REVIEW: Enthusiasm for journalism evident throughout

Abstract

Book review of: Intro: A beginner's guide to journalism in 21st century Aotearoa/New Zealand, edited by Grant Hannis (3rd ed) Wellington: New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation, 2013, 371pp. ISBN 9780473266424.

Good journalism courses have long been accustomed to the challenge of squeezing in more and more elements, as new skills jostle for a place alongside still-essential basics. These courses not only reflect the spectrum of industry practice—and it’s an increasingly spreading one—but are trying to future-proof their students even as industry itself really can’t say how it will all turn out. So a single handbook to cover everything for the trainee faces the same challenges when it comes to trying to cram it all in.