-energize the staff and get back to doing what we do best: cover our community.