Designed to engage, inspire, and challenge students while laying out the fundamentals of the craft, this textbook—now in its fourth edition—introduces readers to the core values of journalism and its singular role in a democracy.

From the First Amendment to Facebook, this popular textbook provides a comprehensive exploration of the guiding principles of journalism and what makes it unique. Authors Stephanie Craft, Charles N. Davis, and Joy Jenkins cover the profession's ethical and legal foundations, its historical and modern precepts, the economic landscape of journalism, the relationships among journalism and other social institutions, and the key issues and challenges that contemporary journalists face. They also discuss the current ambiguities and transitions—economic and technological—occurring in the field, from nonprofit news sites to social media’s effects on journalism.

Filled with relevant case studies, exercises, and discussion questions that encourage critical thinking about journalism and its role in society, this book helps students become better-informed media consumers as well as more mindful practitioners of journalism.