Newswriting on Deadline is filled with real-world newswriting exercises that prepare students for the stories they will cover on the job.

Many of the exercises are based on actual events and most are designed to be written on a real deadline—in an hour or less. Unlike many texts, Newswriting on Deadline features an Instructor's Manual with completed versions of the exercises, including actual published articles. As a result, instructors can have students complete a particular exercise, and then show them the actual version of the story as it appeared in print. Each chapter focuses on a particular newspaper beat—police, courts, city hall—and opens with a set of tips for covering that specific beat. This is followed by a series of news writing exercises with a suggested deadline—anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.