Preface<br >he search for information is a quest for meaning and under-<br >standing. It is a demanding， critical process that forms the foun-<br >dation for all messages of the mass media. In preparing these<br >messages， media professionals are both hunters and gatherers. They fol-<br >low trails， evaluate clues， stalk the most promising material and collect<br >their findings.<br > When their search is finished， serious writing can begin.<br > The Search is a guide and mentor for the information gatherer. It is<br >an outgrowth of our first information-gathering book， Uncovering the<br >News. In the five years since the publication of that work， we have been<br >struck by the rapid development of college courses in research and infor-<br >mation gathering by journalism， mass communications and English pro-<br >grams. It is compelling recognition that both the student and professional<br >must have a solid understanding of search strategies and of information<br >evaluation before any meaningful writing can take place. At the same<br >time， we have realized that the first title of our work focused too narrowly<br >on "the news" and all that implies. In fact， our focus has always been<br >broader--and deeper. Our growing information society has indeed bro-<br >ken away from its "news-editorial" tether.<br > In building on the work of Uncovering the News， The Search oper-<br >ates on the assumption that depth， detail and context are achievable goals<br >in any media task. Reference works， indexes， periodicals of all stripes，<br >official documents and interviews form the basis for inquiry; that inves-<br >