Why Writing Still Matters


Book Description

In an age of new media, with its concerns about fake news and misinformation, this fascinating book provides a clearly articulated rationale for why writing matters – now, more than ever before. It will delight and inspire undergraduates and general readers with its carefully considered and richly illustrated treatment of writing.




The Only Business Writing Book You'll Ever Need


Book Description

A must-have guide for writing at work, with practical applications for getting your point across quickly, coherently, and efficiently. A winning combination of how-to guide and reference work, The Only Business Writing Book You’ll Ever Need addresses a wide-ranging spectrum of business communication with its straightforward seven-step method. These easy-to-follow steps save you time from start to finish, and helpful checklists will boost your confidence as they keep you on track. You’ll learn to promote yourself and your ideas clearly and concisely—whether putting together a persuasive project proposal or dealing with daily email. Laura Brown’s supportive, no-nonsense approach to business writing is thoughtfully adapted to the increasingly digital corporate landscape. She provides practical tips and comprehensive examples for all the most popular forms of communication, including slide presentations, résumés, cover letters, web copy, and a thorough guide to the art of crafting e-mails and instant messages. Insightful sidebars from experts in various fields demystify the skills of self-editing, creating content, and overcoming writer’s block, and Brown’s reference-ready resources on style, punctuation, and grammar will keep your writing error-free. Nuanced, personable, and of-the-moment, The Only Business Writing Book You’ll Ever Need offers essential tools for success in the rapidly changing world of business communication.




Why Journalism Still Matters


Book Description

Can we talk about the news media without proclaiming journalism either our savior or the source of all evil? It is not easy to do so, but it gets easier if we put the problems and prospects of journalism in historical and comparative perspective, view them with a sociological knowledge of how newsmaking operates, and see them in a political context that examines how political institutions shape news as well as how news shapes political attitudes and institutions. Adopting this approach, Michael Schudson examines news and news institutions in relation to democratic theory and practice, in relation to the economic crisis that affects so many news organizations today and in relation to recent discussions of “fake news.” In contrast to those who suggest that journalism has had its day, Schudson argues that journalism has become more important than ever for liberal democracies as the keystone institution in a web of accountability for a governmental system that invites public attention, public monitoring and public participation. For the public to be swayed from positions people have already staked out, and for government officials to respond to charges that they have behaved corruptly or unconstitutionally or simply rashly and unwisely, the source of information has to come from organizations that hold themselves to the highest standards of verification, fact-checking, and independent and original research, and that is exactly what professional journalism aspires to do. This timely and important defense of journalism will be of great value to anyone concerned about the future of news and of democracy.




A World Without "Whom"


Book Description

"A provocative and jaunty romp through the dos and don'ts of writing for the internet" (NYT)--the practical, the playful, and the politically correct--from BuzzFeed copy chief Emmy Favilla. A World Without "Whom" is Eats, Shoots & Leaves for the internet age, and BuzzFeed global copy chief Emmy Favilla is the witty go-to style guru of webspeak. As language evolves faster than ever before, what is the future of "correct" writing? When Favilla was tasked with creating a style guide for BuzzFeed, she opted for spelling, grammar, and punctuation guidelines that would reflect not only the site's lighthearted tone, but also how readers actually use language IRL. With wry cleverness and an uncanny intuition for the possibilities of internet-age expression, Favilla makes a case for breaking the rules laid out by Strunk and White: A world without "whom," she argues, is a world with more room for writing that's clear, timely, pleasurable, and politically aware. Featuring priceless emoji strings, sidebars, quizzes, and style debates among the most lovable word nerds in the digital media world--of which Favilla is queen--A World Without "Whom" is essential for readers and writers of virtually everything: news articles, blog posts, tweets, texts, emails, and whatever comes next . . . so basically everyone.




Academic Diary


Book Description

Sharp and witty observations of academic life that range from the local to the global, from PowerPoint to the halls of power. Is a university education still relevant? What are the forces that threaten it? Should academics ever be allowed near Twitter? In Academic Diary, Les Back has chronicled three decades of his academic career, turning his sharp and often satirical eye to the everyday aspects of life on campus and the larger forces that are reshaping it. Presented as a collection of entries from a single academic year, the diary moves from the local to the global, from PowerPoint to the halls of power. With entries like “Ivory Towers” and “The Library Angel,” these smart, humorous, and sometimes absurd campus tales not only demystify the opaque rituals of scholarship but also offer a personal perspective on the far-reaching issues of university life. Commenting on topics that range from the impact of commercialization and fee increases to measurement and auditing research, the diary offers a critical analysis of higher education today. At the same time, it is a passionate argument for the life of the mind, the importance of collaborative thinking, and the reasons that scholarship and writing are still vital for making sense of our troubled and divided world.




Journalism


Book Description

Despite the criticisms that have been leveled at news organizations in recent years and the many difficulties they face, journalism matters. It matters, argues Schudson, because it orients people daily in the complex and changing worlds in which they live. It matters because it offers a fact-centered, documented approach to pertinent public issues. It matters because it keeps watch on the powerful, especially those in government, and can press upon them unpleasant truths to which they must respond. Corruption is stemmed, unwise initiatives stopped, public danger averted because of what journalists do. This book challenges journalists to think hard about what they really do. It challenges skeptical news audiences to be mindful not only of media bias but also of their own biases and how these can distort their perception. And it holds out hope that journalism will be for years to come a path for ambitious, curious young people who love words or pictures or numbers and want to use them to improve the public conversation in familiar ways or in ways yet to be imagined.




Because Writing Matters


Book Description

This updated edition of the best-selling book Because Writing Matters reflects the most recent research and reports on the need for teaching writing, and it includes new sections on writing and English language learners, technology, and the writing process.




Reactive Web Applications


Book Description

Summary Reactive Web Applications teaches web developers how to benefit from the reactive application architecture and presents hands-on examples using the Play framework. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Technology Reactive applications build on top of components that communicate asynchronously as they react to user and system events. As a result, they become scalable, responsive, and fault-tolerant. Java and Scala developers can use the Play Framework and the Akka concurrency toolkit to easily implement reactive applications without building everything from scratch. About the Book Reactive Web Applications teaches web developers how to benefit from the reactive application architecture and presents hands-on examples using Play, Akka, Scala, and Reactive Streams. This book starts by laying out the fundamentals required for writing functional and asynchronous applications and quickly introduces Play as a framework to handle the plumbing of your application. The book alternates between chapters that introduce reactive ideas (asynchronous programming with futures and actors, managing distributed state with CQRS) and practical examples that show you how to build these ideas into your applications. What's Inside Reactive application architecture Basics of Play and Akka Examples in Scala Functional and asynchronous programming About Reader Description For readers comfortable programming with a higher-level language such as Java or C#, and who can read Scala code. No experience with Play or Akka needed. About the Author Manuel Bernhardt is a passionate engineer, author, and speaker. As a consultant, he guides companies through the technological and organizational transformation to distributed computing. Table of Contents PART 1 GETTING STARTED WITH REACTIVE WEB APPLICATIONS Did you say reactive? Your first reactive web application Functional programming primer Quick introduction to Play PART 2 CORE CONCEPTS Futures Actors Dealing with state Responsive user interfaces PART 3 ADVANCED TOPICS Reactive Streams Deploying reactive Play applications Testing reactive web applications




Writing Matters


Book Description

Writing Mattersoffers writing instructors and students a four-part framework that focuses the rules and conventions of writing through a lens of responsibility, empowering students to own their ideas and to view their writing as consequential.Writing Mattershelps students recognize and respect their role in writing by focusing on four key areas of responsibility: Their responsibility to other writers, to their audience, to their topic, and to themselves.Howard's teaching experience has proven that students are more likely to write effectively and responsibly when they think of themselves as writers rather than as error-makers.Writing Mattersaddresses students respectfully as mature and capable fellow writers in the research and writing process.




The Fuzzy and the Techie


Book Description

A leading venture capitalist offers surprising revelations on who will be driving innovation in the years to come.