Books

Essential Public Affairs for Journalists

Designed to map on to NCTJ-accredited courses, and contains all the information necessary for students to pass the NCTJ public affairs exam and practical assessment.
Essential Public Affairs for Journalists is the only textbook to combine coverage of central and local government specifically geared towards journalism students.
The text is supplemented with regular updates on the accompanying Online Resource Centre, to ensure students are always aware of the latest developments in this rapidly moving field.

New to this edition

The second edition of Essential Public Affairs for Journalists has been fully updated following the 2010 general election. It includes the latest details of the coalition government's policy agenda.
It has been revised in light of the changes to the NCTJ public affairs syllabus, and is still the best textbook for NCTJ-accredited courses.
The second edition includes more advice on the reporting of public affairs in practice. Extracts from real articles, lists of current issues, and topical feature ideas have been selected for each chapter, to aid both students and practicing journalists.
Essential Public Affairs for Journalists is an invaluable guide for journalism students and those already in the industry. Offering comprehensive coverage of the workings of both central and local government, it provides all the information they will need to cover public affairs with confidence.

Beginning by outlining the constitutional framework and the governing institutions of the U.K., the book then moves on to explore Britain's role in the EU and the wider world of international relations. In the second half of the text, the focus shifts to local government, where such headline-grabbing subjects as school catchment areas, council tax and public transport, are reviewed and explained.

The second edition is fully up-to-date with the 2010 general election, and includes the latest details of the coalition government's policy agenda. The contents have been carefully revised to ensure the best possible fit with the new NCTJ public affairs syllabus, and there is additional advice on the practicalities of reporting.

Essential Public Affairs for Journalists is also supported by an Online Resource Centre with the following features:

- Regular updates - new developments in central and local government are succinctly summarised so that the book is always up-to-date
- News feeds - real life articles from different news sites are linked to via RSS
- Audio podcasts on reporting public affairs in practice
- Tables
- Web links

Readership: Essential Public Affairs for Journalists can be used on any journalism course with a module on reporting public affairs. It is particularly relevant for more than 60 newspaper journalism courses accredited by the NCTJ.