Book cover for 33 Ways Not to Screw Up Your Journalism by Chip Scanlan

33 Ways Not to Screw Up Your Journalism

Do you want to dodge common mistakes made by novice and veteran reporters alike? Get advice from the trenches to cultivate critical skills and excel.

Do you want to dodge common mistakes made by novice and veteran reporters alike? Get advice from the trenches to cultivate critical skills and excel.

Award-winning journalist Chip Scanlan has spent thirty years as a teacher and coach elevating the talent of newsroom stalwarts around the globe. Now he’s here to share how you can avoid career-derailing errors while writing groundbreaking stories with integrity.

33 Ways Not To Screw Up Your Journalism is a succinct and authoritative handbook packed with real-world wisdom. Using hard-hitting case studies, examples, and interviews ripped from the headlines, Scanlan helps you identify possible pitfalls and correct problems as you level up your craft to the highest degree. And as you master these concepts, whether you’re a wet-behind-the-ears grad or a seasoned pro, you’ll gain the confidence and know-how to thrive at the keyboard and in the field.

You’ll discover:

  • Tactics for preventing common blunders so you can land promotions and skyrocket toward greatness
  • How to approach strangers with sensitivity and poise that will lead you to accurate, powerful accounts
  • Systems for double- and triple-checking facts and figures to help you build trust while winning the respect of your readers and colleagues
  • Myriad methods for becoming an industry expert capable of overcoming any challenge
  • Tried-and-true best practices, strategies for successful time management, and much, much more!

33 Ways Not To Screw Up Your Journalism is the essential guide for reporting news in a democratic society. If you like warm and encouraging instruction, vital but easy-to-digest information, and research-backed insight, then you’ll love Chip Scanlan’s indispensable resource.

Excellent for journalists of all ages and experience.

Dan Rather
About Chip Scanlan

Chip is a writer, writing coach and an award-winning former journalist and former director of writing programs and the National Writers’ Workshops at The Poynter Institute, one of the world’s top schools for professional journalists. Since 1994, he has coached writers and editors around the globe.

His nonfiction and short stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post Sunday Magazine, NPR, The American Scholar, Redbook, River Teeth, Mississippi Review Online, Elysian Fields Quarterly, among numerous other publications. Two of his essays were selected as “Notables” in the annual “Best American Essays” series. He is a regular contributor to Nieman Storyboard, a global website that celebrates the art and craft of nonfiction storytelling.

His writing advice newsletter, “Chip’s Writing Lessons,” can be found on Substack. He blogs at chipswritinglessons.com.