Yes, it may be a little outdated, however I find The News About The News to be a very helpful textbook supplement to the course.

I guess the function I really like about the book is the fact that after every piece of information and idea that the authors write about is immediately followed by a real-world example. This practice helps me tremendously to picture exactly what the authors are trying to convey, and allows me to apply it to my own work and writing.

Speaking of the authors, I love the fact that both Leonard Downie Jr and Robert Kaiser are season journalists who worked for a prestigious paper and have plenty of life experience between the two of them. This makes me feel as though I am in good hands and that I’m being told nothing but the truth, both verified and accurate.

I know a lot of people disagree with this book as being our textbook, since it isn’t up-to-date with a lot of what we cover in class, especially when it comes to the internet. But I feel like it’s a necessity to understand where journalism started from and how it came to be what it is today, in order to do the best we can now.