Letters to a Young Journalist

by Samuel G. Freedman

Book Overview

Over the course of a thirty-year career, Samuel Freedman has excelled both at doing journalism and teaching it, and he passionately engages both of these endeavors in the pages of this book. As an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465024556
• ISBN13: 9780465024551
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.5" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Samuel Freedman has written a letter to us all...

I picked up this book by chance and couldn't put it down. Though the title would lead one to view this as a book solely about journalism, its much more than that (though its certainly an invaluable resource for anyone aspiring to be a journalist). In a very concise and heartfelt way, Samuel Freedman has articulated the struggles and dreams, frustrations and joys of all writers, photographers, and filmmakers. He has written a deeply thoughtful book about the life of an artist. I'm indebted to him for his insights - and highly recommend this book.

Heartfelt well-crafted advice to novice journalists

American journalism is deeply flawed, but not fatally so, reporter Samuel G. Freedman argues in this clear-eyed critique of his calling. As one deeply steeped in his trade, Freedman offers both a damning indictment and an inspiring call to the next generation. Freedman structures his analysis as a series of letters to one of his students, and manages to strike just the right balance between the theoretical and the practical. He seasons his study with plenty of war stories from the front lines of journalism. In a business full of cynics, Freedman comes across as an idealist, one reporter who believes in the power of the press to change the world, in spite of dwindling readership and advertising revenue. We recommend this slim volume to anyone who works in the media or needs to understand its best intentions.

An Indispensable Handbook

No, this book is not a point-by-point on "How to be a journalist." Thankfully it is so much more valuable. If you are young and have any aspirations to serious journalism... if you have been a journalist for a long time... if you are just interested in learning what journalism is all about... you will want to own this book in hardcover. In many respects "Letters to a Young Journalist" is no mere collection of "letters" at all but the final word on the subject. Reading this book is like being in the presence of a master of his craft who understands both the ideals and the realities of its practice and masterfully --and honestly-- reconciles them. In doing so, Freedman makes journalistic ideals life-giving and heady and well within any journalist's reach, not simply youthful illusions to be discarded after years in the newsroom. I can imagine a well-seasoned journalist jumping up from his/her desk and wanting to go out an conquer the world one story at a time. Freedman manages to show how by hewing to the ideals and the rigorous practice of craft, the journalist not only can do great work but can endure and love his/her profession for a lifetime. It is funny, intelligent and condenses within its modest frame a journalism school all its own. An exciting one-sitting read and a dog-eared reference book from then on.

The best of journalism's traditional values, updated for a new generation

I was a journalist for 17 years and have a son who is entering the profession (who's therefore a part of Freedman's target audience of "young journalists"), and Freedman gets it absolutely right. This brief introduction to journalism upholds all the traditional values that need to be upheld in the profession: hard work, integrity, the ability to ask the right questions and to listen to what people tell you, the importance of starting at the bottom and learning one's craft. Most important, Freedman conveys the importance and the excitement of being a journalist. One doesn't have to cover the White House to be a success; Freedman, a former New York Times reporter who now writes books and teaches at the Columbia School of Journalism, never did that. Rather, good journalism means getting it right, telling the reader how people live day to day, what people care about, how they think and how they feel. Freedman weighs in not only against the Jayson Blairs of the world but against any nonfiction writer who fudges the details in the interest of a better story, who uses composite characters, or who makes himself or herself the story. But he's no fuddy-duddy. The unique camaraderie of newspaper work, the late nights, the deadlines, even the rounds of drinks at seedy bars --they're all here. And he gives more than adequate thought to technology, recognizing that many of the young journalists he's addressing may be writing for Web sites rather than traditional newspapers. And he cares about writing. Freedman argues for "a certain kind of subtle, dignified, formally correct prose against the slickness that too often passes for literary style, that grab-bag of sentence fragments, cliches, and elaborate metaphors." He quotes a colleague: "When the reporter in you is finished, then the writer in you has to lock the reporter out of the room. And when the writer in you is finished, then the editor in you has to lock the writer out of the room." All told, this is an indispensable book for anyone who's starting out as a journalist.