I am indebted to so many friends and colleagues who have read (and reread) this book and offered so many valuable suggestions.
My thanks to active and past practitioners, faculty members, former students and friends: Laird Anderson, Dave Arnold, Mary Baer, Ken Barcus, Andy Barth, Steve Bell, Jackie Benson, Amanda Billings, Ed Bliss, Merv Block, Dane Claussen, Liz Claman, Ron Comings, Bob Conley, Evan Cornog, Carol Costello, Christine Davidson, Camilla Gant,John Doolittle, Bob Dotson, Emily Edwards, Irving Fang, Mike Ferring, Kelly Fincham, Brad Fitch, Carol Fletcher, Kymberly Fox, Wayne Freedman, Peter Goodman, Tom Grimes, Steve Hartman, Craig Helfant, Dave Hickcox, Chris James, Steve Johnson, Phil Jurey, Laura Kaufmann, Mike Kiernan, Eric Knecht, Bill Knowles, Nick Kotz, John Larson, Bill Louthan, Carol Luper, Jim Mancari, Mark Masse, Christine Caswell McCarron, Jack McWethy, Mel Mencher, Nick Mills, Joe Misiewicz, Beth Montagno, Mackie Morris, Mike Murrie, Chad Myers, Stacie Osadchaya, Charles Osgood, Jenn Palilonis, Bill Payer (who developed much of the guide to super usage), Ian Pearson, Jeff Porche, Deborah Potter, Lou Prato, Andy Rooney, Robert Siegel, Marc Silverstein, Gregg Smith, Mary Spillman, Susan Stamberg, Alan Thompson, Carl Twentier, Dan Van Benthuysen, Sara Vesser, Lafe Williams, Maria Williams-Hawkins and many others at Hofstra University, WSYX-TV, KPIX-TV, KRNV-TV, WTOV-TV and other stations across the country.
My thanks to Ziki Dekel and Stephanie Chaisson at Pearson Education, and to the following reviewers, who made valuable suggestions for this latest effort:
Andrew M. Clark
University of Texas at Arlington
Jennifer Flemming
Cal State University Long Beach
John Hoerner
University of Motevallo
Marilyn Olsen
Chicago State University
Tom Petner
William Patterson University
I’m grateful to the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation whose belief in this project made the first effort possible back in 1986.
Most of all, I want to thank my wife Carole. Along with putting up with me and this book generally, she read and critiqued much of this material … through so many drafts and so many editions. The English teacher in her did its best not to let me get away with abusing our language too much. She tried.
Bob Papper
Hofstra University