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Journalism book updated for digital age

A former regional press journalist’s practical and academic guide to 21st century journalism has been republished.

The second edition of Tony Harcup’s ‘Journalism: Principles and Practice’ features an interview with former Doncaster Free Press journalist Deborah Wain.

Deborah wowed judges in 2007 when she was crowned joint winner of the Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism after exposing corruption on the £37.5m Doncaster Education City project.

Tony, a senior lecturer in journalism studies at The University of Sheffield since 2005, told HTFP: “For the first edition I interviewed Paul Foot who has since died.

“That interview is still in the new edition but for the chapter on investigative journalism I thought it would be good to interview Deborah Wain.

“She showed that you can do this investigative journalism even on a small paper.”

Sarah Hartley, head of online editorial at MEN Media, and the MediaGuardian’s Jemima Kiss were also interviewed for the updated version which was first published in 2004.

The book is aimed primarily at journalism students and focuses on the practical, day-to-day skills which enable reporters to go about their work with prose sitting alongside related academic theories of the job.

The second edition also looks at digital journalism and aims to reflect the changes in the field since the first edition was published such as the onslaught of Facebook and Twitter on journalists’ lives today.

Tony spent 20 years working for the regional and national press and started his career with the now-defunct Leeds Other Paper, later joining the Harrogate Advertiser before freelancing for Yorkshire on Sunday.

  • Journalism: Principles and Practice is published by Sage.