Reporting Resources

 

Writing Tools

This section is designed to help journalists understand style and grammar, and to help find fresh story ideas.

Please let the Institute know about links that do not work, or about sources we should add. If a resource here helped you in covering a story, please let us know by emailing al.cross@uky.edu.

GRAMMAR

Guide to Grammar and Writing, http://cctc.commnet.edu/grammar/
This guide has answers to lots of questions at kinds of levels (sentences, paragraphs, essays, powerpoints, etc.)

Webgrammar, http://www.webgrammar.com/writingresources.html
Webgrammar addresses questions on grammar, spelling, and typography.

EditTeach, http://www.editteach.org/
This site has a variety of editing resources for students, professors and professionals.

STYLE

National Public Radio On-Air Style Guide, Guide
This guide helps broadcasters be consistent in word choice.

Handbook for Technical Writers, http://www.sti.nasa.gov/sp7084/contents.html
This handbook addresses style issues for those in technical reporting arena.

STORY IDEAS

Topix.net, http://www.topix.net/
This site has news stories on 300,000-plus topics with article links, and is constantly updated.

Poynter Online, http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=19160
This site has a list, compiled by Al Tompkins, of other websites that can spur story ideas.

 

 

 

The Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues helps non-metropolitan media define the public agenda in their communities, through strong reporting and commentary on local issues and on broader issues that have local impact. Its initial focus area is Central Appalachia, but as an arm of the University of Kentucky it has a statewide mission, and it has national scope. It has academic collaborators at Appalachian State University, East Tennessee State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Georgia College and State University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Marshall University, Middle Tennessee State University, Ohio University, Southeast Missouri State University, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Washington and Lee University, West Virginia University and the Knight Community Journalism Fellows Program at the University of Alabama. It is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the University of Kentucky, with additional financial support from the Ford Foundation. To get notices of Rural Blog postings and other Institute news, click here.