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table of contents acknowledgments ix preface xi chapter 1 — all i ever wanted to be 1 What It Takes to Excel Curiosity Common Threads It’s Not as Easy as It Looks There Is No Free Lunch Money’s Not the Motivator chapter 2 —“it”: what ya gotta have 18 The Litmus Test Choices chapter 3 — hankering to be anchoring 29 “I Wanna Be a Star” chapter 4 — tell me a story 34 What Every Reporter Needs to Do, and How to Do It Do You Qualify? Making the Right Choices Look the Other Way What They See Is What You Get The Acid Test The Blank Page chapter 5 — so what’s news? 49 Don’t Ask! Top of the Hour Used News Nielsen Ratings Horror: They Know Where You Live! Story Lines and Battle Lines The Gentle Giant chapter 6 — coochy, coochy, coo 71 Milking the Baby World’s Most Notorious Tease Debunked—Film at Eleven chapter 7 — is that fair? 78 An Objectivity Test Bond (Not James) Fact or Fiction chapter 8 — wireitis (y-er-eye’-tis) 96 An Infectious Newsroom Disease Who Do We Think We Are? chapter 9 — to act or not to act: that is the debate 105 The Osgood Files chapter 10 — how can they ask that? 122 Questioning the Questioners The Story of “Oh” A Matter of Style Don’t Quote Me, But . . . chapter 11 — get your news from us 134 We’re Not Too Bad! Substance Makes the Smart Go Wander A Penny for a Complete Thought? Size Is Important! Speaking of Managers, and We Were . . . Is Your Underwear Showing? Take Two Anecdotes and Call Me in the Morning chapter 12 — it’s the writing, stupid! 150 The Pen Is Mightier Than the Picture Names to Remember chapter 13 — if your mother tells you she loves you, check it out! 158 Dumb and Dumber? Not Quite Got the Goods? Stay Out of It! Be Careful What You Write—You May Have to Read It Begin at the Beginning To Hell in a Hand Basket? Not If We Can Help It! Persistence, Gumption, and a Bulletproof Ego Looking Forward to the Good Old Days epilogue 169 contributors 173 index 189 ...

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