We’ll read Journalism books for Jackathon this weekend (October 10th or 11th).
A reading list is compiled with input from within Initium Lab team and our colleagues.
Most on the list are in English; some are Chinese.
The reading list covers books about
- Data Journalism, such as the Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting,
- Human bias, such as Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking: Fast and Slow,
- Storytelling, such as Robert McKee’s Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting,
- Writing, such as Stephen King’s On Writing, and
- Tradition of Journalism, such as The Elements of Journalism.
You’ll read one or more books in one day and share your learning with other participants.
If you like to participate, please fill in the form here: http://goo.gl/forms/74dOlnSqUe.
We’ll check the availability of potential participants and determine the final date, and notify everyone as soon as feasible.
The book list is as follows, categorized by theme.
Data Journalism
The Data Journalism Handbook
A rich collection of cases demonstrating use of computer and statistical methods in Journalism.
Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting
The book focuses on getting and cleaning data, with emphasis on user-generated information.
Availability
Free at http://verificationhandbook.com/book2/chapter1.php
Numbers in the newsroom: using math and statistics in News
The book mainly talks about application of basic Mathematics and Statistics in Journalism.
Availability
中国数据新闻工作坊培训手册
(Chinese book)
A compilation of a training workshop which taught the whole flow of Data Journalism.
Availability
Freely available at http://djchina.org/2015/09/01/china-data-journalism-training-content/
The Signal and the Noise
Written by Nate Silver, founder of FiveThirtyEight.com, an icon in Data Journalism. Introduces statistical thinking in daily lifes and the common mistakes made by media people.
Thinking
A Tradecraft Primer: Structured Analytic Techniques for Improving Intelligence Analysis
It introduces the thinking techniques used by Central Intelligence Agency, published by CIA itself. Very practical.
A data journalist is really like an intelligence analyst, who deals with a constant flow of unreliable and contradictory information, needs to deliver insights quickly, and faces pressures to favour certain conclusions.
Freely available at https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/Tradecraft%20Primer-apr09.pdf
Rationality: From AI to Zombies
For people unfamiliar with cognitive psychology and decision theory, this could be an eye-opener. Written by a AI researcher and is really an edited collection of his blog posts.
Thinking, Fast and Slow / 思考，快与慢
Detailed introduction into the study of (human) heuristics and biases, i.e., the predictable pattern of our thinking mistakes. The author is a psychologist who won a Nobel Economics prize.
[Supplementary] Wikipedia: List of Cognitive Biases
As journalists, it is crucial for us to be aware of our own biases.
This is A rather comprehensive list of cognitive biases, most of which have their own Wikipedia pages giving further details.
Freely available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases
Storytelling
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting
Principles to make a story compelling from a screenplay writer’s perspective. The book also includes critiques and analysis on movies to illustrate its ideas. An inspiring book for nonfiction writers and journalists who are interested in writing features.
The Art and Craft of Feature Writing: Based on the Wall Street Journal Guide
A step-by-step guide for turning out great articles. The book provides beginners with a systematic approach to feature writing and new tricks.
Your Screenplay Sucks: 100 Ways to Make it Great
Piecemeal advice about writing good screenplays that sell. May require some basic understanding of the structure and purposes of stories. Highly readable.
Writing
Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace
A step by step guide to writing correctly and clearly. It is very practical and even somewhat applies to Chinese writing.
The older version is better, as they’re free from revisionist tampering.
On Writing
Written by Stephen King, an American novelist. This is more a memoir than it’s a textbook, but a substantial part is about use of the English and writing (fiction, mostly).
On Writing Well
This is a book for journalism students as well as everyone to learn how to write clearly and elegantly (in English), covering kinds of genres and a wide range of topics such as people, places, science, tech, business, sports, arts, etc.
Proust and the Squid
This book is about the neurology of reading. How exactly does reading work? What can we know about reading from people with Dyslexia (unable to read, but intelligent otherwise) ?
Interviewing and Tradition of Journalism
在追问中逼近真实
(Chinese book)
Covers basic aspects of reporting about people.
The Elements of Journalism
A comprehensive description of (Western) journalists’ ideas about the core values of Journalism. (Spoiler: it’s “Objectiviy”.)
Availability