The Book That Every Citizen and Journalist Should Read

“What this book does better than any single book on media history, ethics, or practice is

weave . . . [together] why media audiences have fled and why new technology and megacorporate ownership are putting good journalism at risk.” —Rasmi Simhan, Boston Globe

“Kovach and Rosenstiel’s essays on each [element] are concise gems, filled with insights worthy of becoming axiomatic. . . . The book should become essential reading for journalism professionals and students and for the citizens they aim to serve.” —Carl Sessions Stepp, American Journalism Review

“If you think journalists have no idea what you want . . . here is a book that agrees with you. Better—it has solutions. The Elements of Journalism is written for journalists, but any citizen who wonders why the news seems trivial or uninspiring should read it.” —Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press

The elements of journalism are:

* Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth.

* Its first loyalty is to citizens.

* Its essence is a discipline of verification.

* Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover.

* It must serve as an independent monitor of power.

* It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise.

* It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant.

* It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional.

* Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience.

比爾•科瓦齊（Bill Kovach）是熱心新聞工作者委員會的主席。他曾任《亞特蘭大憲章報》的編輯和《紐約時報》華盛頓分社的社長。

湯姆•羅森斯蒂爾（Tom Rosenstiel）是卓越新聞項目的負責人，曾任《洛杉磯時報》的媒體評論員和《新聞周刊》國會記者團團長。他和科瓦齊閤作過兩部著作。

本書中譯者劉海龍為中國人民大學新聞學院副教授，連曉東為《中國電子報》信息通信版主編。