UNIT - I

Q. What is journalism?
Journalism is a form of writing that tells people about things that really
happened but that they might not have known about already. It is the activity of
gathering, assessing, creating and presenting news and information. It is also the
product of these activities. The words 'journalist ‘, 'journal ‘and 'journalism ‘are
derived from the French 'journal‘, which in turn comes from the Latin term
'diurnalis‘or 'daily‘.
Journalism is the speculation and coverage of Incidents, Issues and current
trends happening in society towards a broad audience. The term connotes it’s
meaning in various senses but the actual comprehension lies in its objective to
inform the targeted audience about the issues ranging from Government and
business organizations to cultural perspectives of society like arts and
entertainment. It encompasses editing, photo journalism, documentary, etc.
Journalism can be distinguished from other activities and products by certain
identifiable characteristics and practices. These Elements not only separate
journalism from other forms of communication, they are what make it
indispensable to democratic societies. history reveals that the more democratic a
society, the more news and information it tends to have. In the contemporary
society, news media have attained major supplier of information and opinion
about public affairs.
The role and recognition of Journalism is experiencing changes because of the
increasing importance of internet. More shifts have been inclined towards E-
readers, smart phones and other electronic gadgets rather than focusing on print
media.
Journalism provides people with verified information which they can use to
make better decisions and its practices, the most important of which is a
systematic process “a discipline of verification” that journalist use to find not
just the facts but also the truth about the facts.
Journalism is the collection and editing of news for presentation through the
media, public press or academic study concerned with the collection and editing
of news, or the management of any news channel. It is any sort of writing
drafted for publication in a newspaper or magazine.
Various misconceptions:
1. It is not the medium or channel.
2. It does not require Any professional degree or training for its pure and
accurate deliverance.
3. Journalism is not bonded to any news organization.
Journalism is about telling and covering stories in an accurate and factual
manner. It is making the people understand the world around them through a
communication channel. It is more about going beyond the facts of the story to
find out the truth and present an unbiased picture. It incorporates public trust
within itself and attempts to speculate and expose the wrong-doings. It adds
meaning and strength to the facts. It is the part of the community, hence is a
universal reaction of citizenship.

Values of journalism
There are several predominant constituents of journalism that every journalist is
expected to follow:
1. The content should always be based on true facts. Truth and honesty are
the major beliefs of journalism.
2. A thorough allegiance to its citizens.
3. Everything should be verified.
4. The journalist should be independent and not obliged to anyone while
delivering the news.
5. Journalism should be an autonomous sphere without any supervision of
authority.
6. It should act as a platform for public criticism and compromise.
7. It should keep the news simple, understandable and comparative.
8. The journalist should be permitted to practice their personal conscious.

Nature of journalism
Observing the true functioning of journalism:
Journalism emphasizes on researching and covering proceedings, concerns and
tendencies. An honest and accountable journalism is the base of an autonomous
and liberal media that forms the pillar of strength in a democratic society. It has
a broader sense of understanding its activities are, not just limited to reporting.
Liaison Element:
The nature and extent of journalism has always been a contentious issue. It is
the most important connection between the public and the policy makers. It
helps the public in all the crucial matters affecting their life. It informs them
about the decision taken by the policy makers and also helps them to
comprehend the complicated issues.

Principles and Standards:

Journalism has become one of the most important fields, and the area of study
in present times. Hence it is significant for the journalist to maintain
professional ethics and standards. The instructing values that every journalist
should intend to follow are honesty in work, unbiased opinion, autonomy,
consumer friendly news coverage and respect and recognition for the rights of
citizens.

Purpose of journalism
The purpose of journalism writes Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in the
elements of journalism, “is not defined by technology nor by journalist or the
techniques they employ. rather the principles and purpose of journalism are
defined by something more basic: the function that news plays in the lives of
people.”
News is that part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing
events, issues and characters in the outside world. Though it may be interesting
or even entertaining, the foremost of news is as a utility to empower the
informed.
The purpose of journalism is thus to provide citizens with the information they
need to make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities,
their societies and their governments.

Objectives of journalism
Offering knowledgeable information to the public:
Many publications are interested in delivering information that is relevant to
public knowledge. Good news generally includes publishing stories that are
more informative.
Provide an honest description of news:
The media has always been alleged of delivering Biasness in news. Many
journalists hold the belief that if a publication is being lambasted for being
liberal by some and conservative by others, thus denoting two different points
then it is doing a good work. Hence every work needs to be reliable and
objective in content with accurate, balanced and informed facts.

More stress on the delivery of free speech:

The journalists have defined the freedom of speech, where they believe that no
restriction should be imposed on the free speech deliverance. The existence of
free speech and free press are necessary for journalism. It provides the journalist
the potential to criticize the government and conduct investigations.

Instigating people to action:

Journalism is a service-oriented profession as it does not involve, the provision
of raw information. Also, there is a welfare motive to improve the society
conditions.

Courage:
The major principle of journalism is objectivity that every journalist should
always strive to attain. This requires that the journalist should possess courage
to attempt to be objective. This means, the courage to be impartial and without
prejudice in delivering news.

Predicaments of journalism
Prejudiced exposure and treatment: It relate to partiality in treating the news
relating to politics, business and other spheres.

Sensationalism of news and issues: It holds the onus of sensationalizing and

exaggerating the exact information.
Discriminatory Coverage: This indicates that only partial news is delivered as
per the interest of a particular community.

Intervention policy: To sell their news and gain publicity, the journalist pursues
the public figure and overrun their solitude.

Dealing with issues related to national security: Many reporters tend to get
confused in the matters of national and security issues as what to report and to
what extent.

Obscuring the recognition of the source of information: The journalist in

speculating the news, develop their own sources of information and often
maintain an ambiguous situation over revealing the source of information.

Public decorum and morals: Different kinds of people have different cultures
and various acceptance levels hence; a journalist should keep in mind the
concerns of the communities and should demarcate the controversial issues.

Elements of journalism
In their book “The elements of journalism”, Bill Kovich and Tom Rosenstiel
identified the essential elements, principles and practices of journalism as
follows:
1. Journalisms first obligation: the truth:
a. Good decision making depends on people having reliable, accurate
facts put in a meaningful context. Journalism does not pursue truth in
an absolute or philosophical sense but in a capacity that is more down
to earth.
b. Journalistic truth is a process that begins with the professional
discipline of assembling and verifying facts. Journalist then try to
convey a fair and reliable account of their meaning, subject to further
investigation.
c. Journalist should be as transparent as possible about the sources and
methods so audiences can make their own assessment of the
 information. Even in a world of expanding voices, “getting it right” is
the foundation upon which everything else is built – context,
interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis, debate, etc. The larger
truth, overtime, emerges from this forum.
d. As citizens encounter an ever-greater flow of data, they have more
need – not less – for suppliers of information dedicated to finding and
verifying the news and putting it in context.

2. Its first loyalty is to the citizens:

a. The publisher of journalism whether a media corporation answering to
advertisers and shareholders or a blogger with his own personal
beliefs and priorities must show an ultimate allegiance to citizens.
They must strive to put the public interest and the truth above their
own self-interest or assumptions.
b. A commitment to citizens is an implied covenant with the audience
and a foundation of the journalistic business model. Journalism
provided without fear or favor is perceived to be more valuable than
content from other information sources.
c. Commitment to citizens also means that journalism should seek to
present a representative picture of constituent groups in society.

3. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those who cover:

a. Independence is a cornerstone of reliability.
b. On one level it means not becoming seduced by sources, intimidated
by power or compromised by self-interest. On a deeper level it speaks
to an independence of spirit and then open mindedness and intellectual
curiosity that helps the journalist see beyond his/her own class,
economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, ego, etc.
c. Journalistic independence is not neutrality. While editors and
commentators are not neutral, the source of their credibility is still
their accuracy, intellectual fairness and ability to inform. Journalist
however must avoid straying into arrogance, elitism, isolationism or
nihilism.

4. Its essence is a discipline of verification:

a. Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying information.
 b. While there is no standardized code, every journalist uses certain
methods to assess and test information to get it right.
c. When the concept of objectivity originally evolved, it did not imply
that journalists were free of bias. It called, rather a consistent method
of testing information – a transparent approach to evidence – precisely
so that personal and cultural biases would not undermine the accuracy
of the work

5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power.

a. Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdogs over those
whose power and position affect citizens the most. It may also offer
voice to the voiceless. Being an independent monitor of power means
“watching over the powerful few over the society on behalf of the
many to guard against tyranny.”
b. The watchdog role is often misunderstood, even by journalists, which
means “afflict the comfortable”. Rather it sought to redefine the role
of the journalist from being passive to a more curious observer who
would search out and discover the news.
c. The watchdog role also means more than simply monitoring
government. The earliest journalist, write Bill and Tom, “firmly
established as a core principle their responsibility to examine unseen
corners of society. The world they chronicled captured the
imagination of a largely uninformed society, creating an immediate
and enthusiastic popular following.”
d. The purpose of the watchdog extends beyond simply making the
management and execution of power transparent, to making known
and understood the effects of that power.

Functions of journalism
Inform: The fundamental and foremost function is to keep its citizens informed
and abreast about latest developments in various dimensions of the globe.

Educate: Journalism also entails the duty of educating its citizens by offering
them a variety of information on varied subjects.
Interpret: Another important function is to present its citizens not only the
reports on current happenings but also their conclusion and implications.

Entertain: The profession also undertakes to keep its citizens emotionally robust
by feeding them with soft, loveable and relishing stuff.

Mold opinion: It changes public attitudes, opinions, mindsets, tastes and

preferences by informing them about new and unknown facts.

Enable decision making: Journalism abridges the gap between the policy
makers and the public. Because it is the voice of people, it carries public
opinions and sentiments to the government thereby facilitating decision making.

Agent of change: The profession is the redeemer from the oppressions of the
ruling classes. It is aimed at bringing harmony in the society. It also voices out
to bring favorable changes in the society.

Q. Who is a journalist?
“Journalist has a position that is all his own. He alone has the privilege of
molding the opinion, touching the hearts and appealing to the reason of
hundreds of thousands every day. Here is the most fascinating of all
professions.” – Joseph Pulitzer.
A journalist is one who contributes in someway to the gathering, selection and
processing of news and current affairs. He is a professional writer, who informs
and educates people about the happenings to make them aware and informed. A
journalist faces various accountabilities and responsibilities while presenting his
writings to the public. They need to pursue standard of conduct and morals in
delivering their duties regarding the working of mass media and should also
consider the effects of the medium it uses.

Roles & duties of a journalist

1. Provide citizens with accurate and reliable information that they need to
function in a free society.
 2. He should keep the masses abreast of the latest development and news of
varied regions.
3. He should imbibe a never-ending search for the truth.
4. By the virtue of the exceptional knowledge, he can vow to make people
sensitive to burning issues.
5. He should be able to meet the needs of changing times instead of waiting
to be overtaken by them.
6. Journalists make people aware of the contemporary world, where they
make the people aware of the latest news and events.
7. Journalists inform people what their governments are doing for them and
make them aware of their rights.
8. They should determine a focused awareness of ethical conduct in
journalism and professional writing.
9. They should be an expert in presenting a particular body of information is
suitable editorial, visual, ethical and technical judgements to particular
audiences.
10. They should understand the essentials of press laws and ethics.
11. They should identify sources and collect information through primary and
secondary or quantitative and qualitative research.
12. They should show sensitivity to the craft of writing through knowledge of
history and traditions.

Responsibilities of a journalist
Social responsibility:
The press is the mirror of our society. It provides the society with various
important events making them aware and informed. Thus the manner in which
the information is provided is to be provided by the journalist matters the most.
It has to be just, impartial, balanced and inspiring to lay an effective impact on
the people as common consumers of news. The journalist should also bring the
covert areas into notice. He should highlight the unresolved issues of the society
through the power of journalism, He should initiate an environment of
understanding within the society and to perpetuate the same atmosphere in a
sustained manner. Development of any society depends on the imparting of
creative and objective journalistic activities.

Professional responsibility:
A Journalist should always have a deep sense of commitment and sincerity
towards the profession. The information should be delivered to the audience in a
clear and transparent way. The presentation of information should be honest and
unbiased in character. A journalist possesses the professional responsibility to
present accurate and exact information through portraying the incidents in an
actual manner rather than with the intention of gaining publicity.

Legal responsibility:
As a journalist, one must be aware of all the legal implications, which may
generate trouble. He must not intervene or inflict to someone’s privacy or
confidentiality. He must be aware of the law of slander (harmful statement in
transitory form especially speech) and libel (by written or printed words,
pictures or in any other form). A journalist must understand their legal
responsibilities before delivering the information.

Ethical responsibility:
The journalist is entitled to follow a code of ethics, so that he does not cross his
limits and realizes the restrictions of the society. He is accounted to provide
meaningful information to the society that is very balanced rather than too
influential and objective to gain bias or sensitise the audience.

Other responsibilities:
1. Towards the Firm/Organisation: Journalists working for private sector
firms or public sector agencies are responsible to their respective firms
and organisations. They must remain loyal to their employers. They must
not give news or information to the competitors of their firms for the sake
of money, materialistic assets, or other favours. Loyalty towards one’s
organisation determines the success in that organisation.
2. Gathering News or Data: Journalists must collect the data or news from
the place/spot from where they are supposed to collect it. They should
rely more on primary data and not secondary data. The latter could be
biased. Primary data must be collected personally. People must be
interviewed at the spot of the event, accident or mishap. Possible statistics
released by the government should be taken into consideration, but the
 journalist must rely on his own judgement and inquisitive mind to collect
vital data.
3. Getting News and Views from the Competition: The journalist should
keep on reading newspapers or magazines of the competitors of his
firm/organisation. He would be able to get an idea about what other
journalists are doing. He should not indulge in plagiarism. He must
remain alert to the moves of the competitors but should not offend other
journalists in the process.
4. Responsibility Towards the Reader and Society: As a news reporter, you
have a duty to provide accurate, unbiased and objective information to the
reader. A social responsibility entailing obligations towards public
opinion and society as a whole
5. the government should be taken into consideration, but the journalist
must rely on his own judgement and inquisitive mind to collect vital data.
6. Getting News and Views from the Competition: The journalist should
keep on reading newspapers or magazines of the competitors of his
firm/organization. He would be able to get an idea about what other
journalists are doing. He should not indulge in plagiarism. He must
remain alert to the moves of the competitors but should not offend other
journalists in the process.
7. Responsibility Towards the Reader and Society: As a news reporter, you
have a duty to provide accurate, unbiased and objective information to the
reader. A social responsibility entailing obligations towards public
opinion and society as a whole.

Q. Write a note the evolution and growth of print journalism in India?

Introduction
The growth and development of print journalism in India has had a chequered
history. In India journalism has been a product of struggle against the
continuing repressive measures of the British rulers over a long period of time
right from the beginning in 1780. The first Indian newspaper was published on
29th January 1780 by James Augustus Hicky. He was deported from India till
the final phases of the freedom movement – the quit India movement, when
some of the leading papers had got their printing machines confiscated and
hefty security deposits forfeited, repeatedly for defying the repressive laws
against the press.
History of newspaper in India
James Augustus Hicky published the country’s first newspaper in 1780 by the
name of The Bengal Gazette from Calcutta. The publication was also called
Calcutta General Advertiser. He is regarded as the father of Indian press. It was
a weekly publication and used to be a strong critic of the then governor general,
Warren Hastings. In the year 1789, another newspaper called the Bombay
Herald was published from Bombay. In the very next year, another newspaper
called Bombay Courier was published and ultimately merged with the Times Of
India in 1861. At that point. Newspapers were mainly carrying the news related
to the British rule. The first newspaper published in an Indian language was
Samachar Darpan. The newspaper was written in Bengali and the first issue
was published in 1818. In the same year another newspaper was published by
Ganga Kishore Bhattacharya. It was known as Bengal Gazette. On first July
1822, a Gujarati newspaper Bombay Samachar was published from Bombay.
This newspaper is the oldest, continuously published in India. In the year 1854,
the first Hindi newspaper Samachar Subha Varshan was published. India
Gazette was the rival newspaper was the rival paper by Messink and Reed
which was established in the year 1780 as a voice against The Bengal Gazette. It
enjoyed the patronage of Warren Hastings in the form of all facilities.

Golden era in newspaper of India

In the late 18th and early 19th century no reputed journalist or newspaper
emerged. Then some merchants of Calcutta in 1818 started Calcutta chronicle
and the editor was James silk Buckingham. He had introduced a new approach
to journalism in India. He initiated clear journalistic practices and covered the
problems of local people and their lives. It was a by weekly paper consisting of
8 pages. Buckingham paper was interested in discussing the act and policies of
Bengal government, postal service, police, the military establishment and
government attitude to various matters of public interest. He criticized The
policy of sati and denounced the government’s failure to put an end to this
system.
Then Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a social reformer recognized the power of
newspapers and started a Bengali newspaper Sambad kaumadi in 1818/1819
and a Persian paper Miratul akbar in 1822. He is known as the father of Indian
journalism.
1838 – The Times of India issued its first edition as Bombay Times. Its first
editor was Frank Morris. It was one of the earliest newspapers in the country
which subscribe to Reuters News Service.
1857 – Known as the year of the emergence of journalism in India. In 1857
newspapers owned by Indians and British were divided and the government
passed the vernacular press act in 1876.
1861 – The first edition of the Times of India was published by Robert Knight.
1868 – Amrit Bazaar Patrika was started by two brothers, Shishir Kumar Ghosh
and Motilal Ghosh. This was the time when social reformers and political
leaders had started contributing to the field of journalism.
1878 – The Hindu was started in English language by G Subramanyam which
was mainly distributed in Tamil Nadu and Karela.
In newspapers many changes took place after independence. News agency
services became available on a regular basis with the press trust of India which
was started in 1946. The missionary phase of newspaper was replaced with a
professional approach. It started providing employment to the public and hence
became profit oriented. Various technological developments took place and due
to rise of literacy levels the readership of the newspapers Increased. And by
1970s, newspapers acquired the status of an industry.

Role of newspaper during freedom struggle

Journalism in India was nurtured by some of the greatest men this country has
produced – freedom fighters, social reformers, intellectuals and men of letters
who gave their best to its development and growth. The tallest stalwarts of the
freedom movement – Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar tilak, Raja Ram Mohan
Roy, Surendranath Banerjee and Gopal Krishna Gokhale were themselves either
editors or pioneers in establishing well known newspapers.
During the British rule Indian newspaper came into existence and played an
important role in the country’s freedom struggle. Newspaper worked as
mouthpieces of the freedom struggle whether at the national or regional level.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak started Kesari and Mahratta newspaper in 1881, Mahatma
Gandhi started Young India and Harijan and Jawahar Lal Nehru started The
National Herald. From the trials of tilak in 1897 and 1908, Mahatma Gandhi in
1922, Vernacular press act of 1878, the newspapers incitement to offences act
of 1908, Indian press act 1931, the press objectionable matter act of 1951 and
the newspaper price and page act of 1956 bear testimony of the suppressive and
oppressive measures taken against the Indian newspapers.

Growth and impact of print media

The role of media and particularly of print media has been augmenting day by
day. It has been serving as a vigilant watchdog of India. It has been nicknamed
as newsmonger. The power and potential of news media has seen a growth even
after the emergence of electronic media with an increase in its circulation and
readership. It plays an important role in the working of any democracy and acts
as the voice of the people.

Q. Why is journalism regarded as the fourth estate?

The fourth estate or fourth power is a political force or institution whose
influences not consistently or officially recognized. Fourth estate most
commonly refers to the new media especially print journalism or the press. The
fourth estate is the public press referred to as a collective means and
encompasses photographers, journalist, television and radio broadcasters among
others. It is generally agreed that the fourth estate has immense political and
social power given the fact that the press can be used to shape societies.
The concept of the media or press as a fourth estate stems from the belief that
the news media’s responsibility to inform the populous is essential to the
healthy functioning of the democracy. Though media and press have a
persuasive authority yet its real ability is not a secret to the world. The existence
of a free, independent and powerful media is the cornerstone of a democracy,
specially of a highly mixed society like India. The pivotal role of the media is
its ability to mobilize the thinking process of millions. Technically a democracy
stands on the pillars of legislature, executive and judiciary. But with the rise of
the press and its power to reach people, it can be considered a fourth pillar of
democracy.
The impact of press on the Indian democracy and Indian constitution lays stress
at whether considering press as fourth estates is correct. It can be understood by
– firstly, by analyzing the historical evolvement of press from an ordinary
means of mass communication to an instrument of revolution in democracy.
Focus would be on the role played by the media in various fields specially in a
heterogenous society like India. Secondly, by studying the impact of press on
the judiciary and till what extent press affects the constitution of India. It
analyzes the role of media on judicial trials and presenting problems which need
to be regulated.
Journalism has been seen as a fundamental part of the fourth estate. This is the
idea that the press and mass media hold other institutions to account by
reporting on their activities thereby becoming a political force for more
pluralistic governance. A necessary attribute of the fourth estate is its
independence off other institutions specially government. Independence allows
it to investigate, report and bring to public attention the activity of other
institutions – including governments and politicians.
The strength and importance of media in a democracy is well recognized
through article 19(1a) of the Indian constitution. This provides the freedom of
speech and expression and the whole idea of the media comes under the ambit
of this provision. Blackstonian concept of freedom of press which was
expressed as early as 1769 contained 4 basic points, which still form the crux of
the concept of press freedom. They are: -
1. Liberty of the press is essential to the state.
2. No restraints should be placed on the publications.
3. It does not mean that there is press freedom for doing what is prohibited
by law.
4. Media has the right to lay their sentiments before the public but if it
publishes what is improper, mischievous or illegal it must take the
consequence of its own temerity.
The practice which has become more of a daily occurrence now is that of media
trials. Something which was started to show to the public at large the truth about
cases has now become a practice interfering dangerously with the justice
delivery system. The freedom of speech and expression is important for an
effective democracy, as in a democracy all the rights of the people are vested in
the hands of the sovereign and to put forward the use and misuse of the
authorities, an effective media is essential. Examples of media trials: Aarushi
murder case, Bennet Coleman vs union of India, etc.
Article 19(2) of the constitution provides the guidelines that when restriction on
free speech and expression can be imposed: -
1. Decency and morality: Morality and decency are debatable topics since
these have different meanings for different people. These are defined
using the utilitarian concept. Vulgarity and strong erotic language are
often treated as interchangeable with obscenity. In the judgement
 concerning the movie, “The Bandit Queen” the court ruled that neither
nudity nor vulgarity can necessarily be equated with obscenity.
2. Defamation: Defamation is to hurt the fame of the person. Section 499
deals with the punishments regarding Defamation. Media is generally
surrounded by allegations of defamation. No only a person, defamation of
a deceased person is also prohibited by law.
3. Contempt of court: Contempt is another head of restriction on freedom of
expression and freedom of the press. The supreme court has upheld the
constitutionality of the contempt of court act 1952 on the grounds that the
act did not impose unreasonable restriction on the right to freedom of
speech and is saved under article 19(2). Article 361(a) of the constitution
also deals with contempt which was inserted after the 44th amendment act
1978.
Media make democracy to function in its true spirit. Media to operate in an
ideal democratic framework needs to be free from governmental and private
control. The role of media in India is not merely disseminating information and
entertainment. In a democracy, media has a responsibility which is deeply
associated with the socio-economic conditions. Media organizations have to be
more accountable to the general public. It should be monitored so that
professional integrity and ethical standards are not sacrificed of sensational
practices. Media has immense power to influence the minds of the people. As
an instrument of social change, economic progress and moral development, it
should uphold certain values and principles. A citizen is largely dependent on
the press for the quality, proportion and the extent of news. In disseminating
news, the press therefore acts as a representative or more appropriately as the
custodian of the public. Press freedom embodies the principle of accountability
and thus enables the press to be an instrument of democratic control. Protection
and promotion of free press strengthens democracy. Joseph Pulitzer pointed out
that ‘commercialism has a legitimate place in a newspaper’. According to him,
without high ethical idols a newspaper is not only stripped of its splendid
possibilities for public service but may become a danger to the community. The
public function which belongs to the press makes it an obligation to exercise
this function with the fullest sense of responsibility.

Q. What is citizen journalism?

Citizen journalism is defined as an alternative and activist form of news
gathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media institutions,
often as a response to shortcomings in the professional journalistic field that
uses similar journalistic practices but is driven by different objectives and idols
and relies on alternative sources of legitimacy than traditional or mainstream
journalism. The concept of citizen journalism(also known as public,
participatory, democratic, collaborative media, street, personal publishing,
networked, open sourced, citizen media, grass roots media, bottom up,
hyperlocal, stand-alone, distrubuted or guerrilla journalism) is based upon
public citizens “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting,
analyzing and disseminating news and info”.
Courtney C. Radsch argues that this term best describes a particular form of
online or digital journalism conducted by amateurs because it underscores the
link between the practice of journalism and its relation to the political and
public sphere.
Citizen journalism is a specific form of both citizen media and user generated
content by juxtaposing the term citizen with its attendant qualities of civic
mindedness and social responsibility with that of journalism which refers to a
particular profession, the media experts describe it in different forms. New
media technology have made citizen journalism more accessible to people
worldwide. Recent advances in new media have started to have a profound
political impact. Due to the availability of technology, citizens often can report
breaking news more quickly than traditional media reporters. Citizen
journalism, as a form of alternative media, presents a “radicle challenge” to the
professionalized and institutionalized practices of the mainstream media.
The concept of citizen journalism is based on citizen who plays a dynamic role
in the process of news collecting, reporting, editing and distributing it to other
public.
Citizen journalists:
1. Are not professionals but they produce and publish news.
2. Are people outside the mainstream media organizations.
3. Are people who were audience yesterday.
4. They simply write the news from their perspective.

History
With high quality cameras and the fastest internet facilities, citizen journalism
has become easier today. But it all started with 727 citizens in South Korea
being dissatisfied with the traditional media and their reporting, the Korean
entrepreneur, Oh Yeon Ho’s declared that “everybody is a reporter” in the year
2000. Unable to bear the cost of hiring reporters for a professional news
medium, ‘OhmyNews’ a news website was started. On this website any person
could write and report the news. Gradually the count of the citizen reporters and
the news started to increase and it was noted that the reporters count touched to
around 50k in 2007. Citizen journalist from around 100 countries reported.
Later this practice was brought into existence in every country which had the
growth of internet. Citizen journalism is continuing to contribute to the aspect
of receiving info from every corner of the world.

Types of citizen journalists

There are two different way where a citizen journalist can work:
1. Working on their own: Citizen journalists working on there own means is
when they create something by themselves. Instead of adding to the
existing publications they create and publish on their own. Not being
affected or influenced by the traditional media. These people publish their
works with the help of new media. The ways in which new media can be
used includes social media or creating a blog, creating a website, etc.
2. Working with news organizations: In this citizen journalist publish news
with a proper source which can be:
a. Comment on the articles published: These journalist go to a news
article published on a website and comment on the articles. This helps
in getting more attention to the article. The readers or other journalists
can also comment on the articles as well as reply to the exiting
comments. Thereby giving a new perspective to the news.
b. Crowd source: Crowd sourcing means getting sources and information
from the crowd to complete an article. The citizen journalist check
facts analyze and resend it to the news organizations.
c. Live vloging: Citizen journalist use live video blogging in case of
great or unusual happenings. It becomes a major source of the news
update when added with additional photographs or audio recording.

Advantages of citizen journalism

1. They are first hand contributors during a critical instance.
2. Offers an opportunity for talented people who are not professional.
3. It offers a good amount of space for marginalized groups.
4. It talks about the problems that mainstream media tends to ignore.
5. Low cost and easy access to a large set of audience.
 6. It empowers local communities.
7. Citizen journalists speak for the betterment of their community through
coverage of various kinds of news.

Disadvantages of citizen journalism

1. They sometimes tend to work unethically.
2. It confuses the audience on what to believe as there are a lot of opinions.
3. Sometimes the news reported are not trustworthy.
4. Conflict of interests and differences in opinion
Citizen journalist have started been taken more seriously as they have started
producing news with proper fact checking and the right sources. They cover a
lot of events and critical happenings in their day-to-day life they focus more on
the issue and then disseminate the information. This rise of participation can be
associated with the creation of the internet which introduced new ways of
communicating news. Due to this shift in technology, individuals are able to
access more news and at a much faster rate. Critics of the phenomena, including
professional journalists and new organizations, claim that citizen journalism is
unregulated, too subjective, amateur and hap hazard in quality and coverage.

Q. What is penny press?

The penny press was most famous for its low price, a penny per paper. The
penny press was the term used to describe the revolutionary business tactic of
producing newspapers. It became popular with the American public because
while other papers were priced around six cents, they were able to sell their
paper for just a penny. The low price made newspapers available to more than
just upper-class citizens for the first time. The penny press is generally
considered to have started in 1833 when Benjamin H. Day started The Sun, A
New York city newspaper. The Sun was the first popular penny paper. Penny
press newspapers were cheap, tabloid styled newspapers mass produced in the
United States form 1830 onwards. Mass production of inexpensive news papers
became possible following the shift from hand crafted to steam-powered
printing. Famous for costing 1 cent while other newspapers cost around six
cents, penny press papers were revolutionary in making the news accessible to
middle class citizens for a reasonable price. Benjamin Day’s newspaper analysis
touched upon a class divide in society. Many working-class people were literate
but were not newspaper customers because no one had published a newspaper
targeted to them. Newspapers also began paying more attention to the public it
served. They were quick to realize that the same information and news that
interested the 6 cent public, did not interest the penny public. The heavy
dependence on advertising as a major source of revenue was a main reason that
penny press was able to sell papers for a lower price than anyone else. Other
people relied heavily on subscription and daily sales. The quality of the
materials used to produce newspapers also decreased making the production of
the newspaper itself less expensive.
The changes made to the newspaper during the penny press era set a precedent
for the way newspapers operate today. Newspapers still rely heavily on
advertising as a main source of income. And that is also the main reason they
are still being offered at relatively low prices today. They do not have to rely on
subscriptions or daily sales to make a profit. They also pay more attention to
their surrounding communities and report of important information more
diligently and objectively.

Q. Explain yellow journalism?

Yellow journalism is the pejorative reference to journalism that features
scandal-mongering, sensationalism, jingoism, or other unethical or
unprofessional practices by news media organizations or individual journalists.
It is the use of sensational headlines rather than factual news to capture a
reader’s attention in the hope that the reader will choose one publication over its
competitor. Yellow journalism is a term first coined during the famous
newspaper war between William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer II.
Pulitzer’s paper The New York World and Hearst’s New York Journal changed
the content of newspapers adding more sensationalized stories and increasing
the use of drawings and cartoons. As more cartoons were being published in
newspapers, Pulitzer began to publish a cartoon of his own that he titled “the
yellow kid” in 1896. The cartoon was created by R.F. Outcault and became one
of the many objects fought over between Hearst and Pulitzer during their
rivalry. Hearst later took Outcault and his cartoon from Pulitzer by offering him
an outrageous salary. Pulitzer published another version of the cartoon very
similar to the yellow kid to continue competing with Hearst. With so much
competition with newspapers, the news was overromanticized and altered to fit
story ideas that publishers and editors thought would sell the most papers and
stir the most interest for the public so that newsboys could sell more papers on
street corners. They often used the yellow kid to sensationalize stories and
discredit the stories of other newspapers. The yellow kid was also used to sway
public opinion on important issues such as the Spanish American war.
Newspapers of that era did not practice the objectivity that newspapers today
strive for. Many historians believe that Hearst in particular played a major role
in American involvement with Cuba during the Spanish American war. Hearst
saw the war as a prime opportunity to boost his newspaper sales. He published
articles of brutality, cruelty and inadequate care to sway public opinion
regarding America’s involvement in the war.
The term yellow journalism is partly credited to Pulitzer’s involvement in
conflict with Hearst. Pulitzer is now famous for his award for outstanding
journalistic achievement.

Q. What is news?
News is a report of various happenings and current events. News is timely
report of facts or opinions that hold interest or importance or both for
considerable number of people. News is what a journalist thinks is important or
interesting for their audiences. According to joseph Pulitzer new is “original,
distinctive, romantic, thrilling, unique, curious, quaint, humorous, odd and apt
to be talked about.” Charles A. Dana, Editor of New York Sun defined the news
as “anything that will make people talk.” News is usually stimulating
information from which human beings derives satisfaction or stimulation. News
is the account of the events written for people who did not witness it. News has
the potential to cause destruction. News gets less informative when it is already
passed on to the people hence it becomes a perishable commodity.

Elements of news
The qualifications or elements of news have been interpreted vividly by writers.
The intrinsic features are:

Conflict (tension, surprise): Most conflicts are news worthy to some degree.
Physical conflict is considered newsworthy because it may lead to injury or
damage. Violence arouses emotions, not only in the participants but also in the
spectators and can be of enormous and immediate importance. Wars, murders
and violent strikes are conflict of a more destructive nature and always receives
space on the front page, which leaves critics to complain that newspapers
devote too much space to violence.
Progress (triumph, Achievement): In conflict, one side usually wins and the
other loses. For the routine struggles in life, not generally newsworthy in
themselves, shining successes frequently emerge. Example, new inventions
from remote laboratory, new advances in science and medicine, new devices to
improve quality of life, etc.

Q. What are news values?

News values are the concepts used in making judgements about what events are
news and what events are not news. The factors on which a news report needs to
be tested upon are:

Timeliness
It is the most common news value. It is inherent in most news stories. An event
does not constitute as news unless it has occurred fairly recently. News events
will probably have the element of timeliness but they are unlikely to contain all
of the news values. Editors and news directors must decide whether or not
enough news values are present in an event and if they are present with enough
impact to make the event a news event. To make an event a news event news
must interest enough people to make it worth printing or make it worth
broadcasting. The answers to questions like ‘when did the event happen’ often
helps him to determine whether an event, idea or problem is timely enough to
interest the public. Also timeliness varies from publication to publication.
Proximity
“nearest and dearest” so runs an old German proverb. There is some truth in it
so far the news is concerned. Emphasis on local news will varie depending on
where the incident has took place. The potential readers maybe the same, but
the actual readers are different hence have a different pattern of interest so far
the nearness of the news is concerned. Proximity is of two types physical and
emotional.

Prominence
The prominence also determines the magnitude of the story. A famous
personality undertaking any usual activity takes prominence and is covered by
the newspapers while a common man doing the same thing does not usually
account for news unless they achieve something big.
Impact
Impact of an event decides its newsworthiness. It depends upon the scale of the
event where it occurred.

Usefulness
News items help the public in various ways like issuing warnings against
weather, newspapers giving contact details in case of emergencies, etc.

What is hard and soft news?

News is an account of what is happening around us. It may involve current
events, public figures, ongoing projects, issues, etc. but newspapers publish
more than just the news of the day. They also provide background analysis
opinions and human-interest stories. The most pertinent classification of news
is:

 Hard news: Generally, refers to the news which has to be disseminated

immediately. It cannot be concealed or supressed. It has an element of
urgency in it. Leads for hard news are straight, are based on hardcore
facts and contain the answers to all or few of five W’s and one H. Hard
news has a date value. No newspaper can afford to miss it or hold it. It is
a chronicle of current event of incidents and is the most common news
style on the front page of a typical newspaper. Hard news gives readers
the information they need. Hard news reporting used clean and
uncluttered writing. It is the narration of an event in a chronological order
and has a factual approach. The major thrust of a daily newspaper is hard
news. It is published with urgency and immediacy. Hard news is
considered as primary news as it is event centred. Hard news covers
serious news like fires, accidents, murders, disasters, deaths, result of
elections, outcome of wars, natural calamities, government formation,
etc.

 Soft news: This is a term for news that is not necessarily time sensitive.
Soft news is the lighter stuff like features, human interest stories, news of
 engagements and weddings, leisure activities, entertainment, etc. The less
important happenings of the day maybe published or left out by a
newspaper depending upon the space available on different pages. Soft
news can be delayed if something more important of hard news value
comes up. Soft news doesn’t have a date value in most of the cases
because it deals with the lighter side of life.

Knowing the difference between hard and soft news helps to develop a sense of
how news is covered and what sort of stories different news media tend to
publish or broadcast. One difference between hard and soft news is the tone of
presentation. Hard news focuses on questions like how, who, where and when,
whereas soft news deals with a relaxed approach.

Q. Differentiate news, articles, features and backgrounders?

Article
 An article is an elaborate piece of composition written on some broad
subject, well documented and expresses the opinion of the writer who has
studied the subject in all its aspects.
 Unlike features, the subject of article is not very narrow, specific or minute.
The article is generally written in a sober style, and the subject matter is
treated in a scholarly manner.
 It is a piece of writing usually intended for publication in a newspaper
magazine or journal.
 It is written for a wide audience, so it is essential to attract and retain the
reader’s attention.
 It may include amusing stories, reported speech or description.
 It should give opinions and thoughts as well as facts in a formal style.
 It can be formal or informal depending on the target audience.
 An article can describe an experience, event, person and place, present and
opinion or balanced argument, compare and contrast, provide information,
offer suggestion or advice, etc.
 It should contain an eye-catching title which attracts the reader’s attention
and suggest the theme of the article.
 An article is an introduction which clearly defines the topic to be covered.
 An article has a main body of 2-5 paragraphs in which the topic is further
developed in detail.
  Before writing an article, we have to consider where the article is going to
appear; who are going to be the intended readers and what is the aim of the
article.
 Style, language and level of formality are the deciding factors of an article.
 Over personal or Overemotional language should be avoided whereas
linking words and expressions and a variety of vocabulary make an article
more attractive.

Feature
 Both article and feature are considered as non-news forms of writing.
 A feature goes much beyond the scope of the news story.
 A feature examines and dissects news and throws light at different aspects.
 It tries to explore the background, probes in-depth an idea or an event.
 Feature is not just a narration of facts. The purpose is to inform and
entertain and arouse curiosity, sympathy, humour and other feelings
amongst the readers.
 A feature writer reacts to the people, situations, events and places and
provides a colourful background and explanatory matter to his feature
story. His scope is much wider than news writing.
 A feature writer would probe deeper into some aspects which are not taken
care of in the news.
 A feature is like a window into the human experience, giving more detail
and description than a hard news story, which typically relies on the
inverted pyramid style of writing.
 Features focus on event or individual, giving the reader a chance to fully
understand some interesting dimension of that subject.
 A feature is called the hybrid of the world of journalism – it is like a report
because it’s based on facts; it is like a story because it has action and style;
it is like an advertisement because it has a sales appeal. It is an umbrella
term for a large number of soft news that adds colour, entertains or
illuminates the readers.
 It is generally a news recap but with lots of new information of which the
reader has been ignorant about. It gives the background to the news with
explanations, analysis and viewpoints. They are colourful pieces that deal
with real happenings, innovations, trend issues and processes or placing an
emphasis on the people involved. Feature can be written on any topic
provided it has an element of human interest.
  Feature stories are human interest articles that focus on particular people,
places, events or incidents.
 Feature stories are journalistic, researched, descriptive, colourful,
thoughtful, reflective or a thorough writing about original ideas.
 Feature stories cover topics in depth, going further than mere hard news
coverage by amplifying and explaining the most interesting and important
elements of a situation or occurrence.
 Writers of feature have the space and time to evoke imagery in their stories
and fill in details of the circumstances and the atmosphere.
 A feature story is not meant to report the latest breaking news but rather an
in-depth look at a subject.
 Feature articles range from the news feature that provides background to a
current hard news story to a relatively timeless story that has natural human
interest.
 Features are generally longer than hard news articles because it penetrates
deeper into its subjects, expanding on the details rather then trying to
concentrate on a few important key points.
 In a feature story the writer sometimes postpone the main point until the
end, which means that the whole story does not have to be incapsulated in
the lead.
 Types of features:
i. News features: Also called news follow-ups, news in-depth or news
behind news.
ii. Personality features
iii. Experience features
iv. Photo features
v. Human interest features
vi. Historical features
vii. Seasonal features
viii. Behind the scenes features

Tips to write a feature

1. Brainstorm ideas.
2. Identify the purpose.
3. Research the topic.
4. Grab the reader’s attention.
5. Keep that attention.
6. Leave an impression.
A feature should include a headline, introduction, the main body and even a
leading paragraph.

Essential of features
 Explain: what is happening?
 Expand: on a news item an official statement.
 Explore: ideas, new concept.
 Investigate: issues, social problems, scandals, etc.
 Describe: events large and small, places, experiences, journeys, people,
etc.
 Entertain: with humor or colorful descriptions.
 Campaign: for the rights, improvement of human conditions.
 Comment: usually in the form of column.

News
 News story deals with recent and current events. It is a perishable
commodity.
 News story has to meet certain deadlines.
 Brevity is the soul of news writing. News story has not such scope for
subsidiary or background material.
 News is an objective and factual account of events where the reporter
sticks to facts and tries to answer, as far as possible, the six basic
questions which makes a news story.
 The style followed in a news writing is generally an inverted pyramid. It is
concise, terse and related to matter of facts.
 It is important in a news story to be able to convey all the important
information in a limited word count.

Tips for writing a news story

1. It’s about people.
2. Have an angle.
3. Keep it objective.
4. Quote people.
5. Don’t get flowery.
6. Be direct and easy to understand.
News backgrounder
 It is an article in which they offer the background and details on people or
events which a newspaper might carry hard news or a story about a
particular event on its front page. A backgrounder in the inner pages offers
further insight and explanation on it.
 A backgrounder should contain added information and concise
repercussions – How the situation or the event has affected or will effect
people and way. A backgrounder height considers similar events.

Basic guidelines for writing a backgrounder

1. Start with a concise statement on the issue, subject, or the topic of the
accompanying news story.
2. Follow the opening statement by tracing the issue, how it came to be and
the major events leading up to it.
3. Explain the importance of the issues as of today. State its significance and
back that statement up as appropriate.
4. Present the implication of the issue.

Q. Write a short note on news sources?

In journalism, a source is a person, publication, records or documents that gives
timely information. Sources include official records, publication or broadcasts,
organizations or corporations, witnesses of crime, evidences or people involved
with a news event or issue. Sources of information can be anything which
journalists can use to put a news story together. News sources become more
important when events or issues are finished before the journalists get there and
it is not possible for him to file a news story according to his own observation.
Journalists who only report can see what they see unless they have sources to
tell them of more details or other aspects which are out of site.

Attribution & its types

Attribution is stating who made the quote or gave the information. It simply
means telling your readers where the information in your story comes from as
well as who is being quoted. Generally, attribution uses a sources full name and
job title if that is relevant. Information from sources can be paraphrased or
quoted directly but, in both cases, it should be attributed. It means to tell your
readers the name and title of the person you interviewed or document collected.
There are three levels of attribution, depending on whether your source is happy
about being publicly identified or whether they want to keep some secrecy
about what they tell you.

1. On the record: In this, people will tell the details openly and allow you to
quote their names and titles. It is always best to get information on the
record. You can remain accurate by using the exact words people say. You
can also make story seem more human by using direct quotes. On the
record comments have an extra level of understanding for people because
they know who is speaking and what was said and basically what was said.
2. Non – Attributable: Sometimes a source will give you the info on the
understanding that you can use the information but not attribute them. This
could be done for several reasons.
3. Off the records: In this the name of the source is not revealed and that you
should not even write about what they tell you. People usually give
information of the record when they want you to understand the
background to something which is too sensitive for them to talk publicly
about.

Credibility & quotations

Credibility comprises the objective and subjective components of the
believability of a source or message. Credibility has two key components:
trustworthiness and expertise. Trustworthiness is based more on subjective
factors, but can include objective measurements such as established reliability.
Expertise can be similarly subjectively perceived, but also includes relatively
objective characteristics of the source or message (e.g., credentials, certification
or information quality). Secondary components of credibility include source
dynamism (charisma) and physical attractiveness.
According to the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics, professional
integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. A journalist's number
one obligation is to be honest.

Quotations
A quote is the written form of the words which people have spoken.
Occasionally it will also apply to words they have been written down, perhaps
in a book or a press release. In print journalism, quotes are shown surrounded
by quotation marks, either single (‘) or double ("). These are sometimes called
inverted commas. The alternative to using a quote is to rewrite the sentence into
what we call reported speech.

Why use quotes?

There are three main reasons why you should use quotes in print journalism:
 If you repeat the exact words which people themselves used, you will
reduce the risk of misreporting what they say.
 When we give a person's exact words, our readers can see both the ideas
and the way they were presented
 People often use lively language when they speak. Quotes allow you to put
that lively language directly into your story.
Remember too that, as a journalist, you are simply the channel through which
people with something to say speak to people who want to know what they said.
The best way of keeping the channel clear is to let people tell things in their
own way. One of the golden rules of journalism is: Let people speak for
themselves. Use quotes. In print we hear people's voices through quotes, in
broadcasting the voices are heard in the form of audio or actuality.

Byline
The byline on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name of the writer of
the article. Bylines are commonly placed between the headline and the text of
the article, although some magazines place bylines at the bottom of the page to
leave more room for graphical elements around the headline.
The dictionary defines a byline as "a printed line of text accompanying a news
story, article, or the like, giving the author's name."

Credit line
The line that acknowledges the source of a news report, photograph, chart, or
graphics is called the credit line.
A news report may be credited to PTI (Press Trust of India), AP (Associated
Press) or ANI depending on which news service has moved the story.
The moment you see the credit line you know the source of the news report. The
newspapers too are able to differentiate between news reports filed by their
reporters and agency reporters.
Besides giving credit to the rightful source, the credit line also gives newspapers
a fig leaf in case a question is raised about the veracity of the report. The
newspapers can always attribute the blame to the wire service that fed the
report. This way, the credibility of the newspapers stays intact.

News Embargo
In journalism, a news embargo or press embargo is a request or requirement by
a source that the information or news provided by that source may not be
published until a certain date or certain conditions have been met.
The media is given advance knowledge of details being held secret so that
reports can be prepared to coincide with the announcement date and yet still
meet press time. In theory, press embargoes reduce inaccuracy in the reporting
of breaking stories by reducing the incentive for journalists to cut corners by
writing up information quickly in hopes of "scooping" the competition.
The understanding is that if the embargo is broken by reporting before then, the
source will retaliate by restricting access to further information by that
journalist or their publication, giving them a long-term disadvantage relative to
more cooperative outlets. Embargoes are usually arranged in advance as
"gentlemen's agreements." However, sometimes publicists will send embargoed
press releases to newsrooms unsolicited in hopes that they will respect the
embargo date without having first agreed to do so—the phrase "For Immediate
Release" often found at the top of press releases indicates that the information in
the release is not embargoed.
News organizations sometimes break embargoes and report information before
the embargo expires, either accidentally (due to miscommunication in the
newsroom) or intentionally (to get the jump on their competitors). Breaking an
embargo is typically considered a serious breach of trust and can result in the
source barring the offending news outlet from receiving advance information
for a long period of time.
News embargoes are one of several ways a source can influence media
presentation of the information they provide; others include providing
information "on background" or "not for attribution," limiting or providing
"access," or even direct government or market intervention against the reporters
or media company. The manner in which journalists react to these and othe r
attempts to influence coverage are a matter of journalistic ethics.

END…
UNIT - II
Q. What are Leads?
A lead or an intro is the beginning paragraph of a story. It is the hardest part to
write as it set the tone and introduces the reader to the rest of the story. It is also
considered as the most important part of the news story. The best written lead
not only satisfies the readers initial curiosity, but gives way to his appetite to
read more. A good lead paints a vivid picture of the story with a few words. If
the lead is not affective, the reader may skip the story. It should be appropriate
for the story. The lead must be accurate, short and crisp. It should reflect the
mood of the story. A reporter must see that his lead does five things:
1. Presents a summary of the story.
2. Identifies the people and places concerned.
3. Stresses upon the news story.
4. Gives an update of the event.
5. Stimulate the reader to continue the story.
The present-day tendency is to achieve all this as quickly and briefly as
possible.

Types of leads
Summary lead
These leads summarise clearly and plainly all the principal facts. It remains the
simplest in construction and forms a basic part of all lead variations. It
condenses the main point of the story into the first paragraph. It is also known
as straight, digest or conventional lead. It brings the central issue of discussions
at first. It tells the readers what they want to know in a creative manner. This
kind of lead is used in straight news, it answers right away all or any of the 5
W’s and 1 H which may be one of the following:
 Who lead – used when the person involved is more prominent than what
he does or what had happened to him?
 What lead – used when the event or what took place is more important
than the person involved in the story.
 Where lead – used when the place is unique and no prominent person is
involved in the story.
  When lead – rarely used as the reader presumes the story to be timely,
however this lead is useful when speaking of dead lines holidays or
important dates.
 Why lead – Used when the reason is more prominent or unique then what
had happened.
 How lead – Used when the manner, mode, means or method of achieving
the story is unnatural in a way.

Question lead
A question lead works best when a problem with reader appeal or public interest
is the central point of the story. Unfortunately, the question lead is used far too
often as a crutch by a reporter who does not take the time to work on a more
effective approach. Some editors put a limit on the number of question leads
that can be used. Question lead is welcome if the question asked really
illuminates the story. If the questions posed are provocative it may be used as a
lead.

Direct – quotation lead

This lead can be extremely effective if the quote is a good and popular one and
if it is not too long. Frequently reporters use quotes that are too long and
involved. Several paragraphs may be needed to explain them to the reader. This
lead is more used in speech reporting. This lead tends to be effective when what
is said is more striking than the person who had send it. Quotes frequently are
the essential documentation for a lead should be used immediately after a
paraphrase that summarises them. These lead helps in adding an element of
interest such as drama, pathos, humor, astonishment or some other factor that
will reach out to the reader in a more effective manner.

Direct – address or appeal lead

This lead speaks directly to the reader, often about the subject of broad interest
or appeal. It addresses the reader directly as you. It enhances the interest of the
reader as it directly talks to them. The you lead is intended it make a personal
appeal to the reader which maybe followed by a second person approach. It has
the effect of making the reader a collaborator in what follows. It often begins
with phrases such as “if you have ever thought” or “if you have ever seen or
read”.

Circumstantial lead
Such a lead stresses on the circumstances under which the incident has
happened. It usually crops up when the story has a human interest slant.

Discriptive lead
In this type of lead the reporter to paint a word picture of an interesting person
place or event. It also helps to create the mood for the story and for reason
should match the subject carefully. This lead describes how an event happened
rather than simply telling what the event is about. In this the writer try to pain
the event place or person.

Other types of leads

 Punch, capsule or cartridge lead – Short and punchy to attract the readers,
uses blunt or explosive statements to summarise the article.
 Contrast lead – Grab’s readers attention by comparing extremes.
 Historical lead – It draws attention on some characters or events in
history or literature that is familiar to the average readers.
 Suspended interest or delayed lead – In this the story runs in
chronological order so the reader has to read the whole story to get the
climax.
 Bullet lead – This is used in important news. In this lead short sentence or
a phrase is used in a straight forward manner.
 Name lead – When the person mentioned in the news is more important
than the case itself.
 Negative lead – Starts with a negative statement or news.
 Parody lead – This lead attempts to play on proverb, song titles or phrase.
 Funny/gag lead – It is written in a funny way but generally used in a
feature.
 Blind identification lead – Where the person concerned is not well
known.

Q. Write a short note on headlines?

Headline is a window to the new story.
 A heading must fit
 Must tell the story
 Must confirm to newspaper's standard
 Must not just be a label
 Must be safe
 And must not commit the paper to an opinion
The headline of the news items is much more than just a set of words. It is the
responsibility of the page designer to make each headline as definitive as
possible within the given newspaper format. Headline by its nature has to be
short and crisp but that does not mean that the headline should provide in
complete information. Writing an appropriate headline is a highly creative art
and need high levels of concentration, wisdom and awareness of the current
events.

Guidelines of headline writing

 A good headline should be accurate clear, grammatically correct
commerce strong active, fresh and immediate.
 It should catch reader's attention.
 It summarises the article.
 Best headline writers are spontaneous and creative. "The best headline
comes instantly."
 Read others headlines to get ideas.
 the more conversational the headline, the more readers will like it.
 The most effective headlines are those that give an old news a new twist.
“Readers are familiar with the news but something different about it will
reel them in.
 Four points to test each headline are: accuracy, clarity, tone and twist.
 Headlines are like announcements, commands and slogans. Headline is
not a complete sentence. They don't follow the rules of grammar for
sentence making but they should still convey the meaning.
 Headline without a work is considered passive headline. A simple
addition of our may make the headline active and more appropriate.
 Use the words whose meaning is clear to most of the audience.
 Too much or too little information kills the headline
 Too many abbreviations spoil the headline, while they are useful in
saving space and time and have greater communicative value but only
those abbreviations should be used that are of common knowledge.
  Since headline is not a sentence, punctuation marks should be used only
when absolutely necessary. Full stop is never used in headlines, a comma
and a semicolon may be used for separating one information from the
other.

Bifurcating the word heads

H -Herald’s the day’s news; tells what is of importance
E- Entices the reader with essential or interesting facts
A-Advertises the most important story by size or placement on the page (the
most important stories are displayed at the top of the page)
D- Dresses up a page with typography; helps make design attractive
S- Summarises the story; tells what the story is about

Types of headlines
 Banner headline: it is a one-line headline usually found on the front page
of the newspaper which covers all the columns from left to right. It is
written in large letters across the width of the page and is given below the
name plate of the newspaper. This kind of headlines is given to very
important news stories.
 Label headlines: when the headline just indicates the class or the type of
the event that is described in the news, it is called label headline. These
are generally used for regular columns.
 Skyline headline: it is used for very exceptional and exclusive events
where the headline is given over the nameplate of the newspaper. It
means that the event is even more important that the authority of the
newspaper.
 Skeleton newspaper: in some cases, just above the main headline, a minor
headline is added in lower case with a line under it.
 Waist line headline: both the top and bottom lines are wide and equal but
the central line is narrow and small.
 Rectangle and square headlines: in such headings, all the lines are equal
from left to right.
 Hanging headline: the heading with more than two lines which are
justified on the right side and unjustified on the left.
  Drop line headline: this type has two or three lines and arrangement of
lines look like a staircase.
 Inverted pyramid headline: such headlines are given to important stories
with multiple important points. Such headlines are many columns wide.
 Inverted stairway headline: opposite of the drop line headline.
 Crosser headline: crossers are normally one-line headline which is given
in the middle of the story
 Streamer headline: when a banner headline is found in the inside pages, it
is called streamer headline.
 Oval headline: it is a three-line headline in which a top and the bottom
lines are shorter than the centre line.
 Single line headline: it is a one-line headline which does not cover all the
columns of the newspaper. It is one of the most common type used by
Indian newspapers.
 Cross-line heading: It does not always span the full width of the page but
does cover all the columns of the story to which it pertains.
 Flush-left heading: Is a two or three line heading with each line set
towards left but the lines do not necessarily have to be equal in width.
 Deck headline: A second headline under the first, smaller in size.

Q. What is body?
The functions of body copy are amplification, elaboration, explaining
description, discussion, dialogue, arguments, and counter arguments etc.
depending upon the type of appeals used, the copy can be long (rational
appeals) or short (emotional appeals). Body copy supports the statements made
in the headline. If a question is put in the headline, the body copy answers it. It
always plays supplementary and complimentary roles. In body, information is
presented in order of it’s importance. The body must be divided into small
paragraphs with minimum possible punctuation marks. It should provide details
that elaborate the theme.
 1

Understanding News

There is no single acceptable definition of news because the

elements that constitute news are constantly changing, and so are
the wornen and men who select it for print and broadcast. The
dramatic social, economic, political and technological
changes
sweeping the world have a profound impact on what is considered
news today just as they have on the readers of newspapers.
What may be news in one community may not be in another.
For example, a newspaper in Bangalore may devote a regular
section to computers and technology, while one in Ranchi may
focus special attention on mines, mineral and natural resources
and another in Shimla on tourism.
Reader's interest varies greatly. That is why an event that would
rate the front page in a community of ten thousand may not make
the calendar of events in a newspaper in a city of five lakh.

What is News?

Whatever new happens forms news. Whenever something unusual,

unparallel, extra-ordinary, exceptional event, incident, happening
or development takes place, the formation of news begins.
"Everything that happens" or "anything you didn't know
yesterday" makes news. It is what people "talk about" or what
"readers want to know." It is what a reporter "finds satisfaction
in writing" or "what a well-trained editor decides to put in his
paper
Textbook writers have asserted that news is "stimulating
information," "anything timely" "a timely report," "the report of
an event." It is also described as "literature in a hurry" and
"tomorrow's history."
 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editing
2
or framework.
It is
rigid rules
News is not static. It has no
direction and
expanding by constantly changing
a
growing and
the dramatic and unexpected.
by producing
Definitions of News

always
scholars have attempted to define news, not
Many editors ofall time, Stanley
Walker
successfully. One of the great city
York Herald Tribune, didn't think there was a definition
of the New
of news. News, he said, "is more unpredictable than the winds.
characters of tales as old
Sometimes it is the repetition with new
as the pyramids, and again, it may be
almost outside the common

experience."
dates from the 1920s, his
Although Walker's view of the news
observation is still valid. Much news is routine and repetitive,

although even then it may be interesting, even exciting some

to
but
people. Births, deaths and marriages are common occurrences,
to see news of
despite this, they have news value. Families want
the marriage of children and the birth of grandchildren in their
local newspapers both as a matter of record and as news of interest
to family members and friends. Deaths -obituaries - have high

reader interest.
Some news is so strange that we can hardly accept it. News of
medical discoveries, revelations of the secrets of the universe
unravelled by theoretical physicists, photographs transmitted over
millions of kilometers from distant planets-these events strain
the imagination. Many people were unable to accept the idea that
man actually walked on the moon, even though they were able to
see the event on their television screens. Some events are so far
outside human experience that they are hard to
comprehend.
Joseph Pulitzer, 19th century publisher of the St. Louis Post-
Dispatch and the Neuw York World, had his own definition of news.
He instructed his editors and reporters to look
for stories that were
"original, distinctive, romantic, thrilling, unique, curious, quaint,
humorous, odd and apt-to-be talked about." Since Pulitzer's
newspapers were highly successful-the World at one time had a
circulation of more than a million-Pulitzer must have
had a fairly
good insight into the nature of news.
Charles A. Dana, editor of the New York
readers when he defined news as Sun, had his eye on his
"anything
that will make
people
 Understanding News 3

talk." Arthur, McEwan, editor of the San Francisco Examiner under

William Randolph Hearst, is quoted as saying that news is anything
that makes a reader say, "Gee whiz!" And Turner Catledge, a former
managing editor of The New York Times, called news "anything you
can find out today that you didn't know before."
John Chancellor, former senior correspondent for NBC News,
has suggested that news is a chronicle of conflict and change.
Many editors today are more likely to define news in terms of
what their readers want to know-in other words, give the readers
what they ask for, whether it is local news or features or school
football. Newspaper editors are depending more and more on
this definition of news to make their newspapers useful to readers.
They are using a number of ways of identifying reader preferences,
including surveys, focus groups and various forms of contact with
individual readers, to get their views on what they want to read in
their newspapers.
Some editors define news as information readers ought to have
and need to know to get along in this complicated and confusing
world. This is a more traditional approach, and it depends on the
insight of the editor. But there have always been editors who have
known instinctively how to publish a newspaper that readers
respond to and buy.
Here is an attempt to define news.

News is every information received from N = North, E =

East, W= West andS = South.

News is anything timely that interests a number of persons
and the best news is that which has the greatest interest
for the greatest number.
N e w s is the timely report of facts or opinions that hold
interest or importance or both for a considerable number
of people.
News is usually stimulating information from which the
ordinaryhuman being derives satisfaction or stimulation.
News is a compilation of facts and events of current
interest or importance to the readers of the newspaper.
N e w s is anything and everythinginteresting about life and
materials in all their manifestations.
N e w s is not the event, it is the account of the events written
for people who did not witness it.

THITI
 Fundamentals ofReporting and diting Understanding News
he/shefa
6 Sometimes
he/she fails to
get all
finder.
nd opposition of Humours o r gossips
statements out of
and context.
is a
The r e p o r t e r
fact
antagonism
erause he/she
he/she does not perceive
news o r quote
of from the report.
because because
need to be excluded
is as important as accuracy.
facts fails
relevant
2. Balance: Balance in reporting
he/she facts.
Sometimes
of the he/she should
"Yet as he added, about a controversy,
significance
"The If the reporter is writing
sources.
truths."
a strike, for
or not
the story. When reporting
at, bya legittimatededuction
relationship "facts a r e
the
AsColeride
notes, arived give both sides of authorities and also
that of
on,
and is only material." It is the ree instance, give the
claim of the
truth depends truly andSIbl
it is successful.
material" and separate the workers on how far
which are
facts
that"are truly
material"
biased, if
from all the imbalanced, and thus
task to get
the facts A story may appear to be too
reporter's are not. views, o r tends to give
them from
those which it has too much of government relevance to the
which has little
much of foreign news
News is Curent readers.
minus. From # .
should not mix his/her opinion
or
is noW-plus
Objectivity: The reporter
news
Fourth, news is
current,
into the past and
into the fut re. 3- facts and other
should report only
stretches a little way in the story. He/she
present, it of minutae disinterested
unwanted within a matter
He/she should be a
is a perishable product, people's opinions. sides.
events without taking
hours or days. observer, reporting The
timeliness sometimes
is more obvious if should be easy in understanding.
All news is timely. Its 4. Clarity: A story active voice
the geographical setting
and historical should be short and in
the reader understands introductory sentence each
not in a vacuum but in the world we maximum extent possible.
The ideal length of
background. News happens to the small sentences
be three-four lines containing
live in. para may
cannot be divorced from
News of any country, for instance, to facilitate easy comprehension.
Sometimes climate accounts does a news report, he/she
the environment which produced it. 5. Impact: Whenever a reporter the story would
have. If a
attitudes. Sometimes should consider the impact
for the development of national ideals and overused bridge
natural resources determine a nation's destiny. about a dilapidated
reporter is writing he may
motivate the authorities to
take up repairs,
so as to "Nose
a
News hnterests People The reporters must develop
help avert a tragedy.
Fifth, news is an account of something that interests people. for news."
What ideas, what events, what problems command public
interest? Reporters for printed and news broadcasting media News Elements
constantly seek the answer to this situation. As times change, the
elements of news have
been interpreted
depth of interest in different kinds of news may vary. The qualifications, or
intrinsic features are:
vividly by writers. The
Qualities of News
1. Conflict (tension, surprise)
1
Accuracy: Accuracy is basic to Progress (triumph, achievement)
any news item. When the 2.
reporter fails in accuracy, 3. Disaster (defeat,
destruction)
he/she loses credibility. 1he on individuals
or community)
reporter should cross check the
facts and informationy 4. Consequence (effect
well-known or famous)
figures names. He/she should also
and
5. Prominence (the
check how names even the bizarre)
are
spelled. People are
greatly offended by misspelleu Novelty (the unusual,
6.
names. If the or emotional).
reporter is Human interest (unusual
given to him/her, he/sheparaphrasing a speech from a ext 7.
should not change the meaning8
 News Value 13

reported by broadcast media immediately after the happening.

Broadcast media disseminate the news first but it cannot always
tell what it means. Accordingly, printed news media excels in
expository and interpretative journalism.
2 When does news cease to be news? Broadcast newsmen by
several hours earlier.
noon may reject a news item they reported
with the
News Value Reporters of print media concern themselves mainly
less
frequency of editions or issues. Fresh news becomes stale in
than a day for a daily, a week for a weekly, a month for a monthly.
Timeliness alone, of course, does not make news. The child's
first tooth or his first step may interest the family or friends,
not
How do you determine whether a current idea,
event problem or
worth
news media. News must interest enough people to make it
news? How can you make a
is news? How do you recognise printing or broadcasting.
distinction between news and non-news? How can you be sure en did it happen? When will it happen? Again and again
that the news provided by you will interests readers, listeners or the reporter asks these questions. The answer often helps him to
viewers? determine whether an idea, event, or problem is timely enough to
To answer these questions, we have to examine the news value. interest the public he/she serves.
These may be termed as appeals, factors, determinants or criteria
of news 2. Proximity

Determinants of News "Nearest-dearest." So runs an old German proverb. There is some

truth in it, so far as news is concerned. We are more interested in
The factors on which a news report needs to be tasted are a fire next door, murder down the street, a wedding
at a local

church, or an accident in the town than similar events a thousand

Timeliness. kilometers away.
Proximity. Nearness, however, is not what it once was. At least, nobody
3. Size. is isolated. What once was far, now may seem to be near in an age
4. Importance. when people are setting up their own satellites into space, and
5. Personal benefit.
attempts are being made to set up colonies of human beings
on

the moon or the mars.

1. Timeliness Even in one city-New Delhi, for example, the emphasis on
local news will vary. The potential readers may be the same, but
When is an idea, event, or
sometimes. More often there
problem news? When it is news the actual readers are different, hence, have a different pattern of
may be something new about it interest so far as the nearness of news is concerned.
something expected, something unexpected. Both timeliness and proximity are important measures of
Months used to separate the New an event or individual
World and the Old news. Although they alone do not make
two centuries ago. Now only minutes do. News moved World automatically newsworthy, in combination with events that have
over the ocean waves, but
it moves fast over the air slowly determine newsworthiness.
perishes more quickly now. waves. So news other news values they can help
An accident today that held local rush-hour traffic for
up
Today, news may travel with the that happened even 24 hours
speed of light. It may be two hours is more timely than one
 and Editing
Fundamentals ofReporting News Value 15
14 That s a m e
newspaper.

rate m o r e
attention in a locally than a made by a local leader, it would be of slight consequence. If it is
before and will because it happened
200 made by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, it will become
newsworthy the state capital
accident is
more
traffic in news. The announcement made
similar o n e that
held up
rush-hour
by Mr. Vajpayee at the BJP's
convention in Mumbai in December 2005 became important because
kilometres away.
this would mean that Mr. L.K. Advani would be the prime ministerial
candidate if the BJP could emerge victorious in the next elections. It
3. Size would also have been interpreted that after Advani
news, but
neither when quitting BJPs
important in
are The
presidents post, Atal's announcement will open doors for the second
Timeliness and
what and the who.
nearmess

so important
as the rank leaders to take over the reign of the party.
often is Who
"What makes this story big?
nor where
News of today is rooted in the news of
reporter, therefore, may ask, yesterday. The reporter
looks for these roots in local, state, national and world
makes this story big?" determines the
history. He
women also looks for them, in the history, labour,
The prominence of
men and
and you management, farming,
The PM or Minister plays cricket, science, religion, culture and government
magnitude of the story. You play cricket, nobody
about this in the newspaper. Readers, listeners, and viewers are concerned with (awhen
can read all
achieve something big. of news to know whether it is timely, (6) where of the news to
takes notice unless you
than ordinary people. know whether it is near, (c) size of the news to know whether
The noted and notorious get more space the
fractures a rib or argues with his wife in public he what or whom in the news makes it big. But they also are interested
The celebrity in these questions (d) Why? (e) How?
she gets into the news.
story.
in determining the size of a news
Newsweek asserts that because of public interest in these
Figures are factors
or affected.
are involved
The reporter finds out how many persons
concerned, his
questions, its philosophy is: "To report the news in depth; to probe
if many are the news for meaning; to project the news for
f only a few, his story may be short; probable
story may be longer. consequences; to divorce opinion from fact."
accidents-number of persons killed Much that we term interpretative reporting today consists of
Consider these stories:
disasters-value of property destroyed; an answer to
these two questions: Why? How? In some instances,
or injured or killed;
stolen goods;
robbery-value of the reporter may get the
answerbya single telephone call. In others,
competitive games-final score;
his investigation and analysis may continue
business-profit or loss.
unusualness. If any idea, event
indefinitely.
Size may be measured in terms of
into the news. Obviously the 5. Personal Benefit
or problem is odd, unusual, it may get

size of an idea, event, or problem is important

in determining how
much space in print or time on the air it should be given. For immediate benefit, we read news that gives us pleasure;
softness, some call it, Others say that these stories are "effective"
in that they appeal to our
4. Importance feelings and emotions.
For immediate enjoyment, the reader is
always interested in
The successful reporter has a built-in vision which tells him
ideas, events, and problems are important and are, therefore, news.
which reading the humorous human interest story. Other stories promptly
evoke sympathy, or anger. Still others satisfy our curiosity or give
The important story is not an isolated idea, event, or problem. Its us security.
timeliness, nearness and size alone may not make it important. What happens when the reader reads the story of an accident,
Yet it may be the result of a significant cause or the cause of a disaster, or crime? True he/she is curious about what happened.
significant result. Then, he/she is concerned whether someone he/she knows may
Take simple remark: "I do not choose to be affected.
a
fight electiorn", if
 and Editing
Fundamentals ofReporting News Value 17
16 the n e w s
occurred
notes that
when other factors too which are considered important. A lot depends on
as he/she
fear grows disappears editors and proprietors as to how they define or interpret news value.
The reader's diminishes and
It involved. Relaxed
neighbourhood.
knows is
in his own he/she
discovers that nobody News Policy
he/she secure.
he/she feels he/she may
vicariously
and reassured, continues to read,
reader children from a Ifa traineereporter accepts, first, the definition of newsand second,
Yet as the who r e s c u e s
of the fireman the
c o n v e r s a t i o n of
the elements of news and the news value, he/she may be under
enjoy the experience detective who records
or of the the impression that news everywhere is the same. But it is not.
blazing school his phone.
leader of Samajwadi
Party by tapping benefits as well as
Why? News policies differ.
a top
recognises delayed and Who presentsthe news? The "Who" may bea newspaper, news
must face reality
consumer
The news
He/she knows he/she
immediate benefits.
on him/her. So,
he/she reads magazine, business paper or religious publication. It may be a radio
the problems imposed or television channel. But who are finally the approving
attempt solve
to the decisions he/she
eventually must
take.
stories that relate to interest in authorities? Obviously, the editor.
often take an
children in school
Parents with
in which there is
the double- Every news media organisation has its editorial policy finalised
education news. They hear of schools such a
by the editor.And the decides the policy keeping in view
editor
promptly to prevent
shift schedule. They may take steps the political, business or other interests of the proprietor besides
own schools.
development in their agothe
news the larger interests of the people and the society.
true. Today-as a century
What Greeley said is its origin Policies also differ because news media differ as to the:
This interest has
reads what interests him/her.
consumer
immediate or some delayed benefit. (a) Basic concept.
in his expectation of
some
news story:
how does it benefit
This is the test for the typical he/she by.
(b) Content pattern.
the reader? As the reader goes
through a newspaper, those (c) Space allocation.
which do not.interest
him/her, considers (d) Journalistic treatment.
passes stories
which do. view of news
take too narrow a
One caution the reporter may consumer.
Hence, every news in a publication has to be tasted on this
benefits to the news
when he/she considers personal policy. It can get a place in the columns of that publication if it is
considers
instable curiosity, and he/she in harmony with the policy.
The reader has an almost
it to his/her benefit to satisfy this curiosity.
news of a football game,
Obviously, then, the reader may enjoy He/she may read
Sex
team wins.
though he/she does not care which Many editors consider sex a news value. This is specially true when
about shares yet has no money to invest. He/she may study foreign
activities- it is coupled with prominence.
affairs-or some news not related to his professional The extensive coverage given to
the second marriage of film actor Amir Khan which was
simply because he/she likes to be well informed. soleminised in December 2005 is an example. The same month a
Thus, news consumer, though he/she may not realise it, feels
that it is to his/her benefit to be well informed. Accordingly, the sexually explicit CD of BJP General Secretary Sanjay Joshi rocked
reporter who attempts a neat and narrow classification of news on
the
news media which ultimately resulted in his resignation. The
the basis of immediate or delayed benefits may be in for a surprise. castinghitcouch story about Bollywood broken by a TV channel was
also a among readers and viewers. The sexual exploitation of
Other Determinants of News Value children by pop star Michel Jackson remained in news till the time
he was acquitted of the charge. The news media is filled with many
We have discussed five determinants of news value. But there are more such examples.
 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editing
22 News Value 23
different states of the country are
State News: News from
3.
like states level news
from UP, MP disasters, deaths, the results of elections, the results of battles, the
known as state news, outcome of wars or the famine. Hard news includes news of severe
Bihar, Rajasthan, etc.
weather: hurricanes and tornadoes, earthquakes, floods and other
which has a national perspective
4. National News: News natural calamities. Soft news.is the light stuft: features, human
to whole of the country is
and remain equally important interest stories, news of engagements and weddings, sports, leisure
treated as national news. activities and entertainment.
of the world
5. International News: News from different parts Hard News: Every newspaper is supposed to cover all
news. Such kind of
fall in the category of international important happenings of the day. Thus, the news which no
from a place outside the country.
news items originate newspaper can afford to miss is treated as hard news.
On the basis of subject, time/period, place and editing style, Hard news is mostly event-centred. It is a narration ofan
news may be put in the following four categories event or happening
The Hard news items are centred on 'What, When, Where
1. Subject: News on different subjects are grouped differently; and Why."
subjects likely political, scientific, commercial, sports etc. Abroadsheet daily covers mainly the Hard news-i.e, all
2. TimelPeriod: The time of the happenings is important to important happenings of the day.
decide the date value of news. The latest news is always Hard news has a date value. No newspaper can afford to
preferred. miss it or hold it.
3. Place:The place where an incident/event happens is always
important. More than' one news item can be clubbed Example: Report of an accident, natural calamity, disaster,
depending on the place of occurrence. public meeting, govt. formation, session of Parliament,
Editing Style: News items may be grouped as variety
news
4. introduction of ministers.
and developing news whenever the issue of the editing style
Soft News: Theless important happenings of the day may be
is dominating. Some scholars have classified news as: published or left out by a newspaper depending upon the space
available on differernt pages. The news of such happenings is
1. Diary news.
known as soft news.
2. Hot news.
Besides, every newspapers publishes some exclusive news.
This kind of news also falls under the category of soft news.
Diary News: The news of the scheduled events/incidents is
known as diary news. The news of functions, seminars, public
Soft news is not event-centred, though it can sometimes
meetings, sessions of Parliament and State Legislatures etc. fall
under this category. appear in a newspaper along with a hard story.
Hot News: The news of unexpected and unscheduled events/ Soft news is more of an analysis, reasons, background and
incidents is treated as hot news. The news reports of major interpretation.
accidents, natural calamities and assassinations of important It deals with the lighter side of the life and is not heavy
persons etc, fall under this category. like hard news.
news doesn't have a date value
Soft in most of the cases.
Soft news is becoming a very important segment of the
Hard Vs Soft News
daily newspaper since readers are not always interested
The most pertinent classification of news is hard news and soft in mere accounts of events.
news.Hard news is the serious news like fires, accidents, murders,
 Report Writing 27

grab his briefcase and car keys. In the struggle that followed,
Gopinath was struck in the face, but he kicked one of his assailants.
The other one pulled a small revolver from his jacket pocket and
fired three shots at the accountant. One bullet struck Gopinath in
car's
3 the left forearm and the other two went through the
windshield. Both men fled on foot when they heard the elevator
open. Several other occupants of the building rushed to Gopinath's
Report Writing aid. One alerted the building safety office on his cellular telephone
and all exits to the building and parking were sealed off. A PCR
van rushed to the scene in response to a call from the building
of the
security staff. Police and guards searched all five floors
correspondent and subsequently written building but were unable to find the two men. Gopinath was taken
The news covered by a
to RML hospital where he underwent a two-hour operation to
in a proper manner is known as a news report/item/story. Sincea
is communicated to the audience in the narrative remove the bullet and repair damage to the muscle in his left
news report forearm. He is resting comfortably, a hospital spokesman said.
manner as a story is told to the people, a news report is referred as Police said robbery and car theft apparently were the motives for
a news story in the field of journalism.
the attack. Gopinath said he had never seen either of his assailants
before. And the only thing he had in his briefcase, besides some
The Simple News Lead
unfinished tax forms, was half a sandwich left over from his lunch.

News writing is narrative writing turned upside down. Anarrative The News Story
on the end of the story,
prose writer places the major emphasis
climax. The news writer does the exact
carefully building up a
A senior auditor was shot in the arm last night by wo men who
fact is told first.
opposite. In news stories, the most important News attempted to rob him and steal his car from the parking of a
The two styles of writing also differ in other aspects. building at Janpath, police said.
short sentences, short
writing style calls for short words, Mr. Gopinath, senior partner in New Delhi Auditors, was
of quotes. Sentences and
paragraphs and a generous use wounded when he grappelled with his assailants in the
tend to be longer, and the choice
paragraphs in narrative writing adhere to the
underground parking of the Chandralok building.
of words often is more expansive. (Both, 'however,
standard rules of grammar, punctuation and sentence structure).
The assailants fled on foot when several other occupants of
the building got off the elevator in the
This example will illustrate the difference in the two writing
parking.
Gopinath underwent a two-hour operation at RML Hospital
to remove the bullet and
styles: repair damages to the muscles in his left
forearm. He is in a stable condition.
Ordinary Narrative Style Gopinath told police the two men attacked him as he was
opening the door to his car at 7:30 p.m. In the scuffle, he kicked
Mr. Gopinath, senior partner in New Delhi Auditors, an accounting
one of the assailants. The other one. fired three shots, one hit
firm with 16 offices across the country, left his office in the Gopinath in the left forearm and the other two went through the
Chandralok, Janpath about 7:30 last night. He took the elevator to windshield of his Sonata car.
the underground parking where he had parked his car when he Police sealed off all entrances to the parking and made a floor-
arrived at his office in the morning. As he approached his Sonata by-floor search but were unable to locate the assailants.
to
Car, two men came rushing out of the shadows and attempted
 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editing
28 Report Writing 29
seen either of the m e n before. He
had
Gopinath said he
never
to steal his car and snatch The desire to catch the reader's
told police he thought they
were trying
The desire attention.
to save the reader's time.
his briefcase. unfinished income-tax
contained some
The briefcase, he said, Even a senior journalist has to think twice while a lead.
While covering a story, he/she carries in the back ofwriting mind
lunch.
sandwich left over from
forms and half a stories is immediately his/her
between the two
The difference the consciousness that a suitable
are recounted in a beginning for the story must
events in the prose story somehow evolve within him/her. He/she keeps a watch
apparent. The are arranged, from
for those
the news story, they elements or element in the assignment which would make a
chronological order. In newsworthiness. The shooting good
of their lead.
beginning to end, in order two most
of his assailants are the After incorporating the most
important fact of an event/
of Gopinath and the escape told in
are the first things incident in the lead, the reporter proceeds further with the
newsworthy events of the story. îhey are presented well remainder of the story by selecting the next most important fact
the news story. In the narrative version, they
or detail, then the next
into the story. important, the next important after that
becomes clear gradually, and so on till he/she reaches the least important phase of all.
In ordinary narrative, the entire story
Guided by the reporter's idea of the
building up the climax. In the news story the most newsworthy importance of facts or
details, the news story assumes graphically the shape of an inverted
fact is flashed before the reader in the opening sentence-the lead.
as possible Pyramid.
The object of the lead is to tell the reader as quickly The most important element of the story is given the
what the story is about. This generally is done in a single sentence
greatest
prominence, the next most important is given somewhat less
or two that form a single paragraph.
The narrative story will include all the
minute details. The prominence,the
remains
and so on down
the story. The most important element
details or includes them in a final
on
topmost portion which is widest in an inverted
news story generally omits pyramid. The story narrows down in importance and so the
called the "Inverted
paragraph. This style of writing usually
is
inverted pyramid.
because the "bottom," or end or climax, of a story told
Pyramid"
in a chronological order is inverted and placed at the top of the
1st Break
news story.
The style is an outgrowth of the World War, when 2nd Break
stories by
correspondents were restricted from sending long 3rd Break
information was sent,
telegraph. To make certain all the essential
4th Break
writers gave the most important facts first. Although style has
the
been refined considerably since then, most basic news stories still
follow that pattern.

These steps.can be followed in inverted pyramid.

InvertedPyramid
1st Break intro (Five Ws and One H)
We start the normal story at its beginning and trace it step by step
2nd Break Explanatory details
to its conclusion. The newspaper conversion of the lead, however,
3rd Break Descriptive details
makes the news story an exception to this general rule. This lead
4th Break Additional points
demands that in most instances, the news story begins with its Leaving the thread
Conclusion
climax. Two reasons lie behind this formula:
 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editin
30 iting 31
also be shown in the followin. Report Writing
The inverted pyramid can
ing
last minute shortening if
publish. Stories must often undergo
a
manner: to concernedd
demands inclusion. The sub-editor
important late n e w s
two or three paragraphs off any story
Most Important 5Ws/1H knows that he c a n slice one, reader
written in the inverted pyramid style without depriving the
Continuity of the story's chief elements.
Delhi.
Extra Infomation
Example: From The Hindustan Times, New
Worth Several Lakhs
Background Fire Destroys Property

Leastdetails
Important, the first floor
NEW DELHI, Nov. 11 (HTC)-A major fire gutted
area of the walled
of a commercial building in the Chandni Chowk
who sustained minor burn
city this morning. Barring a fireman,
injuries, no other casualties have been reported.
At least 10 offices and stores and property valued at several
floor of
lakhs were destroyed in the fire, which damaged the first
the Moti
Rajalal Bhawan, an old single storey building next to
the
Cinema Hall compound on Diwan Hall Road. Though cause
Here is another style of inverted pyramid.
of the fire has not yet been confirmed, fire personnel said that a
short circuit might have led to the accident.
Introduction with most
relevant infomation According to the Fire Department, the fire must have started
around 9.30 10.00 a.m., but was detected later as all the
More facts
commercial establishments in the building were closed, "We got
Quotes and facts the first call at 10.25 a.m. Thirty-two fire tenders were pressed
Supplying lesser into service.
important details

Leastdetails
important Benefits of Inverted Pyramid

According to Clark, a famous journalist of the New York Times

"Inverted Pyramid method provides you the climax in the
beginning of the story"
Daniel, journalist of Guardian says, "In inverted pyramid
one should
The inverted pyramid style of news story writing is of great method, keep in mind that lead should not be of more
than 35 words, otherwise it gives a bad impression."
advantage editing. Whenever there is a need to shorten the story,
in
the last paras (which are of least
importance in an inverted pyramid Advantages
style) may be cut down. This is, in fact, the technique's
chief virtue
from a
sub-editor's point of view.
It also helps sub-editors who 1. Complete story idea is put in the lead.
the story from the tail without
can
easily discard as much of 2. Story can be edited from the bottom and makes no effect.
Most newspapers receive far affecting its readability. 3. Giving headline becomes easy.
more news than
they
have space A para can be inserted in between the story.
32 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editino

Disadvantages
1. Not good for people who love reading.
2. Discourages habit of reading.
3. Story seems to be never ending.
4 Kills the excitement behind the story.
The Five Ws

Rudyard Kipling once paid-I have six honest serving men. They
taught me all I know. Their names are what, why and when and
how, where and who.
Every news story should answer the questions: Who? What?
When? Where? Why? And, for good measure, How? They should
be answered as quickly as possible for the reader.
Some writers still attempt to cram answers to all these
questions
into the opening sentence, which
frequently results in 60 to 70 words
of almost incomprehensible
prose. For example, a lead containing
answers to all these
questions might come out like this:
Mr. Gopinath, a New Delhi
accountant, is in stable condition
at RML Hospital
today, recovering from a gunshot wound in his
left forearm which he suffered while
who tried to rob him and steal hisstruggling
with two assailants
car from an
parking Janpath Market at about 7:30 last night as he
at underground
was leaving
the building where his office is located.

Who? Gopinath, a New Delhi accountant

What? Was shot in the left forearm
When? About 7:30 last night
Where? The underground
Why? Two men were
parking at Chandralok building
and he resisted.
tryingto rob him and steal his
car
How? With a small revolver.
But it has 68 words and it is
even longer if the fact that the ponderous.
It would
assailants fled or the have been
this case, the police-had been included. sotirce- in
Conventional Lead

Asnarrated above, the old concent af land

 and Editing
Fundamentals of Reporting
34 Report Writing
temple road when 35
"Three men were
killed last night at Kalkaji
news that his
a truck hit their
car." supplier had pleaded guilty and agreed to
doesn't make the task of testify against him.
lead pattern
The move to a simpler follow the readymade
can no more
AMumbai teenager freed on bond on murder charges was
easier. He
the news writer the lead. But he is
arrested on Friday on
charges of armed robbery in the busy
formula of answering all
five Ws and one H in market of the city earlier this
selection. A senior citizen of the
month.
required to make a more demanding than the old city was sentenced to six years in
formula is
Today's new lead should prison today for shooting a woman he allegedly pursued
elements of news, the reporter for 37 years and claimed to love.
one. From among the five
to report the event. Other
choose the one that is most relevant
or to be
elements are to be presented in subsequent paragraphs
The "What" Lead: If an event or action is more important than
the persons involved, that element should be featured.
left out altogether.
Golkunda Express train hit a bus at an unmanned
Playing UpaW railway
crossing near Secundrabad, killing six people and injuring
30.
feature the single W that
Simpler, shorter leads can be written that be difficult A new law requiring colleges and universities to reveal
is more important than the others. Occasionally, it may
if a news their crime statistics will give students and
parents a look
to select a single W as the most important, especially at just how safe the nation's
event is complex. However, there are some examples
of how óne campuses really are.
A moderate
news element can be featured effectively: earthquake shook Himalayan region early
or place yesterday, killing 19 people and injuring about 300,
The "Who" Lead: If the "Who" is a prominent person alone attracts
or thing, it is usually the feature of the
lead. The name panicking thousands and destroying part of a small town,
elements is officials said.
the reader's attention. Unless one of the other
comes first as in these
particularly outstanding, the "big name" The "Where" Lead: On occasion, the "Where" i
significant
examples: enough to overshadow the other W's. If it is a place where half-a-
dozen accidents have taken place the same
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit escaped unhurt when day or ina week or if it
is happening in front of the house of a VIP and the
her car collided with a DTC bus in West Delhi today. people involved
are less
help the Iraq important from the point of news value, 'where' element
President Bush on Wednesday offered to off a $1 billion
is given importance.
ercome its financial problems by writing In case of a
line of credit.
particular thing happening at a particular place,
the place becomes important. Here is an example:
Shahrukh Khan is back again. "I have fully recovered and
am fit to play my second innings," announced the film Many parts in east Delhi plunged into darkness for several
star at a press conference. hours following power failure last night.
A "Who" lead frequently is used even when a person is not Sometimes, reporters make use of 'where to establish a mood
widely known. In such cases, it is usually the person's occupation, or recreate a scene.
sex, age or other distinguishing characteristics that are featured.
The band in the Indira Gandhi Stadium strikes up a stirring
A former ABS teacher went on trial on drug charges ina march, and suddenly 8,000 people are on their feet, all
criminal court today and immediately was given the baa eyes closed to enjoy the moment.
36 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editine
ting 37
Atomic Report Writing
Energy Commission has confirmed that there was
war on
no-radiation leak from any facility at the Indira
Centre for Atomic Gandhi smoking ina region where the Wills man still rides
at
Research even
Kalpakkam thougha proudly.
team from the Atomic The bus the cleaner is said to be the reason
Energy Regulatory
Board would driving of by
certify the safety of the nuclear power for its collision with a car, killing four people in the capital
recommences operations.
plant before it
today
To create fund for the rehabilitation of earthquake victims,
The "When" Lead: "When" is the government has decided to impose a surcharge of five
leads, butit is not often the most
automatically included in most per cent on income-tax-payers.
important feature. There are some
instances when the writer decides to
lead, as in these emphasise "When" in the
examplesS: VThe "How" Lead: There could be cases where importance will
have to be given to the manner o r process of the incident o r
The traders of Uttar Pradesh will happening than the other elements. This demands description.
observe a state-wide it can be an effective device, the "How" lead is not used
bandh o n the to Although
Independence Day protest unwarranted
curbs on their commercial activities. as often as the others. Some reporters shy away from it because it
The decision was can become too wordy. Here are several examples:
taken at a joint
meeting of different traders' unions in
Kanpur today. Using fraudulent application and identification papers,
It
was a black
Sunday, Hundreds of people sleeping in the from Bangladesh who entered the
hangover of hectic Christmas Day 'celebrations were thousands of peopleare
washed away by thundering Tsunami waves in
North-East illegally, seeking amnesty.
many The officials said they have been overwhelmed
by
countries of South-East Asia, including India.
The fraudulent applications listing phony addresses and
festivities of the last week of the year vanished as tourists
employnment data.
in sea resorts had to flee to safer places for their lives.
the Bogus claims made by membersof the Employees State
In New Delhi, the Republic Day parade was over. Dozens Insurance Scheme (ESI) having obtained medical
of tiny tots were passing through the streets with national certificates by influencing the doctors have resulted in a
flags in their hands in a small town in Gujarat. The whole loss of over Rs. 1.25 crore to the State ESI
nation was paying tributes to the founding fathers on this Corporation.
auspicious day. But the destiny had something else in its Crowding the Lead
store. The earthquake shook the earth and the tiny tots
like many others in Gujarat were taken away by destiny. The lead of a simple news
story should not say too much or tobo
For the kith and kin, the Republic Day beca.me a mourning little. In this type of story the best leads
generally are those that
day. emphasise a single W. If other Ws deserve attention, they can be
emphasised in the second paragraph.
The "Why" Lead: The motive o r cause of a n event The shorter the lead, the better, as
sometimes the most long as it tells the reader
can be the most important element of a story to feature in the lead. important details. Newsworthy details not included in
Writers may avoid it because this could make for a long lead. Here the lead will fall
properly into the body of the story. If no single
are a couple of examples of strong, direct, "Why" leads: element in the story seems to stand out above the others,
reporters
generally write a "Who" lead:
Saying cigarettes kill hundreds of thousands of Indians
A a
each year, an international group of doctors have declared 32-year-old resident who murdered car salesman
 Writing the Lead
41
For example: NEW
DELHI, Jan 9
4 As the practice
goes, all capital letters are used in the name of
the place, a coma is
put after the place, long names of months are
Writing the Lead used in short like Oct., Nov.,
after the date.
Recently some
Dec., and Jan. Ahyphen or dot is
put

with the dateline

newspapers have started making experiments
writing. There
are
newspapers which mention
The only the name of the place and not the month and the date in the
newspaperstory modern in dateline. Again, there are newspapers which
requirements
elements of
of the
people society has evolved to meet
on a the patternof dateline writing on all follow the traditional
pages except local pages wherein
convey its
day-today
novelty, directness, face and
basis. It relies on
the
neither the name of the
place nor the month and the date are

scenario.
information in the form most variety and the strives to mentioned.
suitable in the Sometimes, datelines are written in a unique fashion a s -
We divide the
can changing On board the plane, Nov.
page into three parts: newspaper story as it strikes our 14
eye ón the [This happens when PM talks to the
back from some reporters on his way
(a) The headline. foreign trip. A group of selected
journalists accompany the PM on such trips.]
(b) The first A place near
LO inKashmir, Nov.
paragraph.
(c) The remainder of the [This happens when mention of the 14 exact place is not felt
story desirable from strategic
poirnt of view.]
The
Headline: The headline attracts us first. It
letters stands out in bold Creditline: In this line, credit is
given to the writer of the news
top of the story. Its message is tense,
on item. The writer can be the
reporter or
startling. It makes us stop and look. It tells us abrupt and often newspapers or news correspondent of the
quickly what the agencies. Different newspapers follow
different practices as far as mention of the
story is about? Its primary function is to attract our attention. But While some
credit line is concerned.
we will not take
up the characteristics, types or writing styles of some others
newspapers mention the credit line before the
dateline,
headlines in this chapter. Headline put it after the date line.
writing falls in the domain of For examples:
copyeditor and not the reporter and so we will discuss it at an
appropriate place. Before the dateline
The First Paragraph: The first or the
opening paragraph assumes HT Correspondent
utmost importance in a news story. iniroductory
theBeing NEW Delhi, Jan. 9
paragraph, it is known as intro in the world of conventional After the dateline
journalism as inherited from the British.
NEW DELHI, Jan. 9 (PTI)
Under influence of American journalism, the term lead has
OR
replaced intro in referance to the first paragraph of a news report NEW DELHI, Jan. 9
Dateline: The intro or lead of a news report starts with a date
(HTC)
line. It includes the name of the from where the news has Different newspapers follow different
place writing.
patterns of creditline

originated followed by a mention of the month and the date.

 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editing
42 43
Writing the Lead
For Example: like:
B y Our StaffReporter
However, it can also be given along with creditline,
OR By Rakesh Bhatnagar
Our Staff Reporter. Times News Network
Sometimes, it is covered by rule on the upper and the lower side
andsometimes only on the lower side. Lead/Intro
By OurStaff Reporter
OR Lead is considered the most important part of a story. The best
By Our Staff Reporler
Sometimes, the creditine is mentioned in full and sometimes in
written lead not only satisfies the reader's initial curiosity but wets

abbreviated fom. his/her appetite to read more. A reporter must see to it that his/.
her lead does five things-
Example
Presents a summary of the story.
Ful-Hindustan Times Correspondent
B Identifies the persons and the places concerned.
Abbreviation-HTC c Stresses the news feature.
News agency, too, is quoted in different ways by different D - Gives the update of the event.
newspapers. E - Stimulates the reader to continue the story.
Example: Press Trust of India The present-day tendency is to achieve all this as quickly and
NEW DELHI, Nov. 1 4 as briefly as possible.
OR
NEW DELHI, Nov. 14 (PTI)
The News Lead
Some newspapers quote the agencies in entirely a different
manner.
Not all news events fall into the single-incident story category.
Many stories are far more complex and the reporter may be faced
Example: with having to juggle two or three important news elements ina
NEWDELHI, Jan 9-The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh said lead. This complex type of story requires careful planning and
here today that he would not bow down to the pressure tactics of organisation to make certain that the separate parts come together
BJP reports PTI. clearly and coherently for the reader.
Again, some newspapers mention the name of the news agency Suppose the following happened during a heavy fog that
after the last para of the news story. Like shrouded New Delhi and adjoining areas early one morning:
NEWDELHI, Jan. 9.*****************.********************* ** ******
Dense fog blanketed the area for a 50 km radius.
Twenty cars and trucks were involved in chain-reaction
****************************************

* * * ********
***as *********** ***** .,* ** . PTI
************************a*******************
wrecks on National Highway No. 8.
Byline: Whenever any correspondent or reporter files an Many cars and trucks caught fire and burned.
Twelve persons were killed.
exclusive story or a scoop, his/her efforts are
important or At least 50 others were injured and required hospitali-
acknowledged by giving his/her name in the creditline. This is sation.
known as
byline. It is also termed as personal byline.
Mostly byline is given an exclusive Jaipur-bound traffic on the Highway was blocked and
display like--By Rakesh vehicle were diverted to other routes.
Bhatnagar
 Fundamentals of
Keporting and Editing
44 Writing the Lead 45
about a
news is to
event
a story
rule in writing n o serious
That lead, like most summary leads, simply is too long.
The general This rule presents
most noteworthy
item first.
incident to be the
Most
editors do not like summary leads because they often overwhelm
place the a single
the story has only more than one the reader by saying too much.
problem as long However, when the story has
as
lead. reporter's job Here is how that summary lead might have been developed.
focus of the
the above event, the
incident, as in methods generally used At the left is diagram in which each geometrical shape
a
significant The two basic
becomes more complicated.
are: represents separate story feature. The diminishing size of the
a

in handling a
more complex story figures signifies the diminishing newsworthiness of the story
order of importance-in
the material.
all features-in
1. Summarise

lcad sentence or paragraph. the features

or significant of Diagram Written Story
2. Emphasise the most inmportant the other important ones
summa1ise all Summary of Features
and then quickly Twelve persons were killed and at least 50
in logical order in succeeding paragraphs.
injured and hospitalised when 20 cars and

features should be clearly

A trucks smashed into one another and caught
fire on a
In either approach, all of the fog-shrouded section of National
as possible before the
Highway No. 8 near Gurgaon early today, the
established in the reader's mind as quickly police said.
feature.
reporter proceeds very far into developing any open Details of Feature No. 1, A complete list of the dead has not been
the dead compiled. Mr. Hamid Hussain, SP of Gurgaon,
Summary or Digest Lead said some of the victims were so badly burnt
It they may never be identified.
This lead summaries clearly and plainly all the principal facts. Details of Feature No. 2,
basic part of all The injured were given emergency first-aid at
remains the in construction and forms
simplest a
the injured the scene and taken by ambulances to
lead variations. hospitals
in Gurgaon and Delhi. The hospitals called in
with the digest
Any typical news items or despatch starts off off-duty nurses and doctors to help treat the
or summary lead. The following is a fair example: injured.
Details of Feature No.3, "Visibility was no more than 3 to metres in
doors for
Resenting the policy of the government of opening the fog that caused the the two km stretch where the cars and trucks
multi-national companies in the insurance sector, the accident were piled up," Mr. Hamid said.
opposition invited clashes with the treasury benches. The Rescue vehicdes had difficulty reaching some of
Finance Minister proposed to put a cap on FDI and set upa A the vehicdes because of the fog and the
burning
regulator but the opposition members were not convinced. and wrecked vehicdes.
Other Paragraphs in Hundreds of rescue workers responded to
This lead brings the central issued of discussion-reforms in Completed Story repeated calls and helped pull victims and
insurance sector to the focus. It also summarises two key points- survivors from the wreckage of the vehicles.
FDI limit and regulation of the sector. One rescue worker said the heat was so intense
Here is an example of how the details of the chain-reaction a car and a jeep were fused together by the
crashes might have been summarised in a lead: melting metal. Another reported flames shoo-
ting 100 metres into the air from a tanker truck
Twelve persons killed and at least 50 apparently loaded with petrol or diesel.
were
injured and
hospitalised when 20 cars and trucks smashed into one another (Further details of all the features should be
nd caught fire on a developed in the rest of the story.)
No.8 near Gurgaon
fog-shrouded section of National Highway
early today, the police said.
Writing the Lead 47

Other Leads
Combination or Scrambled Lead
There are no hard and fast rules for writing the several-feature
lead. The choice of the lead usually is determined by the facts of
the story. Some of the features may be summarised, but not all. Or
an outstanding feature may be singled out. It might also be
combined with related features. And in some cases, the reporter
may decide to take advantage of the drama of an event to depart
completely from the hard news lead.
Suppose. for example that the following took place during a
local school board meeting:
1. The School management rejected a
plea by Sikh parents
to ban a controversial reading book for class VI students.
2. Decided not to appeal a court order prohibiting religious
classes as part of the public school curriculum.
3. Hired a survey agency to inspect all school buildings under
the Management for ensuring safety measures.

The first paragraph summarises two of the features because

they deal with academic issues in the system. The second
paragraph adds other features that are related because they deal
with the conditions of school buildings and the safety of students.
These features are equally important, but they are not as
emotionally charged as the issues in the lead paragraph.
Tabulated ead
Many newspapers use tabulations either above or within the story
as a way of summarising for the reader the action reported in the
body of the story. It is a way of letting the reader know a lot of
intormation quickly. It permits the reporter to focus on a single
fact. Some papers use numerals with tabulated items; others use
dashes or dots.
Example:
The government has announced a hike in the prices of petroleum
products. The cabinet sub-committee has taken the following
decisions:
1. Petrolprices will go up by 10percent and the new rate is Rs. 44/
a litre.
 Fundamentals of Reporting and Eds
48 Liting
by 5percent
and it willbe availablea
ilableR
2. Dieselprices will go up
22 a litre. from the hike.
exempted
3. Kerosene has been
be revised soon.
4. LPG prices might
Tabulation
Possible by the Above
Simplified Lead Made
hike in the price
has announceda 10 per cent
govemment
The diesel. The new prices of petm
and 5 per cent in the price of
petrol
44/- and Rs. 22/- respectively.
and diesel will be Rs.
not to increase the price of
The Cabinet sub-committee decided
kerosene. t resolved to look into
the revision of LPG soon.

Anterpretative Lead

Rather than using the summary or tabulation lead a reporter may

to write an interpretative lead. In this type of lead, the reporter
elect
attempts totell readers what the facts mean. Interpretation should
always be fair and objective. It should be based on the facts and
the background knowledge of the event or situation, and it should
be an accurate analysis of the facts. If the interpretation in simply
the reporter's subjective view, then it becomes editorial opinion.
The standard straight news lead simply reports on an event
but the interpretative lead attempts to put the event into
perspective for the reader. This type of lead is often used on a
second-day story or by a newspaper whose rival newspaper got
the story first. However, it is not uncommon for papers to use an
interpretive lead when telling the story for the first time.
For example, if the Maharashtra Governor sent a
message to
the State Government asking to reconsider the ordinance
for
regularising unauthorised constructions in
Ulhasnagar the
standard story might begin like this.
Maharashtra Governor S.M. Krishna
Govemment to reconsider the ordinance today
asked the State
unauthorised constructions in prepared for regularising
Ulhasnagar.
In the rest of the
story, the reporter gives the details of the
Governor's observations,
citing
of unauthorised constructions.
the High Court order for demolitions
Areporter
interpreting the Governor's
reluctance of
light of the High Coure's directive approvin
the ordinance in the
written might na
 Fundamentals of Keportng and
54 Editing
Writing the Lead 55
Phrases
concerns events that happened, "last week" or even "last month"
in Mumbai, the
Infinitive: To halt
the flow of illegal
arms
Coast that result in a current story. In such cases the reporter should look
for a "today" angle. It isn't always easy. Here are two versions of a
Guard today launcheda..
his political career, Chi.
Participial:Trying to save crumbling of hiet "today story that illustrate the point.
a secret meeting
Minister L.P. Yadav called
. .

MCD for First Version

slashing attack on theSharma ongoin.
Prepositional: In a
ing
demolitions, State Congress Chief Rambabu
accused Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's campaign promise last June to end her
Gerund: Constituting third panel to investigate 1984 Sikh riots first year in office with a balanced budget for Delhi has cost more than
recommend relief and rehabilitation 100 city employees their jobs.
to fix the accountability and
measures after 21 years is a joke,
said a senior BJP leader. Dismissal notices were mailed today to ..

Second Version, Today Angle Emphasised

Clauses
More than hundred employees got dismissal notices today. They uwere
Substantive: That Parliament will vote to support the government's the victims of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's campaign promise in June
plan to send forces for UN peace-keeping force in Iraqis a forgone to end herfirst year in office with a balanced budget for Delhi.
conclusion in the minds of political observers.
Other Today Angle Leads
Adverbial: If the public does not take a strong stand against
drug dealers, pushers and users, the police won't push the "War Today marks that giddy, impression-making first day of school for the
on Drugs" said Mr. S. Roy, the noted social activist. public schools of the city.
Though there is nothing wrong with these leads, many writers The nation celebrated the 56th anniversary of the Republic Day
avoid them and many editors rewrite them simply because they today.
have a tendency to be
clumsy. They can, if not written with great
care, sound stilted and often are quite long. Proximity
Emphasising News Values In addition to striving for a "today" angle, the reporter should
also look for a "local" angle to the story.
It isimportant for the reporter to study all the features carefully
to avoid A General Lead
overlooking a newsworthy feature or angle that might
make the difference between a routine lead and a
bright, Fifty-six commercial properties with unauthorised constructions were

imaginative one. While it is important not to bury the news, the demolished in South and West Delhi on the 16th day of the MCD drive
reporter should always seek out that special angle that might make being conducted as per HC directive.
the lead reach out to the reader. There are a
number of approaches,
based on the traditional news A Localised Lead
values, available to a reporter. Heree
are some examples: Mrs. Najma Heptulla, Dy. Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha, has been
nominated to the Association of World Parliamentarians.
Timeliness Major national and international stories often
have a local
angle; there is an example:
Theworlds "today" and "tomorrow" characterise most The Indian Govemment's efforts to seek the
release Antaryami,
of
leads on straight news
stories. newsworthy the truck driver abducted in Iraq, have resulted in dejection.
Occasionally, however, a story
 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editing
56 Writing the Lead 57
nationals were shown on Al Jazeera
kidnapped
Antaryami and other
masked kidnappers. be used. However, there have been classic
TV today with their
village are desperately
some
question leads,
ofAntaryami in a Punjab such as
The wife and children
release.
looking for his 0, say can you sing "The Star Spangled Banner" without mumbling
the worlds and petering out on the high notes?

Prominence Here's an artful question lead:

leads. Here are several Know anybody who needs 59 toilet seat covers? They come in all
Prominent names make eye-catching
coloursblue, brown, pink, yellow.
examples:
How about 100 units of blood plasma? Or a good glue machine?
A General Story Today in Mumbai, you can get..
New Delhi (PTI) Sixty ministers took the oath of office at a grand The rest of the story detailed the odd collection of items the
function held in the Central Hall of Parliament this evening. police recovered during a sting operation.
The list includes...
Areporter for the San Jose Mercury News, used a question lead
Prominent Name Emphasised effectively on his story about a new
high-tech voice-controlled
synthesiser:
New Delhi (PTI) Former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav from
So you sound great singing in the shower, büt the only instrument
Bihar and Arjun Singh from M.P. along with 58 others took the oath
you've mastered is the air guitar?
of office at a grand function held in the Central Hall of Parliament
The wizards of Silicon Valley have just introduced a product to tum
this evening.
your air guitar into a real one-all you have to do is hum and you
Three former Prime Ministers V.P. Singh, Chandra Shekhar and Atal don't even have to do that very well.
Bihari Vajpayee attended the swearing-in ceremony.
The invention,called a Vocaliser 1000, is voice-controlled
a
synthesiser that works like an electric kazoo, translating phrases
Various Patterns of Lead Writing you sing or hum into any one of more than 50 instruments.

Reporters today have considerable freedom in Question lead is welcome if the question asked really
writing leads, illuminates the story. Take for
though there are some editors who still prefer that every story has example-
a
straight news lead. There are various approaches to writing leads. Who
would have thought that the disclosures of the Jain Commission
Usually, the facts of the story will dictate the type of lead and the
report will pròve a death blow to the Gujral Govemment with the
reporter should not strain to write a lead on a story that does not United Front and the supporting Congress standing at the cross
roads?
justify such treatment. Here are a few of the more common forms
of leads.
In this case, the second para will have
further as below:
to explain the lead

Question Lead
This is the question in the minds of many ruling alliance MPs and
Aquestion lead works best when a problem with reader other national leaders.
public interest is the central point of the story. appeal or
Unfortunately,
question lead is used far too often as a crutch by a the Pünch, Capsule or Cartridge Lead
does not take the time to work on reporter who
another more effective This type of lead uses short, punchy statements to attract the
Some editors
put a limit on the number of question leads approach. reader's attention. Here is an example from a US newspaper
that can
 58 Fundamentals of Reporting and Editino
Big boys don't cry. Big boys are strong. Big boys bring home the bing Writing the Lead
bucks.
59
Big boys also suffer a higher rate of ulcers and heart attacks, not t extremes-the big with the little,
mention incidence of violence and sexual abuse. comedy with tragedy, age with
youth, the past with the present. Look at the
The went on to detail the efforts of the
story National
A local
public school has a following example
have-too much money. problem other schools would like to
Organisation Changing Men to "liberate males from the traps
for
The Whiteline
of big-boy stereotypes." Publíc School
School's general fund balance Management has agreed that the
of Rs.
Here is another example money should be spent to 28,00,000 is too
public schools. keep the balance more in linehighwithand the
Delhites, take heart. other
Reinforcements are on the way. The rest of the
the fund and how a
story explained how the
More than ever, today's college freshers want money and status committee was money was raised for
when they get out of school. spend the money. appointed to review ways to
In this Associated Press
The story went on to
report the results of a survey of the goals and death during (AP) lead, the contrast between birth
and values of
college freshers in New Delhi. the poison gas disaster in
Bhopal, addsa dramatic
touch to the story updating tragic event.
that
Statement or Direct-Quotation Lead Bhopal, six years ago, as Rani
The direct-quotation lead can be others nearby took their last. drew hêr first breath, hundreds of
She was
extremely effective if the is spewed from a Union Carbide plant andbombillowed
as clouds of
poison gas
a
good one and if it is not too long. Frequently, reporters usequote
quotes of one million people. deep into the city
that are too long and involved. Several
to paragraphs may be needed
explain them to the reader. The following is an interesting quote
The Bhopal accident was the
world's deadliest industrial
and its medical, legal and
economic cost is still disaster,
lead on Mongol herdsmen from The Christian Science Monitor. More than 3,800 being reckoned.
people
that leaked from the
have died because they inhaled the
gas
A horse,"says herdsman Davassuren, "is the most precious thing plant at midnight on Dec. 2, 1984.
a
Mongolian man can have." And there certainly is
Davassuren, grizzled leader of a small group of nomadic implied contrast in this unusual rape
herdsmen, story reported in US newspapers
says he is happy these days. A gradual
economic refom-in Mongolia
evolution of perestroika" A 39-year-old man, jogging a Southwest Dade
has made it possible for him to residential
resume the life he
loves, and to have as many horses as he wants. neighbourhood, told the police he was abducted by a gang of women
and raped, Metro-Dade
This lead is more used in poilce said Thursday.
sentence puts in the
speech reportirng when an epigrammatic "He's very hysterical, very traumatised," Rape Squad Linda Blue
Lt.
at the following
capsule form the gist of the
speaker's idea. Look said.
example: The victim, whose name is
being withheld, is a professional man,
"India will not with children, the police said
compromise with its
security and
will never yield to
...

extemal pressures under any

circumstances."
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Direct-Address/Direct-Appeal Lead
Singh seemed
detemined while making this statement at a publicconfident and This lead speaks directly the reader, often about
Ramlila
Ground this aftermoon. gathering a to a
subject of
broad interest or appeal.
Contrast Lead This form borrows the interest compelling device of the
personal letter. It addresses the reader directly or by implications
A contrast lead reaches the
reader's attention by comparing as "you" and has the effect of making the reader a collabórator in
 and Editi
Fundamentals of Reporting iting Writing the Lead 61
60 phrases
"If you as ho.

with such
follows. It often begins d".
read. Here
or
is a typic the scene as illegal aliens cross the border from Mexico into the
seen
what have e v e r
you United States:
everthought" or "Tf
direct appeal lead. have to listen to vo WHY, Ariz.-t was the sweetest and gentlest of desert evening
when you your
have got it tough Smith. Ih th. silver of new moon and the light from a
pitch-black except for a
think you an Alfred Jay the
Ifyousister practice the piano, take pity
20,500 child perfomance. An d hundred thousand stars. Nearby, a coyote scampered among the
itle audition stately organ pipe cactuses, its occasional moumful howl slicing
he's had to
last 30 years,
the night like a jagged knife.
he likes his job.
Presently the stillness was broken by a softer sound, a brieftwo-
example- toned whistle. For half a minute there was nothing, then an identical
Here is another home where power
be living in a whistie was heard from beyond the rise, followed by a flash of light
you will
"Have you ever thought car wash and laundry service
and an answering flash, the signal that the way was clear. Within
are never disrupted,
and watersupply remain open for your use seconds, shadowy figures emerged from the desert. Smiling and
and swimming pool
are available, gyma Apartment, Indirapuram,
now comes true in Rajhans talking sofly, they gathered in a circle nearthe ltle-used highway.
your dream facilities to its occupants.
which is offering paradise A story in the Washington Post described the change of season
in which a US newspaper in the Virginia countryside:
Look at the following example
find a single man:
advises women where to CULPEPER, Va.-The dawn is chilly inside the bam, and Greg
Smith's breath hangs in the air like puffs from a hand-rolled smoke
Go west, young man. A Holstein stands motionless before him, and he strokes the cow's
out today, has compiled a list
The June issue of Playgirl magazine, six black and white face with a rough, stained hand. A few steps away,
men-and man-hunting women-in
ofplaces just crawling withNevada, North Dakota, Wyoming and the sun outines the open bam door on the earth, and there summer
states: Alaska, Hawai,; lingers, wam to the skin.
Montana..
It is autumn, harvest time at Ashland Fam. And while Smith still
themselves to
Weather, taxes and other broad subjects lend rises, with the certainty of the chime, at 5:30 sharp, the sun dawdles
the direct-address approach: 60 seconds more each moming and moves imperceptibly to the
south. Smith pulls a handful of brown com silage from the trough,
You'd better break out the blankets tonight.
stiming the kemels and the chopped pieces of cob, stalk and shuck
weather forecasters say.
The temperature is going to drop to zero, with a finger. He closes his hand tightly. When it opens again, the
You have less than 24 hours to file your income-tax retum! coarse, fluffy matter springs back to size. Perfect. The right amount
And to help you meet that deadline, the Income-Tax department of moisture to last the winter.
has set up dozens of counters at Pragati Maidan. It has been a good year at Smith's 1,112-acre dairy farm, so
"We'll take the retum from anyone who is in line by 6 p.m. and make bountiful.
certain it has Oct. 31 mark on it', Income Tax Commission Mr. Y.P The Christian Science Monitor used a descriptive lead in
Singh said.
recounting the story of the first woman to drive a car across the
United States:
Descriptive Lead It was pouring rain that gloomy June moming as a crowd gathered
In a descriptive lead, the reporter tries to paint a word picture of under umbrelas at curbazide on a New York City Street. The Maxwell,
an
interesting person, place or event. A descriptive lead also helps a forest green touring car with a leather-like pantasote top, was
create the mood for the
story and for that reason should match the parked by the curb exactly at the place where Lincoln Center now
stands. The year was 1909, the same year that Robert E. Peary set
subject carefully. In the next example, The New York Times describes foot on the North Pole.
 Writing the Lead 65
On Thursday, 29 special education students, those with the steepest
path to academic success, will weargown to receive theirdiplomas..

To provide excitement and a word picture, short phrases are

used to emphasise certain situations as has been done in the
following example:
Boom Boom, Blesh, Dhoom Dhoom, crackers bursting maked India's
victory over Pakistan in Peshhawar Test Match
Look at another example:
Ratat at at at... the sound of machine guns, the stench of Cordite.
Death screams and artillery weapons whistles. These are sounds
the people of Kashmir have become
accustomed to.
Suspended Interest Lead

This type of lead serves as a stimulator of interest. It

gives the reader
enough information to fullfil his desire to know. After the lead, the
story usually runs along in chronological form, so that the reader
must read to the very end to get at the climax. Reporters use this
type of lead mainly of short bits, on the theory thatif used on longer
articles, readers would not bother to wait through paragraph after
paragraph. Here is typical suspended interest lead.
The quick action taken by Rahim, a vendor, saved the life of about 50
bus passengers in East Delhi this
mnorning.
Rahim was travelling in a Central Secretariat-bound DTCbus. When
the bus reached Shakarpur, Rahin discovered an unclained bag under
his seat. He got suspicious and informed the conductor.
Initially, he was not taken seriousBy but his insistence attracted the
atentionofother passengers. Ultimately the bus oas stopped and a Police
Patrol Party was informed. The police party found the bag full of
explosives.

Circumstantial Lead
Such a lead stresses the circumstances under which incident has
happened. It crops up usually when the story has a human interest
slant. Here is an
example:
The alam raised by a domestic help in Laxminagar last might alerted
a nearby police patrol and the policeman ushed to the scene. Seeing
 Keporting and Editino
Fundamentals of ing
Writing the Lead
66 thus a
67
took to their heels
and
miscreents
the
them
approaching, Narrative Lead
robbery was averted.

Freak Lead This kind of lead starts in the middle of an event, and is full of
Oddity or attention of reade. action verbs. It carries the reader through the event and generally
to capture
the ers.
unusual approach to attract readers. Here is has a surprising
twist in the end.
It is an
odd methods
reporters
use Here is an example-
Sometimes,

an example opposition parties who can He paused for a second to gaze upon it. Then slowly, reverentially,
from among the
Wanted: Supporters it from a possible defeat in tha he reached down and laid his hand upon it feeling the skin. He
govemment to
save
vote for the NDA
no-confidence
motion in the Lok
Sabha. squeezed it gently, amazed so soft, yet so fim.
wake of a He turned aside and carefully selected the knife. It seemed to shine
can be written likewise
based on the above with a life of its own. Sweating now, he lifted it up and then, suddenly
A simplified lead
Lok Sabha, the NDA brought it down. Red, Red it was red everywhere.
no-confidence motion in the
In the wake of a Opposition members. "Cut shouted the director. Thus ended the first shot of Sanjeev
the support of some
govemment is seeking Kumar. Three retakes later it was done, and what fallowed is history.
American newspapers:
Take another example from an

Bullet Lead
For Sale: one Town
television actress who boughta remote
Connic Carpenter, film and In this kind of lead, a short sentence or phrase is used in a straight
hamlet in the Colorado Rockies, today put the town up for sale. forward manner. This is more used to flash a message for conveying
sell Echo Cross Roads and
Miss Carpenter said she plans to some shattering news. Since this lead hits the readers like a bullet,
an island in the South
Pacific..
buy it is known as a bullet lead.

Dialogue Lead indira Gandhi is dead.

leads, the The Mahatma is no more.
Sometimes, lead is written in dialogue form but in
such
explain the
newstory will have to be unnecessarily lengthened
to When Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru died, the news was

situation to the reader. conveyed to Parliament by C. Subramaniam in the words.

"There are reports of bickering in the United Front as your partners
are busy in mud-slinging," The BJP threw the remark on the Prime Minister "The Light is gone."
I.K. Gujral in the Lok Sabha today. "It is better to put your house in order This phrase is a good example of bullet lead if used by a

and not to worry for us", replied Mr Gujral. newspaper.

Colour or Figurative Lead Contrasting Lead
Sometimes, figurative speech is used in the lead to make it catchy. This lead, highlights the change or contracts to lay the attention
Here is example:
an
on the object of the story. It gives
a total change of scenario in the
The govemment should not feel that the first few words of the article.
Uttarakhand Movement
has gone to the winds. The visible
peace in the hilly region is oniy d Here is an example:
lull before the stom. The waming came from the BJP benches drops things
the Lok Sabha today. whether he stumbles,
A face that never stops smiling
on his head or is the victim of a joke, that is Ramu the clown.
Credibility

Credibility comprises the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source
or message. Credibility has two key components: trustworthiness and expertise. Trustworthiness
is based more on subjective factors, but can include objective measurements such as established
reliability. Expertise can be similarly subjectively perceived, but also includes relatively
objective characteristics of the source or message (e.g., credentials, certification or information
quality).Secondary components of credibility include source dynamism (charisma) and physical
attractiveness.

According to the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics, professional integrity is the
cornerstone of a journalist's credibility. A journalist's number one obligation is to be honest.

Quotations

A quote is the written form of the words which people have spoken. Occasionally it will also
apply to words they have been written down, perhaps in a book or a press release. In print
journalism, quotes are shown surrounded by quotation marks, either single (‘) or double (").
These are sometimes called inverted commas. The alternative to using a quote is to rewrite the
sentence into what we call reported speech.

Why use quotes?

There are three main reasons why you should use quotes in print journalism:

 If you repeat the exact words which people themselves used, you will reduce the risk of
misreporting what they say.
 When we give a person's exact words, our readers can see both the ideas and the way
they were presented
 People often use lively language when they speak. Quotes allow you to put that lively
language directly into your story.

Remember too that, as a journalist, you are

simply the channel through which people
with something to say speak to people who
want to know what they said. The best way
of keeping the channel clear is to let people
tell things in their own way. One of the
golden rules of journalism is: Let people
speak for themselves. Use quotes. In print we
hear people's voices through quotes, in
broadcasting the voices are heard in the form
of audio or actuality.
Byline

The byline on a newspaper or magazine article gives the name of the writer of the article.
Bylines are commonly placed between the headline and the text of the article, although some
magazines place bylines at the bottom of the page to leave more room for graphical elements
around the headline.

The dictionary defines a byline as "a printed line of text accompanying a news story, article, or
the like, giving the author's name."

Credit line-

The line that acknowledges the source of a news report, photograph, chart, or graphics is called
the credit line.

A news report may be credited to PTI (Press Trust of India), AP (Associated Press) or ANI
depending on which news service has moved the story.

The moment you see the credit line you know the source of the news report. The newspapers
too are able to differentiate between news reports filed by their reporters and agency reporters.

Besides giving credit to the rightful source, the credit line also gives newspapers a fig leaf in
case a question is raised about the veracity of the report. The newspapers can always attribute
the blame to the wire service that fed the report. This way, the credibility of the newspapers
stays intact.

News Embargo-

In journalism, a news embargo or press embargo is a request or requirement by a source that

the information or news provided by that source may not be published until a certain date or
certain conditions have been met.

The media is given advance knowledge of details being held secret so that reports can be
prepared to coincide with the announcement date and yet still meet press time. In theory, press
embargoes reduce inaccuracy in the reporting of breaking stories by reducing the incentive for
journalists to cut corners by writing up information quickly in hopes of "scooping" the
competition.

The understanding is that if the embargo is broken by reporting before then, the source will
retaliate by restricting access to further information by that journalist or their publication, giving
them a long-term disadvantage relative to more cooperative outlets. Embargoes are usually
arranged in advance as "gentlemen's agreements." However, sometimes publicists will send
embargoed press releases to newsrooms unsolicited in hopes that they will respect the embargo
date without having first agreed to do so—the phrase "For Immediate Release" often found at
the top of press releases indicates that the information in the release is not embargoed.

News organizations sometimes break embargoes and report information before the embargo
expires, either accidentally (due to miscommunication in the newsroom) or intentionally (to get
the jump on their competitors). Breaking an embargo is typically considered a serious breach of
trust and can result in the source barring the offending news outlet from receiving advance
information for a long period of time.

News embargoes are one of several ways a source can influence media presentation of the
information they provide; others include providing information "on background" or "not for
attribution," limiting or providing "access," or even direct government or market intervention
against the reporters or media company. The manner in which journalists react to these and
other attempts to influence coverage are a matter of journalistic ethics.
  

Print Journalism 
 
Unit I: [Introduction to Journalism and News]
 
1. Evolution and Growth of Print Journalism in India
2. Journalism: Definition, Roles and Responsibilities of a Journalist/ Reporter
a. Journalism as a Fourth Estate
b. Citizen Journalism, Penny Press and Yellow Journalism
3. News: Meaning, Definition and Nature
a. Elements of News and News Values
b. Types of News: Hard and Soft
c. Difference between News, Features, Articles and Backgrounders
4. News Sources: Attribution and its types; Credibility and Quotations, By Line, Credit Line and Embargo

Unit II: [News Reporting and Writing]

1. News Reporting: Reporting for Various Beats

2. Types of News Reports: Objective, Investigative and Interpretative
3. Reporting for Newspapers, Magazines and News Agencies
4. Structure and Style of News Writing
a. Types of Headlines, Leads and Body
b. Guidelines for Headline Writing

Unit III: [Structure of a News Room]

1. Set up and functions of a City Reporting Room in a Daily and a Bureau
2. Functions and Responsibilities of a News Editor, Sub-Editor and Chief Sub-Editor
3. Editorial Writing and its Importance
a. Letter to the Editor
b. Book Review and Film Review
4. Stylesheet: Definition, Purpose and Relevance

 
Unit IV: [Editing and Layout Design]
1. Editing: Definition, Objectives and Principles
a. Editing Symbols and Proofreading Symbols
b. Advent of Electronic Editing
2. Copy Editing for Newspapers, Magazines and Journals
3. Use of Graphics, Cartoons and Info graphics in Print
a. Photo Caption and Cutline: Definition, Relevance and Guidelines

4. Design and Layout for Newspaper, Magazine and Journal   

 
 2 
 

Unit 1 

TOPIC 2: Journalism definition, roles and 

responsibilities of a Journalist 

What is Journalism? 
Journalism is derived from the french word “Journal”which in turns come from the latin 
word “diurnalis” or ‘daily’. 

Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and 
information. It is also the product of these activities. 

Journalism can be distinguished from other activities and products by certain 

identifiable characteristics and practices. These elements not only separate journalism 
from other forms of communication, they are what make it indispensable to democratic 
societies. History reveals that the more democratic a society, the more news and 
information it tends to have. 

While journalism occupies a much smaller space than the talk, entertainment, opinion, 
assertion, advertising and propaganda that dominate the media universe, it is 
nevertheless perceived as being more valuable than most of the “stuff out there.” 

That value flows from its purpose, to provide people with verified information they can 
use to make better decisions, and its practices, the most important of which is a 
systematic process – a discipline of verification – that journalists use to find not just 
the facts, but also the “truth about the facts.”“ 

Purpose of Journalism 

The purpose of journalism,” write Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in The Elements of 
Journalism, “is not defined by technology, nor by journalists or the techniques they 
employ.” Rather, “the principles and purpose of journalism are defined by something 
more basic: the function news plays in the lives of people.” 

 
 3 
 

News is that part of communication that keeps us informed of the changing events, 
issues, and characters in the world outside. Though it may be interesting or even 
entertaining, the foremost value of news is as a utility to empower the informed. 

The purpose of journalism is thus to provide citizens with the information they need to 
make the best possible decisions about their lives, their communities, their societies, 
and their governments. 

Roles and Responsibility of a Journalist 

A journalist is a person who collects, writes, or distributes news or other current 
information. Journalists might work at newspapers, magazines, websites or for TV or 
radio stations. The most important characteristic shared by good journalists is 
‘curiosity’. Good journalists love to read and want to find out as much as they can about 
the world around them. 

“A journalist is the person who wants to give a definite direction to the public through his 
writings published at short intervals”- T.H.S Scott  

Roles of a Journalist 

Following are the roles of journalists: 

1) J​ournalists make people aware of the Contemporary World:​ Journalists make 

people aware of the latest news and events. They also inform the people about 
the current political, economic, and social trends. Thus, through their reports and 
writings, they enlighten the society and nation. 

2) Journalists educate masses: J

​ ournalists provide informations related to 
economy, sciences, global polity, healthcare and technology which help people in 
acquiring a new kind of knowledge in respected field. They inform, educate those 
readers and viewers who are keen to learn more about such topics and events. 
Technological advances are explained in nutshell on radio and TV. Magazines 
give data and facts about avant-garde technologies.  

3) To Make flow of art and Culture: P

​ hotojournalists take up such fine tasks. They 
struggle to take photographs of wildlife, people monuments, ancient buildings 
etc. Later, they get these photographs published in magazines, journals, and 

 
 4 
 
newspapers, Some photojournalists also organise exhibitions of their 
photographic creations. The photographs of the nuclear holocaust in Hiroshima 
(1945), the war in Vietnam (1967), the attacks on World Trade Centre (2001), and 
many such events have become path breaking.  

4) To Entertain the Masses:​ Journalists related to cinema, music and other fields of 
entertainment work in this respect. They also give information regarding cinema, 
fashion, city life etc. Journalists also give important news through the 
audiovisual media. Aaj Tak covers all such news as are related to fine arts, 
music, sculpture, photography.  

5) To Make People Sensitive to Burning Issues:​ Journalists make people sensitive 

to the events that occur around the globe. They, by virtue of their knowledge 
about polity and society, can guide the masses through their messages and 
content. They write editorials, guest columns, routine columns and features in 
newspapers and magazines. Example: Aaj Tak and ORG surveyed the audiences 
of Gujarat and found out that Mr. Narendra Modi was still the best bet as a Chief 
Minister of that state (this survey was done in November 2002). The mood of the 
nation can be known quickly through such exercises. 

6) To make people aware of their rights: J

​ ournalists inform people what their 
governments are doing for them and make them aware of their rights. They 
inform them about new development plans and policies of their respective 
governments and educate them how to fight against exploitation and social 
discrimination. 

Responsibilities of a Journalist 

Following are some of the responsibilities of a journalists: 

1) Towards the Firm/Organisation:​ Journalists, working for private sector firms or 
public sector agencies, are responsible to their respective firms and 
organisations. They must remain loyal to their employers. They may not give 
news or information to the competitors of their firms for the sake of money 
materialistic assets, or other favors. Loyalty towards one’s organisation 

 
 5 
 
determines on success in that organisation. Journalists ate no exception to this 
rule. 
2) To Gather News or Data:​ It is not possible for everyone to collect news or data 
Journalists must collect the data or news from the place/spot from where they 
are supposed to collect it. They should rely on primary data and not secondary 
data. The latter could be biased. 

Primary data must be collected personally. People must be interviewed at the 

spot of the event, accident, or mishap possible, statistics released by the 
government should be taken, but the journalist must be on his own judgement 
and inquisitive mind to collect vital data. 

3) RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE READER AND SOCIETY: ​ As a news reporter, 

you have duty to provide accurate, unbiased and objective information to the 
reader.  

A social responsibility entailing obligations towards public opinion and 

society as a whole.  

Journalism as a Fourth Estate 

The Fourth Estate (or fourth power) is a political force or institution whose influence is 
not consistently or officially recognized. Fourth Estate most commonly refers to the 
news media, especially print journalism or the press. The fourth estate is the public 
press, referred to as a collective and encompassing photographers, journalists, 
television broadcasters, and radio announcers, among others. Many people generally 
agree that the fourth estate has immense political and social power, thanks to the 
fact that the press can be used to shape societies while imparting news of note and 
commentary of interest. The term Edmund Burke in 1787 during the french revolution in 
the parliament session. 

In medieval society, three “estates” were formally recognized: the Legislature, 

Executive and Judiciary. Each estate had a very distinct social role and a certain level of 
power. In the middle of the 19th century, people began referring to the press as a 

 
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fourth estate, referencing the fact that most parliaments and other houses of 
government had an area set aside specifically for the use of the press, and pointing out 
that the press was a distinct group within the larger framework of the realm.   

Writing about the first estate in 1841, Thomas Carlyle pointed out that the press 
had a powerful role in parliamentary procedure, shaping the will of the people and 
influencing the outcome of votes among the government, as well. Carlyle also argued 
that the press was an important part of a democratic society, saying that writing 
gives people “a tongue which others will listen to.”  

Citizen Journalism 
The concept of citizen journalism is basically journalism in the hands of citizens 
other than professional journalists. It is based upon public citizens "playing an 
active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing, and disseminating news 
and information. Factors that led to the emerging of citizen journalism are Internet, 
Social media, Mobile phone.  

SOCIAL MEDIA AND CITIZEN JOURNALISM: S ​ ocial media has empowered the ordinary 
citizens to take on the role of news reporters. Users are able to express their views and 
opinions. The use of the social media encourages discussions and brings like 
minded people together. Social media has given the masses a voice and the means to 
produce their own content. It basically challenges the News, offering an alternative 
perspective.  

TYPES OF CITIZEN JOURNALISM: SHARING OF PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEOS & AUDIO: It 

involves Posting on blogs, Facebook and other social media sites.   

SHARING OF OPINION: Commenting on things you find online makes you become a 
Citizen Journalist by sharing your opinions and others.  

SHARING OF EXPERTISE: Creating a blog or doing a report on a topic you are 

knowledgeable on, even though you are not a journalist. 

SHARING OF DISCOVERY: Sharing information with the world after discovering news. 
DANGERS OF CITIZEN JOURNALISM: RISK OF BEING EXPOSED TO DANGER: Citizen 
journalists usually do not have the training to understand either the dangers of 

 
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recording disasters or dangerous events, and may take unreasonable risks in their 
attempt to record the event.   

EXAMPLES OF CITIZEN JOURNALISM: Kennedy Assassination, 1963, WTC, 2011, 

Columbia shuttle Disaster, 2003. 

Penny Press 
1. The Penny Press was most famous for its low price, a penny per paper. 
2. The Penny Press is generally considered to have started in 1833, when 
Benjamin Day founded The Sun, a New York City newspaper.  
3. It became popular with the American public because while other papers 
were priced around six cents, they were able to sell their paper for just a penny.   
4. The low price made newspapers and the news available to more than just 
upper class citizens for the first time. The labor and lower classes were able to 
purchase a paper and read the news.   
5. As more people began buying papers throughout the country, news and 
journalism became more important overall. Newspapers also began paying 
more attention to the public it served.   
6. They were quick to realize that the same information and news that 
interested the six cent public, did not interest the penny public.   
7. Newspapers used information from police stations, criminal courts and divorce 
courts to fill their paper and make it more appealing to their new public.   
8. The exceptionally low price popularized the newspaper in America, and 
extended the influence of the newspaper media to the poorer classes.   

Yellow Journalism 
DEFINE: The degradation type of journalism is known as yellow journalism. It is a 
journalism without a soul. In it facts are distorted. There is very little truth in the 
stories. Unethical means are adopted to increase the circulation. It makes the high 
drama of life, a cheap melodrama. Instead of giving its readers effective readership, it 
offers sex and violence.   

 
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Yellow Journalism is frequently termed as tabloid Journalism.Yellow Journalists are 

believed to indulge in chequebook Journalism which implies that the subjects of the 
news stories are bribed to sell their ‘true confessions.  

Such journalists are also believed to indulge in keyhole journalism or sting journalism in 
their attempts to probe the private sexual infidelities of well known people and public 
officials. 

These journalistic practices raise several ethical questions about the invasion of privacy 
of individuals and the public's right to information. 

In most democracies, reasonable restrictions are imposed on these intrusions of 

privacy especially if they are not in any way related to ‘public interest’. 

INVENTOR: Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph hearst were the men responsible 
for the birth of yellow Journalism.   

NOTE: FAMOUS CARTOON: The Yellow Kid was drawn by Richard Outcault for Joseph 
Pulitzer’s World. It was a little boy dressed in a yellow nightshirt that would 
comment on happenings in the city. People would buy The World just to read the 
Yellow Kid.  

Hearst hired the Yellow Kid’s cartoonist away from Pulitzer. Pulitzer hired another 
cartoonist to keep drawing the Yellow Kid for him, giving New York two Yellow Kid 
cartoons at the same time! The term “yellow journalism” comes from the competition 
of the Yellow Kid cartoon.  

In India too, Communalism, hidden political agenda and adulteration of the news are the 
main characteristics of today's sensationalized approach. The competition for 
sensational news led the newspapers to the violation of law of the land and even 
journalistic ethics. Only through professionalism, dedication to duty and truth, and 
ultimately love for the people and the country can improve things.  

 
 

 
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TOPIC 1: EVOLUTION AND GROWTH OF PRINT 

JOURNALISM IN INDIA 

Journalism In Medieval Period 

● Chaupals 
● Panghats 
● Moving on the horses and elephants 
● Mughal emperors developed the technique of news letter 
● The Mauryans were the first to start circulating newsletters in India  
● Renaissance and age of discovery 

Journalism in British India 

● Newspaper industry in any country is related to the beginning of printing press 
and it was Johann Gutenberg who invented printing press in 1456. 

● Thus in India too, the beginning of newspaper is related to the beginning of the 
press. The Portuguese introduced the printing press in Goa, in 1557.   

● British East India Company brought about the printing press in India and first 
press was strolled at Bombay in 1674. Ironically, the first printing press was 
strolled in 1674, yet there was no newspaper being published for another 100 
years.   

● William Bolts who was an officer in the company announced a handwritten 

newspaper in 1776. He wrote the newspaper and asked the people to come to 
his residence to read it. The aim of this newspaper was to inform British 
Company in India to the news from home and also to bring about the 
grievances against colonial administration. 

● The first successful attempt at starting a newspaper in India was made in 
Calcutta. James Augustus Hickey started the Hickey’s ‘Bengal Gazette’ or 
‘the Calcutta General Advertiser’ in 29 th of January 1780. The Gazette, a 
two-sheet newspaper, specialized in writing on the private lives of the higher 

 
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officers of the East India Company. Hickey is regarded as the father of the Indian 
press 

● The content was mainly for criticizing the East India Company. But to make it 
more catchy and readable, Hickey added other things four page Gazette, like a 
Gossip column, a poet’s corner, news related the European scandals and most 
importantly the advertisement 

● There were two rival groups :one group supporting Warren Hastings, and another 
group led by Philip Francis who himself an aspirant of the post of the Governor 
General.  

● The newspaper was entirely against Warren Hastings and his friend Elijah Impey, 
the chief justice of the Supreme Court. 

● The newspaper survived only for two years.  

● After Bengal Gazette: Rival paper(Messink and Reed) established India Gazette in 
the year 1780 as a voice against Bengal Gazette. It was a new paper of quality 
and standard in comparison to Hickey’s newspaper, India Gazette enjoyed the 
patronage of Warren Hastings in the form of all facilities from him. 
Approximately 200 newspapers/ journals came into existence between 1780 and 
1857 but most of them were closed within short duration of time.  

● The first Hindi newspaper ‘Oodhund Martand’, a weekly was published in Kolkata 
on May 30, 1826 'in the interest of Hindustanis'.   

● James Silk Buckingham:​ Father of indian journalism. He came to India in 1818 

as the editor of the “ Calcutta Chronicle” 

● Biweekly paper consisiting of 8 pages 

● Contain political, commercial and literary news and views. 

● This set a new standard in calcutta journalism as correspondence columns were 

open to all who had grievance. 

● Buckingham paper was interested in discussing the acts and policies of bengal 
govermnet, postal service ,the police , the military establishment and government 
attitude to various matters of public interest. 

 
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TOPIC 3: News, Meaning and Definition 

News is a report of a current event. ​News is timely report of facts or opinions that 
hold interest or importance or both for considerable number of people.  

News is what journalists thinks is important or interesting for their audiences. Every day 
we are bombarded with too much of information about the happenings in the world 
around us that if we sit to comprehend each of the events will end up jumbling the 
events and fail to comprehend that piece of news which is important for us. So 
journalist is a man who comes to our rescue and structures we receive sorted 
out and neatly packaged stories on the same day on radio, TV, online or the next 
day in newspaper. 

Difference between News and Information  

In the railway station, you might have noticed the board displaying the train timings. 
That is not news. That is information. But information becomes news when news value 
is added to it. For example, if a new train time table is issued by the railways replacing 
the existing one with changes in train timings, that becomes news.  

A. Elements of News 
The qualifications, or elements of news have been interpreted vividly by writers. The 
intrinsic features are: 

1. Conflict (tension, surprise) 

Most conflicts are newsworthy to some degree. Physical conflict is considered 

newsworthy because it may lead to injury and damage. Violence arouses emotions, not 
only in the participants, but also in the spectators, and can be of enormous and 
immediate importance.  

Wars, Murders and Violent Strikes are conflict of a more disruptive nature, and always 
receive space on the front page, which leads critics to complain that newspapers 
devote too much space to violence.  

2. Progress (triumph, achievement) 

 
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In conflict, one side usually wins and the other loses. For the routine struggles of life, 
not generally newsworthy in themselves, shining successes frequently emerge. For 
example, from quiet laboratories come new inventions, new advances in science and 
medicine and new devices to improve the quality of life that genuinely represent 
progress. 

3. Disaster (defeat, destruction) 

Sometimes Progress can lead to disaster such as the case with DDT, hailed as a 
breakthrough in the control of crop destroying insects. But after 20 years, it became the 
subject of major news stories when it was linked to cancer in humans.  

Disasters both natural and manmade, often dominate the news in a community. Take 
for instance, the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984, the Kanishka plane crash caused by 
extremists in Punjab. 

Tornados, floods and earthquakes strike suddenly, take for example the earthquake in 
Kathmandu, Nepal. Lives are lost and property worth crores of rupees is damaged. 
Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people are displaced. The recovery from such a 
disaster often becomes a story of progress.  

4. Consequence (effect on individuals or community) 

Any event that causes or is capable of causing a sequence of activities that affect many 
people is newsworthy. Obviously, certain events are of more consequence than others, 
and they will receive more space and larger headlines. 

It should be noted that all newsworthy events, for whatever other reasons they are 
newsworthy, have some consequence. Conflicts have consequence. For example, one 
consequence of the civil war in Syria is the problem of caring for the thousands of 
Syrian refugees to avoid further repression by ISIS. 

5. Prominence (the well known or famous) 

Names make news and big names make bigger news. The “name” must do something 
or have something done to her or him to be newsworthy. For example, A prominent 
person may do no more than stop over in the city en route to a national conference to 
rate a story in the local paper. 

 
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What a prominent person says or does often makes news because of its consequences. 
A nationally known economist’s predictions could influence the stock market. A national 
political leader might enhance a local political candidate’s chances for election by 
joining the local campaign for a dinner or speech. 

6. Novelty (the unusual, even the bizarre) 

Readers and editors alike are attracted by novelties in the news. They are a staple in all 
newspapers: the two headed calf, 50 kg pumpkin. The cat that walks 200 kilometres to 
find its owner who moved to another city. 

Novel ways of making a living, unusual habits and hobbies, superstitions-anything 

different-all have strong reader appeal. 

The common element is simply that the event or the individual is unusual.  

7. Human Interest (unusual or emotional) 

Many stories that appear in newspapers at first glance do not seem to be news because 
they do not meet the tests of conflict, consequence, progress or disaster. These stories 
may be about a famous author’s battle with depression or a 105 year old man marrying 
a 90-year old woman six decades after he had proposed to her. 

Some events and individuals lend themselves more readily than others to human 
interest treatment. They may lack basic values that would make them a news story, yet 
they have special qualities that have reader appeal. 

B. News Value 
1. TIMELINESS 

Timeliness is the most common news value. It is inherent in most news stories. An 
event simply is not news unless it has occurred fairly recently. An incident that 
happened one month back will not make news for today’s newspaper. Also timeliness 
varies from publication to publication. For a newspaper, events that had happened 
on the previous day is news. But for a weekly, events of the previous one week can 
make news. For a 24-hour television news channel, every second is a deadline. They can 
break the news anytime. So their timeliness is different from that of a newspaper.  

 
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2. PROXIMITY 

“Nearest and dearest.” So runs a old German proverb. There is some truth in it, so far as 
news is concerned. We are interested in a fire next door, murder down the street, a 
wedding at a local church, or an accident in the town than similar events a thousand 
kilometers away. 

Even in one city- New Delhi, for example, the emphasis on local news will vary. The 
potential readers may be the same, but the actual readers are different, hence, have a 
different pattern of interest so far as the nearness of news is concerned. 

Proximity is of two types physical and emotional. “Bird flu spreading and hundreds 
of chicken dying in England”. Does it make news for you? But bird flu spreading in West 
Bengal will make you alert. This is because it is in your proximity i.e. physical proximity. 
A plane crash in Peru will not be big news in India, but if an aircraft crashes with Indians, 
it will be headlines everywhere i.e. emotional proximity. So proximity decides the news.   

3. PROMINENCE 

The prominence of men and women also determines the magnitude of the story. The 
PM or minister playing cricket, and you can read about it all over the newspaper. You 
play cricket, nobody takes notice unless you achieve something big. 

4. IMPACT:  

Impact of an event decides its newsworthiness. When the tsunami waves struck several 
parts of the world, thousands of people were affected. It became major news for the 
whole world. But if a cyclone kills 20 people in Bangladesh, it may not have any impact 
on other parts of the world. When dengue fever affects 100 people in Delhi, it makes 
news not only in Delhi but in other states also because the impact is more wide and 
people become more alert about the news 

5. USEFULNESS 

Sometimes news items help the public in various ways. You must have noticed that 
weather forecasters warn fishermen not to go to the sea for fishing on certain days 
because of rough weather. A newspaper gives the phone numbers of police stations, 
hospitals, ambulance services etc. to help people. You might have seen in newspapers, 
requests from relatives to donors of blood for a patient in a critical condition. 

 
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Newspapers also raise funds from the public to help victims of disasters and natural 
calamities, like tsunami and earthquake.  

C. HARD NEWS VS SOFT NEWS 

The most pertinent classification of news is hard news and soft news.  

Hard News 

➔ Hard news is the serious news like fires, accidents, murders, disasters, deaths, the 
results of elections, the results of battles, the outcome of wars or the famine.  

➔ Hard new generally refers to the news which has to be disseminated immediately. 
It cannot be concealed or suppressed. It has element of urgency in it. The lead / intro/ 
first paragraph contain the answers to all or few 5 Ws and 1H. Leads for Hard news are 
straight and based on hard core facts.  

➔ Every newspaper is supposed to cover all important happenings of the day. Thus, the 
news which no newspaper can afford to miss is treated as hard news. 

➔ Hard news has a date value. No newspaper can afford to miss it or hold it. 

➔ Example: Report of an accident, natural calamity, disaster, govt. Formation, session of 
Parliament. 

Soft News 

➔ Soft news is the light stuff: features, human interest stories, news of engagements and 
weddings, sports, leisure activities and entertainment. 

➔ Soft news is background information or human-interest stories. The lead/ intro/ first 
paragraph begin on an emotional angle. E.g. arts, entertainment, lifestyle.   

➔ The less important happenings of the day may be published or left out by a newspaper 
depending upon the space available on different pages. The news of such happenings 
is known as soft news. Besides, every newspapers publishes some exclusive news. This 
kind of news also falls under the category of soft news. 

 
 16 
 
➔ Soft news is not event-centred, though it can sometimes appear in a newspaper along 
with a hard story. 

➔ Soft news is more of an analysis, reasons, background and interpretation. 

D. NEWS, FEATURES, ARTICLES AND 

BACKGROUNDERS 
 

ARTICLE 

1. An article is an elaborate piece of composition written on some broad subject, well – 

documented, and expresses the opinion of the writer who has studied the subject in all 
its aspect. 
2. Unlike features, the subject of article is not very narrow, specific or minute. The article is 
generally written in sober style, and the subject-matter is treated in a scholarly manner.  
3. Is a piece of writing usually intended for publication in a newspaper, magazine or journal  
4. is written for a wide audience, so it is essential to attract and retain the reader's’ 
attention  
5. may include amusing stories, reported speech and descriptions  
6. can be formal or informal, depending on the target audience 
7. should give opinions and thoughts, as well as facts is in a less formal style than a 
report  
8. Describe an experience, event, person or place, present an opinion or balanced 
argument, compare and contrast, provide information, offer suggestions, offer advice 
9. It should contain an eye-catching title which attracts the reader's’ attention and 
suggests the theme of the article 
10. an introduction which clearly defines the topic to be covered and keeps the reader’s 
attention.  
11. the main body of two to five paragraphs in which the topic is further developed in detail.  

FEATURE 

1. Both article and feature are non news forms of writing. News is an objective and factual 
account of events where the reporter sticks to facts and tries to answer, as far as 
possible, the six basic questions which make a news story. 

 
 17 
 
2. The feature, on the other hand goes much beyond the scope of the news story.  
3. A feature examines and dissects news and throws new light on different aspects. It 
tries to explore the background, probes in depth an idea or the events. 
4. Feature is not just a narration of facts. The purpose is both inform and entertain, and 
arouse curiosity, sympathy, humor and other feelings among the readers.   
5. A feature writer reacts to the people, situations, events and places, and provides a 
colorful background and explanatory matter to his feature story. His scope is much 
wider than news writing. 
6. Eg. A plane crash. A news item would generally give when , where, how, and why of the 
crash and other facts and details.  
7. A feature writer would probe deeper into some aspects which are not taken care of in 
the news. Some heart touching stories. The reactions of the survivors and relatives to 
the accident, background of similar accidents, the technical inspection of the plane 
before it took off. A comparative statistical study of accidents with other airlines, loss 
articles and behaviour of community, etc. are interesting themes of a feature. 

NEWS 

1. News story deals with recent and current events. News story is a perishable commodity. 
2. News story has to meet certain deadlines this is not required in feature. Feature need 
not be only on recent subjects. 
3. Brevity is the soul of news writing. News story has not much scope for subsidiary or 
background material. 
4. News is an objective and factual account of events where the reporter sticks to facts 
and tries to answer, as far as possible, the six basic questions which make a news 
story. 
5. There is more freedom in feature writing. News story’s basic purpose is to give a 
glimpse of an event, a factual account of the happening. The style followed in a news 
writing is generally an inverted pyramid or summary format. It is concise, terse and 
matter of fact.  
6. On the other hand feature follow a different style. The feature writer has more freedom. 
He can freely react to the situations, events and people with emotion and imagination. 
The feature can be written in a colourful and fiction style depending on the subject and 
circumstances. 

BACKGROUNDER 

 
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News backgrounder are important feature of news paper in that they offer more 
background and detail on people or events in the news. While a newspaper might carry 
a hard news & story about a particular event on its front page, a backgrounder of about 
700 words on an inside page offers further insight and explanation. 

A backgrounder should contain added information and consider repercussions how the 
situation or event has affected or will affect people what are the causes and effects? A 
backgrounder might also consider other linked or similar events 

TOPIC 4: NEWS SOURCES 

 

 
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 20 
 

Unit 2 

TOPIC 1: NEWS REPORTING AND WRITING  

News Reporting 
It means the collection or gathering of facts about current events or background 
material required for a news story or feature.  

Reporters gather their information from various techniques like press releases, 
witnessing an event live, press conferences, interviews and public record. This 
information gathering process is called reporting. Reporting is done on a daily basis. 
Most reporters working for major news media outlets are assigned an area to focus 
on called a beat or patch. They are encouraged to cultivate sources to improve their 
information gathering.  

Reporters are given directions by editors to cover a particular event, known as 
assignments. Reporters write the news stories, which are called copies.  

S
​ OURCES OF REPORTER FOR NEWS​:   

INTERVIEWS:​ Interviewing people connected with an event or incident is a very 

common practice used by reporters to get details.   

POLICE SOURCES: ​ The police are in charge of law and order. Reporters get details 
about crime, accidents etc. from police sources. 

REPORTS AND STATEMENTS: ​ These are another major sources of news items. 
Various commissions and committees submit their reports to the Government which 
are a goldmine as far as news reporters are concerned.   

PRESS CONFERENCES:​ Leaders of political parties hold press conferences regularly. 

Ministers also hold press conferences to announce various programmes and policies of 
the government.   

COVERING EVENTS: ​ The coverage depends upon the importance and magnitude of the 
event. A small panchayat level meeting will be covered locally, whereas a state level 
function will get wider coverage. If it is a national event, it will rec 

 
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Types Of Beat Reporting 

POLITICAL REPORTING:  

A political reporter should have intelligence, instinctive perception of ground realities, 

good judgment of people and a strong historic sense. A skilled political reporter is 
able to expose the naked ambitions of political leaders and the hypocrisy of political 
parties. Party conferences, campaigns and rallies and press conferences are the 
normal reporting events in Political Reporting. 

One of the basic duties of political reporting is to warn the nation against criminals in 
political garment. The political reporter must have a sound knowledge of history.. 
Connections and inside sources are the strengths of a politics reporter.  

CRIME REPORTING:   

Crime is a part of life and it is newspaper’s duty to inform the readers of what crimes 
are going on in their city, state or country. Crime reporting is usually assigned to one 
of the junior reporters in a newspaper, it is a highly responsible and specialized job. 
The reporter should also have good contacts in the police and other departments of 
the administration as well as working knowledge of the penal codes and law on libel 
and other relevant matters. 

He should be as objective and avoid resorting to sensationalism or cheap gimmicks 

to catch the attention of the readers or the viewers. He should not suppress news of 
public interest. Nor should he seek to settle personal scores with police officers or 
lawyers or judges. He must be careful that in the course of his work, he does not 
unnecessarily invade a citizen’s privacy.   

SPORTS REPORTING:   

Sports writing and reporting demands, in the first place, an exceptional interest in the 
field of sports and a good writing style. Sports reporters are conversant with the 
rules of the game and have good relations with players and coaches alike. Sports 
reporters write to appeal to a class of readers who eat, drink and sleep sports. 
Sports writing is as competitive as the game itself. Reporter’s depth of knowledge is 
important while commenting on star performers. Everything that you write must be 
in good taste.  

 
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HEALTH REPORTING: 

Health reporter usually informs the public about major epidemics, diseases and their 
cures, new medical discoveries, medical irregularities, etc. The health reporter in no 
way should frighten the common man but present remedies and cures for the 
diseases. Health Reporters usually deliver medical news as if they are reporting on a 
hostage crisis. Information is delivered rapidly, but little time is taken to provide a 
context for the story. To avoid inaccurate stories, health reporters need to examine 
the credibility and biases of scientific sources. The major sources for a health 
reporter are the doctors or medical officers. The health reporter should deal with 
failures to be accurate, to identify vested interests, to follow up on stories, and to 
cover important health issues as the patients are the ones who stand to suffer the 
most.   

CIVIC REPORTING:   

Reporters around the country are increasingly turning to civic journalism to find better 
stories and report them in ways that re-establish a bond with readers, viewers and 
listeners. The civic reporter needs to be active men who have the opportunity of 
making a wide circle of friends. The Civic reporters should be responsibility as an 
important link in the chain of news collection of interest to the newspaper. A civic 
reporter has his/ her link with police officers and corporation administrators who 
inform him of anything important taking place around.  

TOPIC 2: Types of News Reports 

OBJECTIVITY IN REPORTING:​ Journalism needs to be more objective, accurate and 
investigative in the way it presents information and relays facts to the public. This 
objectivity in journalism helps the audience to make up their own mind about a story 
and decide what they want to believe. The journalist must report only the facts and not 
a personal attitude toward the facts.   

 
 23 
 

INTERPRETATIVE REPORTING:​ Interpretative reporting puts news in perspective to 

bring out its significance. It is a demanding discipline calling for thorough knowledge of 
the subject and proficiency in reporting. The Interpretative reporter gives the reader the 
background of an event and explains the possible consequences. 

Besides his own knowledge and research, he/she often relies on the opinion authorities 
on the subject. For an intelligent newspaper reader, there are few surprises, because 
the interpretative reports keeps him informed of the consequence of events. The 
Interpretative reporter must be well read-his reading of history, economics, sociology, 
political science and other academic subjects equips him to be an intelligent 
interpretative reporter, aware that a news item is not an isolated incident, but a 
inevitable link to a chain of events. Remember that prejudices of and kind and 
stereotype attitudes hamper intelligent perception and professional credibility.  

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING:​ Investigative reporting is exposing and reporting 

corruption. It calls for exceptional courage, a sense of justice and a commitment to the 
higher values of life. All news stories require some kind of investigation by the reporter; 
but investigative journalists dig hard and deep into the realm of the powers that be, 
which in itself is a dangerous enterprise. 

They dig weeks and months to get one story, but that one story gets national attention 
because it tells how the government bungles, how ministers squander funds, conspire 
and deny promotions to the meritorious, and, above all, suppress facts. The best kind 
of Investigative reporting is that which keeps the public interest in mind. It may 
highlight an injustice, expose corrupt practices or unmask dishonest politicians and 
Bureaucrats. Investigative journalism is finding, reporting and presenting news which 
other people try to hide. It is very similar to standard news reporting, except that the 
people at the centre of the story will usually not help you and may even try to stop you 
doing your job. 

The job of journalists is to let people know what is going on in the community, the 
society and the world around them. Journalists do this by finding facts and telling them 
to their readers or listeners. In many other cases, governments, companies, 
organizations and individuals try to hide decisions or events which affect other people. 
When a journalist tries to report on matters which somebody wants to keep secret, this 
is investigative journalism.  

 
 24 
 

TOPIC 4: STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF NEWS WRITING  

 
STRUCTURE OF NEWS WRITING: 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT OF NEWS STORY WRITING:
★ This patterns works very well when a writer is trying to convey critical points of a 
story. 
★ Chronological format is widely used for narrating or writing stories, real or 
fictitious. 
★ The entire sequence of events is presented in order of their occurrence. 
★ This format works better feature articles that provide the time and space for the 
character and story development. 
★ The story has the beginning, middle and end. 
 
FOR EXAMPLE : Books. 

INVERTED PYRAMID FORMAT OF NEWS STORY WRITING:

 
★ Therefore the facts are not presented in order of occurrence but according to the 
relative importance of each fact. 
★ In the inverted pyramid style the main news is placed at the top and the rest of
the detail following in decreasing order of importance. 
★ The order is not chronological but of importance. 
★ Into: is the first paragraph of a news story and contains the most newsworthy 
part of the story - the newest, most unusual, most interesting and most 
significant - told clearly and simply.   
★ Second paragraph contains full explanation and all the details. The most 
newsworthy parts of the story will be written nearest to the top of the story.  
★ The later part of the story - the tapering point of the inverted pyramid - contains 
detail which is helpful, but not essential.  

DISADVANTAGES OF INVERTED PYRAMID NEWS:

★ It does not encourage good writing. 
★ Many times stories do not have an ending crafted by the writer, There is no 
suspense. 
★ Reporters tend to lose interest, time and energy. 
★ Writing in the second half of the story is casual at best, and poor at worst. 

 
 25 
 
★ Some experts feel that there is hardly any scope for creativity. 
★ It is also important to note that inverted pyramid format of news writing does not 
allow any conclusion or summary. 
NOTE: This format was developed during civil war.

THE HOURGLASS FORMAT OF NEWS STORY WRITING:

This style is the least used style in Journalism.It is generally reserved for use in features or in
magazine articles.
This style has three parts.

★ The first part is an inverted pyramid top, summarizing the most newsworthy information in
descending order.
★ The second step is the turn, which transitions between the two sections.
★ Finally, the third step is a chronological conclusion and this is the narrative story telling piece.
The hourglass style is an effective way of writing, but it is not appropriate for all articles
 

A. Headlines 
A headline is a ‘window’ to the news story. A heading must fit, must tell the story, must 
confirm to newspaper’s standard, must not just be a label, must be safe and must not 
commit the paper to an opinion. The headline of the news items are much more than 
just a set of words. It is the responsibility of the page-designer to make each headline 
as distinctive as possible within the given newspaper format. Headline by its nature has 
to be short and crisp, but that does not mean that headline should provide incomplete 
information. Writing an appropriate headline is a highly creative art and needs high 
levels of concentration, wisdom and awareness of the current events.  

Types of Headlines 
1. BANNER HEADLINE:​ A newspaper headline written in large letters across the width 
of the page. When the heading is given below the nameplate of the newspaper and 
covers all columns from left to right, it is called banner headline.   

FOR EXAMPLE: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.   

 
 26 
 

2. LABEL HEADLINES:​ When the headline just indicate the class or the type of the event 
that is described in the news it is called Label Headline.   

FOR EXAMPLE: In Parliament Today, City Notes, Supreme Court Today etc. 

Label headlines are generally used for regular columns and for reference news.  

3. SKYLINE HEADLINE: ​ It is used for very exceptional and exclusive events, the 
headline of the story is sometimes given over the nameplate of the newspaper. It 
means that the event is even more important than the authority of the newspaper.  

4. SKELETON HEADLINE:​ In some cases just above the main headline a minor headline 
is added in smaller case with a line under it.   

FOR EXAMPLE:   

ABCABCABCABCABCABC
ABCABCABCABCABCABCABCABC 

5. WAISTLINE HEADLINE:​ Both the top and bottom lines are wide and equal but the 
central line is narrow and small. 

FOR EXAMPLE:  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

6. RECTANGLE AND SQUARE HEADLINES :​ In such headings, all the lines are equal 
from left to right. Normally, it is of three lines but sometimes it can be of 2 to 4 lines 
too. FOR EXAMPLE:  
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

7. HANGING HEADLINE:​ The heading with more than two or more lines which are 
justified on the right side and unjustified on the left are called hanging headline. 

 
 27 
 

FOR EXAMPLE:   
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

8. DROPLINE HEADLINE:​ This type of headline has two or three lines and arrangements 
of lines look like a staircase. . 

Example: 
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. 

9. INVERTED PYRAMID HEADLINE:​ There are three lines in this type of headline; rarely 
there can be four but never more than four. Such headlines are given to important 
stories with many important points. Such stories are many columns wide.   

FOR EXAMPLE:  

ABCXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXABC
ABCXXXXXXXXXXXXXXABC
ABCXXXXXXXXXXABC
ABCXXXXABC

10. INVERTED STAIRWAY HEADLINE: ​ This is just opposite of the drop line headline. 

Example: 
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXX

CROSSER HEADLINE: ​ Crosser are normally one line headline which is given in the 
middle of the story. Sometimes in the story, a few important points are highlighted in 
the middle of the story.   

QUESTION HEADLINE:​ This category of headlines ask a question that the reader can 
relate to, that they can empathize with, something they would like answered. 

 
 28 
 

A. LEAD 
The beginning of a story is called the “lead” of the story.The lead or intro is the most 
important element of a news story. It is the window to a story. Because the quality or 
readability of the lead determines whether the reader would read further or skip the 
story. 
The lead should be short. It arouses and sustains interest.Lead that tells an entire story 
in itself.It should be catchy enough in order to catch the attention of the readers. 
TYPES OF LEADS:
Lead could be of several types:

1. SUMMARY/ DIGEST / STRAIGHT LEAD:  

It brings the central issue of discussions at first. If the reader only read the lead, he or 
she would have a solid grasp of the story.  
EXAMPLE - Twelve persons were killed & at least 50 injured and hospitalized when a 
bus and car smashed into each other. 
 
2. NAME LEAD: 
When the person mentioned in the news is/are important. 
EXAMPLE- Sachin announces retirement from the Test. 
 
3. QUESTION LEAD: 
Starts with a question mark. Draws a reader in with a question. 
EXAMPLE- Will BJP supports UPA on FDI? 
 
4. NARRATIVE LEAD 
This lead starts at the middle of an event. It carries the reader through the event 
and give a surprising twist at the end of the story.  
Example: He paused for a second to gaze upon it. Then slowly he reached down and 
laid his hand upon it feeling the skin. He turned aside and carefully selected the knife. 
Sweating now, he lifted it up and then, suddenly brought it down. Red, Red it was red 
everywhere.„Cut‟ shouted the director. Thus ended the first shot of Sanjeev Kumar. 
Three retakes later and it was done. And what followed is history.  
 

 
 29 
 
5. DIRECT QUOTATION LEAD: 
When the first paragraph begins with a quotation from a speech or statement made by a 
VIP. 
Example-“Question of my resignation does not arise” says Chidambaram. 
 
6. CONTRAST LEAD: 
A lead, which compares the two different situations to bring out the focus. 
EXAMPLE: What marks the easy-going attitude of the government servants is hard to 
comprehend when one looks at pending case in courts. 
 
7. NEGATIVE LEAD: 
Starts with a negative statement or news. 
EXAMPLE-No possibility exists of any survivors in the train accident that occurred 
yesterday. 
 
8. PARODY LEAD 
This lead attempts to play on proverb, quotation, song titles or phrase.  
Example: “Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar‟ Hindu nationalist leader NarendraModi has won a 
convincing victory to secure a fourth successive term as chief minister of Indias 
Gujarat state. 

B. GUIDELINES FOR HEADLINE WRITING   

1. A good headline should be accurate, clear, grammatically correct, strong, active, 
fresh and immediate.  
2. It should catch the reader's attention.  
3. It summarizes or tells about the article.   
4. Best headline writers are spontaneous and creative; the best headlines instantly 
come to you.  
5. Read others' headlines to get ideas, but doing so isn't necessarily going to make 
you a better headline writer.   

 
 30 
 
6. The more conversational the headline, the more the readers will like it.   
7. The most-effective headlines are those that give an old news a new twist; readers 
are familiar with the news, but something different about it will reel them in.   
8. Four-points to test each headline are accurate, clear, tone and twist. 
9. PRINCIPLES OF WRITING HEADLINES:  
10. HEADLINE IS NOT A COMPLETE SENTENCE: Headlines are like announcements, 
commands and slogans. They do not follow the rules of grammar for sentence 
making but still they convey the meaning.   
11. VERB PUTS LIFE IN THE HEADLINE: Headline without a verb is considered 
passive headline, and simple addition of a verb may make the headline active and 
more appropriate. FOR EXAMPLE: Tsunami Hits Japan. NO JARGONS AND 
TECHNICAL WORDS: Like any other media writing headline writing is not to show 
off the vocabulary richness of the author. 
12. Simple rule is to use the words whose meanings are clear to most of the 
audiences. Use of difficult words is still more harmful.  
13. TOO MANY ABBREVIATIONS SPOIL THE HEADLINES: Names and processes 
which are used many times need to be shortened. These shortened versions are 
very useful in the headlines as they save space and time and have greater 
communicative value. Only those abbreviations be used that are of common 
knowledge. Unfamiliar abbreviations are like jargon and make the headline 
un-understandable. 
14. TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE INFORMATION KILLS THE HEADLINE: Too much 
information will fail in persuading the reader to read rest of the news.  
15. PUNCTUATION MARKS SHOULD BE USED RARELY IN THE HEADLINES: Since 
headline is not a sentence punctuation marks should also be used only when 
absolutely necessary. Full stop is never used in headlines. Comma and 
semicolon may be used for separating one information from other. 

Body 
DEFINE: The functions of body copy are amplification, elaboration, explaining 
description, discussion, dialogue, arguments and counter-arguments etc. Depending 
upon the type of appeals used, the copy can be long (rational appeals) or short 
(emotional appeals).  

 
 31 
 

In certain cases, where emotional appeals along with big and eye catching visuals are 
used, no body copy is required at all.   

However, body copy supports the statement made in the headline. If a question is put in 
the headline, the body copy answers it. It always plays supplementary and 
complementary roles. 

In body information is presented in order of its importance.  

The body must be divided into small paragraphs with minimum possible punctuation 
marks other than the full stop. All 5 Ws and 1 H must be taken care of in the body of the 
news. Provide details that elaborate the theme. Tell the reader what is happening, why 
and what’s being done about the situation. 

Unit 3 

TOPIC 2: Functions and Responsibilities of a News 

Editor, Sub-Editor and Chief Sub-Editor   
 

Editor 
NEWS EDITOR: It is one of the most important person who plans a daily newspaper. 
His role in a newspaper office is supreme.  

He/ she is anintelligent person who knows how to give the newspaper a new look.   

He/ she is responsible for a steady and continuous inflow of news in the newsroom.  

FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF NEWS EDITOR   

1) SELECTION OF NEWS STORIES:   

An ideal news editor manages to get all the obvious stories into his paper with a good 
proportion of them as exclusives.   

 
 32 
 

His/her motivation and direction with his team members can result in the generation of 
many exclusive stories.   

The scoops and investigative stories need to be given weightage by the news editor if 
he/she want to give a distinct identity to his/her newspaper and enhance its credibility 
and reputation. The news editor uses his/her discretion and imagination in reading the 
public mind and select the stories which have real news value and can be called 
important by his/her readers. 

He is also responsible for final scrutiny of important news stories submitted by different 
correspondents, stringers and outstation correspondents.   

He/she gives special attention to the facts and figures included in the write-ups and 
where ever he/she is in doubt, he/she takes pains to check up their accuracy from the 
authentic sources.   

2) MANAGING AFFAIRS IN NEWS ROOM:   

The hurry of daily routine makes heavy demands upon the managerial skills of the news 
editor and his decisions, specially when time is short, yet there has to be accuracy.  

He must have an infinite amount of patience and keen interest in varied kind of news. 
He must have a good general educational background with a fair amount of historical, 
political and economic knowledge.   

He issues necessary instructions to the chief sub-editors and sub editors and ensures 
that his/her decisions are carried. The responsibility of enforcing the rules and 
regulations in the newsroom lies on the news editor. 

MONITORING THE REPORTING:   

Usually there is an editorial meeting every morning which is presided over by the editor 
and is attended by the news editor, chief of bureau, chief reporter, photo editor and 
sometimes chief sub editor. It begins with a post mortem of the day’s paper, discussing 
gains and losses, credits and blame.   

The editor look out for a major outbreak and to make preparations for it. Though the 
activity of the newsroom is editing, it also has to organize news collection.   

 
 33 
 

The most important and constant guideline for the newspaper is the paper’s policy. 
When in doubt in a new situation, the news editor must get it cleared or make 
arrangements to tackle it.   

The news editor has direct hold on the city or local reporting. The news editor also asks 
the reporters to follow up stories where ever he/she finds a possibilities. 

The news editor must mark the dairy and assign the reporters the coverage which 
needs to be specially done and not to be left to news agencies. The sole aim is to reach 
the readers before any other newspaper is out.   

COORDINATION WITH OTHER DEPARTMENT:   

The news editor maintains close cooperation with other departments particularly 
circulations, advertising and production. For better coordination, he/she holds regular 
meeting with circulation manager, advertising manager and production manager.   

The news editor has to make sure of the observance of deadlines in the newsroom and 
in case of any delay has to request the production people for necessary adjustments.   

Chief Sub-Editor 
The Chief Sub-Editor heads subeditorial group all news and photographs for publication 
reaches his table. He too functions as a copy taster. He decides whether or not the 
story will be used or cut down to half or elaborated from a few lines to one or more 
columns. 

FUNCTIONS 

1. The Chief sub-editor main function is to supervise and coordinate the work of 
sub-editors. 
2. He is responsible for the production of a particular edition of the newspaper. He 
has complete picture of the newspaper in his mind. 
3. He doles out copies, keeps records of stories and knows the person dealing with 
them. 
4. He is responsible for all the pages of the newspaper except supplements 

 
 34 
 
5. He plans and looks into the makeup of a paper by holding an editorial conference 
or contacting the news editor and ad-manager. He knows about all the features 
and miscellaneous items schedule for publication. 
6. The chief sub-editor is also responsible for captions of pictures used in a 
newspaper. 
7. He traces the stories background to provide a complete picture of an event or 
news. 
8. He is the supreme head of his team and takes his instructions from the news 
editor, he always refers to news editor when in doubt or difficulty. 

Sub-Editor 
Sub-editor or copy editor is a versatile man is the newspaper. He knows something of 
everything and everything of something. Its his job to be able to edit easily and 
efficiently all kind of copy comprising of technical terms, and make more newsly, and in 
common man’s language. 

FUNCTIONS 

1. His first effort is towards saving time and space as stories keep flooding in the 
newspaper office at all hours of the day. 
2. When he makes use of editing and proof reading symbols, he must insure that 
the copy is marked legibly and clearly, so that the instructions are easy to follow 
in the primary section. 
3. At times a subeditor has to rewrite a copy in order to make it more interesting 
and readable. 
4. In order to ensure that news value is retained in the story. He might have to chop 
it off or even kill it if the story has no news value. 
5. He ensures that the lead written suits the story appropriately and the rule of 5Ws 
and 1H is followed. 
6. He sees that names are accurately spelled, dates scrutinises dates and figures 
and refers back to his library resources for more information. 
7. He designs the stories in such a way that they’ve of use to hurried readers. 

 
 35 
 
8. He has to redesign the lead or sometimes the entire story, when the story was 
coming from some views agency or the reports that drop in from public 
organisation. 
9. He verifies the facts by crosschecking and multichecking them and sees that no 
baseless fact goes into the story. 
10. The sub-editor must be well informed, he must know a large no. of subjects like 
politics, economics, history, law, commerce etc. , which are discussed often in 
the newspaper. 

TOPIC 3: Editorial Writing and its Importance  

 

Editorial  
Introduction 
An editorial is the soul of a newspaper. It reflects the policy and stand of the newspaper 
on the burning issues of the day. Strong and powerful editorials published in popular 
newspapers mould public opinion and act as catalysts of change. They also serve as 
watchdog of public interest by pointing out differences and irregularities in public 
policies and developmental works, besides offering suggestions and solutions to 
problems and burning issues of the society.  

It reflects the majority vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper 
made up of editors and business managers. Editorial writers build on an argument and 
try to persuade readers to think the same way they do.  

Importance of editorial 

Editorials are meant to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and 
sometimes cause people to take action on an issue. In essence, an editorial is an 
opinionated news story.  

Editorial writing in a newspaper is a great learning and education process. Analytical 

and incisive editorials and thought provoking articles expand our mental horizon and 
enable us to understand the complexities of the burning problems of the day.  

 
 36 
 
E
​ ditorials have: 

1. Introduction, body and conclusion like other news stories 

2. An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues 

3. A timely news angle 

4. Opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same issues the writer 
addresses 

5. The opinions of the writer delivered in a professional manner. Good editorials engage 
issues, not personalities and refrain from name-calling or other petty tactics of 
persuasion. 

6. Alternative solutions to the problem or issue being criticized. A good editorial should 
take a pro-active approach to making the situation better by using constructive criticism 
and giving solutions. 

7. A solid and concise conclusion that powerfully summarizes the writer's opinion.  

Types of Editorials: 

1. E
​ xplain or interpret:​ Editors often use these editorials to explain the way the 
newspaper covered a sensitive or controversial subject. School newspapers may 
explain new school rules or a particular student-body effort like a food drive. 

2. C
​ riticize:​ These editorials constructively criticize actions, decisions or situations 
while providing solutions to the problem identified. Immediate purpose is to get readers 
to see the problem, not the solution. 

3. P
​ ersuade:​ Editorials of persuasion aim to immediately see the solution, not the 
problem. From the first paragraph, readers will be encouraged to take a specific, 
positive action. Political endorsements are good examples of editorials of persuasion. 

4. P
​ raise:​ These editorials commend people and organizations for something done well. 
They are not as common as the other three. 

A. Letter To The Editor 

Introduction 

 
 37 
 

The ‘Letters to the Editor’ column is an important component of the newspaper where 
the views of the readers on burning problems of the day, their grievances and 
aspirations are reflected. This column is a part of the editorial page and acts as a 
medium of interaction with the readers. The input received from the readers is a good 
indicator of the popularity of the newspaper. Some of the letters also offer suggestions 
for improvement and constructive criticism of the published material which may help 
the editorial desk to take corrective measures keeping in view the likes and dislikes of 
the readers. 

As the name suggests, ‘Letters to the Editor’ should be addressed to the Editor of the 
newspaper or publication. Ornamental language should be avoided. Simple and lucid 
language should be used so that the idea is conveyed in clear terms.  

Writing an LTE 

According to the New York Times the letter to editor should have five-part approach: 
1-Introduction: restates the thesis of original article.  

2-Opinion: supposes/contradicts the writer’s point.  

3-Anecdote: relates relevant personal experience.  

4-Evidence: Cites an independent study, report etc.  

5-Conclusion: restates the opinion of the letter writer signed.  

TIPS: 

★ Keep your letter short and simple. As a policy, many newspapers don’t accept 
letters that exceed 200 words.   
★ Research your topic thoroughly. Support your argument with facts and evidence. 
Make sure your solutions are logical and practical.   
★ Have a catchy beginning and a strong ending.  
★ If your letter is sloppy, incoherent or contains grammatical errors, it will not be 
published.  
★ At the end of your letter, be sure to include your name, address, e-mail 
and phone number. Newspapers need this info in order to verify that you 

 
 38 
 
actually sent the letter. They will publish only your name and town. Do not 
ask to be anonymous- the letter probably won’t get published 

B. Film Review 
The film review is a popular way for critics to assess a film's overall quality and 
determine whether or not they think the film is worth recommending. Film reviews 
analyze the effectiveness of the plot, theme, acting, direction, special effects, 
musical effects, cinematography, and all other elements that created the movie. 

STEPS 

★ Should include the following: name of the film, prominent stars of the film, basic 
setting (time and place), and genre of film (comedy, adventure, drama, etc.)   
★ Write a plot summary for the movie. Do not reveal the ending. Discuss at least 5 
events and be sure to cover the entire scope of the movie, except the very end.   
★ Discuss one aspect of filmmaking. You may choose from acting, direction, 
editing, costume design, set design, photography, background music, or anything 
else you may think of. Be sure that you are specific and cite examples from the 
movie.   
★ Discuss another aspect of filmmaking. discussed in the previous paragraph. Be 
sure that you are specific and cite examples from the movie.  
★ Give your overall reaction to the film as well as your opinion on the quality of the 
film. Also include your recommendations for potential viewers.   

   
Paragraph 5

B. Book Review 
It is defined as a critical description, evaluation, or analysis of a book, especially
one published in a newspaper or magazine.

In newspapers and academic journals, they rarely exceed 1000 words, although you
may encounter lengthier assignments and extended commentaries. In either case,
reviews need to be succinct. While they vary in tone, subject, and style, they share
some common features:

 
 39 
 
First,​ a review gives the reader a concise summary of the content. This includes a
relevant description of the topic as well as its overall perspective, argument, or purpose.

Second, ​and more importantly, a review offers a critical assessment of the content. This
involves your reactions to the work under review: what strikes you as noteworthy,
whether or not it was effective or persuasive, and how it enhanced your understanding
of the issues at hand.

Finally​, in addition to analyzing the work, a review often suggests whether or not the
audience would appreciate it.

TOPIC 4: Stylesheet: Definition, Purpose and Relevance 

 

Definition 
A style sheet is simply a statement and a reflection of the style standards and practices 
of a publisher of newspapers, books, or magazines. 

It is a document which contains guidelines and instructions for the reporters and sub 
editors to follow while writing and editing a news story. This document is planned 
and prepared by the editorial staff for giving a unique style to the newspaper. 

Importance  
1. Style sheet is the document that prescribes editorial instructions for editorial 
staff in a newspaper or magazine. 

2. It carries guidelines or instructions for both – sub – editors and reporters. It tells 
them the precautions which are to be taken while writing the copy or editing it. 

3. Every newspaper has its own style sheet which is prepared and developed by the 
editorial staff. This helps the newspaper in maintaining its own distinctive style. 

4. The basic purpose of style sheet is to ensure uniformity and harmony in 
the working of the editorial staff and in the overall quality of the newspaper. 

 
 40 
 
5. Style sheet guides the editorial staff whenever they are stuck somewhere, 
motivates them to improve the copy and produce a presentable newspaper. 

6. Staffs in a newspaper are always strapped for time. One hardly has the time to sit 
and experiment with different fonts, sizes and colours. Thus, stylesheet comes in 
handy. 

7. Some papers tend to look chaotic because everyone on the layout desk wants to 
experiment with their page designs. While this might be fun, it detracts from the 
professionalism of the publication. 

8. Copy for newspapers come from a variety of sources– its own reporters, 
agencies, freelancers etc. Each source has its own style of writing. Everyone’s 
ultimate goal should be to create a coherent look for the overall paper.  

 
 

 
 

 
 

Unit 4 

TOPIC 1: Editing: Definition, Objectives and Principles 

 
Definition and Objectives 

Editing, in fact, is the soul of journalism and is a multifaceted activity, which

involves:
● Deciding the content to be published and deleted
● Giving the structure to the stories and making them presentable

 
 41 
 
● Shaping it as per the policies and philosophies of the publication

The selection and correction of news is called its editing. Editing is the
correction of grammatical, factual and lingual errors in a copy. It is done according to
the need of the readers and the stylesheet of the organisation. Editing sets the story
on the basis of the space availability and the relevance of the content.

Editing is tailoring news items or a news story to the required shape and size using
the right kind of expressions and symbols. A news item is selected keeping in
view its interest to a large number of readers and its impact on them While editing,
the consideration must be on language, clarity of thought, traditions of
journalism, taste of the readers and also the grace of expression.

The editing process begins in a newspaper with the News Editor or a Chief Sub
editor sorting out the copy to eliminate reports that could not be accommodated and
planning the next day’s page.

Principles of Good News Editing 

The following are the principles of good news editing:

1. Accuracy:​ The sub editor should be obsessed with accuracy because

one mistake can destroy the reputation of a newspaper or magazine, and it
takes just fraction of a second to make one. Checking and cross checking
names, figures, and verifying facts are of utmost importance. Always
attribute the news to the source so that readers can judge its credibility. For
example: ‘A highly placed Defence Personnel, Finance Ministry Sources’,
etc. are attributions that help readers to arrive at their own conclusions,
while steering clear of the suspicion that the reporter is giving his own
version of the story.

2. Balance and Fairness:​ Balance and fairness form the foundation of

good editing. Balance is presenting the information in its entirety while
fairness is being unbiased. It also means not providing favourable
treatment to any particular individual, organization, institution etc.

3. Brevity:​ Brevity is telling the readers information in a direct manner

without beating around the bush. It not only saves time and space but
also makes the publication credible in the eyes of its readers.

 
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4. Clarity:​ Clarity is the ability to think clearly. Clarity comes with vision
and planning. If you know how you want a particular story to be seen by the
readers, your vision will automatically make your thoughts clear which
will be strengthened by the planning.

5. Readability:​ The standard for the average length of a sentence is 18 words

and beyond the same, the readability gets complicated. So, the best
way is to write news stories using simple words, short and simple
sentences.

A.Editing Symbols and Proofreading Symbols  

 
EDITING SYMBOLS 

● Set of standard symbols

● Allows to indicate changes without using words

Although stories written on PCs are corrected electronically, it is still useful for reporters
to learn the standard copy editing symbols. The following are examples of the
symbols that are used universally whenever written material is corrected by hand.

Many proof-reading symbols are similar to copy editing symbols. But, there is an
important difference in their use. The copy editor uses symbols within the body of
story, making changes at the point in the text at which the error occurs. The proof
–reader places all the symbols in the margin of the proofs, indicating at which
point changes are needed in the story. This is the process of correcting errors after
the story is in type. The person correcting the mistakes need only scan the
margins, not read the entire story.

PROOFREADING  
Error – free newspapers simply do not exist. Despite the concentrated effort of writers,
editors and proof readers, errors still appear in every issue of every newspaper.

The object of proof reading is to eliminate any errors made during the editing
and typesetting process. Although proof reading and copy editing are similar
in that their chief purpose is to catch errors, the responsibility of the proof –

 
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reader is to see that the proof follows the original copy – that no words,
sentences or paragraphs are jumbled or omitted – and that there are no
typographical errors. However, proof readers generally correct misspelled
words, incorrect English and other blunders that might have slipped past
reporters and copy editors.

Proof-reading involves the following:

1. Follow copy:​ after the compositor has composed the matter, a proof of the
copy is taken out, and passed on to the proof reader. The proof reader
compares the proof with the manuscript / original copy, detects the mistakes
in the proof copy and marks the corrections. This is known as ‘follow copy’.

2. Correction of Grammatical mistakes:​ the proof reader also corrects the

mistakes in spellings, grammar and punctuations etc., if these are lying in the
manuscript. He also uses some prescribed terms to indicate capital
letters, italics, paragraphs, divisions etc.

3. Correction of editing mistakes: ​ the proof reader also corrects those ​mistakes
which are left in the original copy / manuscript due to some lapses on
the part of the sub – editor. Thus, he contributes to the editing work.

4. Correction of factual mistakes:​ in addition to the above, the proof reader is

expected to correct the factual mistakes as well. This can, however, be done
only by a knowledgeable and aware proof – reader.

B. Electronic Editing 
Electronic Editing Computers dominate the newsroom of newspapers these days. 
Reporters write their stories on computer terminals and save copies there only. City 
editors and section editors use computer networking to call the story up from 
storage for review and preliminary editing. Copy editors use them for the final editing 
and headline writing. The so called front-end system will vary from newspaper to 
newspaper, depending on the particular equipment purchased. However, most 
computers are quite similar and once a reporter or copy editor has learned one system, 
using a different one requires very little adjustment. Electronic editing saves time and 
makes archiving easy. Personal computers are considered a blessing by some 

 
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copy editors. Others still are not. There is no question that a computer is more 
flexible than a typewriter. A copy editor can perform the following functions on PC:-  

1- Delete characters, words, lines and paragraphs as well as move entire blocks of copy 
within a single story. 

2- Delete the entire story.  

3- Add new text at any location in the story being displayed on the computer screen.  

4-Instruct the computerized typesetting machine how wide to set the copy and what 
font size and typeface to use for a particular story.  

5-Write the headline for the story. A wide range of electronic editing systems are 
available and they are being refined and made more sophisticated every year.   

The functions that can be performed depend entirely on how sophisticated the 
equipment is. Some, for example, have split screen capabilities that allow two 
stories to be shown at the same time should a copy editor want to compare or 
possible combine the stories.  

It is important to remember that the computer terminal is the central device for 
the system. The codes a reporter and copy editor must learn will vary from 
newspaper to newspaper, and the keyboard on the terminal may vary slightly. 
However, all systems are essentially the same.  

A number of newspapers have named “systems editors” whose responsibility is to 

know everything about the particular computer equipment used in the newsroom 
and the editorial department. The system editor serves as a trouble shooter for the 
editorial staff when glitches develop in the computer system.  

TOPIC 2: COPY EDITING FOR NEWSPAPERS, 

MAGAZINES AND JOURNALS  
 

A copy editor or sub-editor is a bridge between a reporter and the reader.   

COPY EDITING FOR NEWSPAPERS:   

 
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In a newspaper office, reporters are the ones who file stories. They may be given 
different assignments. These may be on politics, economics, parliament, the stock 
exchange, sports, courts or markets. The reporter’s job is to write the story as quickly 
as possible with all the facts and figures. In their hurry, they may not be in a position to 
polish the language.   

The first job of a subeditor is to see that the report is in good language and there are 
no mistakes. There can be spelling mistakes, mistakes in sentence construction, 
grammar and factual mistakes. If the sub editor finds a portion of the report 
ambiguous or incorrect or doubtful he has to cross check it with the reporter.  

Checklist for Newspaper Editing   

1. All the facts must be checked, re – checked and verified. They include dates, 
numbers, names, titles, place etc.   
2. Correct the grammar and language error, if any Check the stylesheet in case of 
doubt   
3. Eliminate any statement that can land you in legal trouble. Make sure the 
statement is not offensive to any individual, community, religion or 
organisation.   
4. Ensure that you have the permission to use the available information. 
5. Check the structure of the story. Make sure that the phrasing of the story is 
engaging. 

COPY SELECTION:​ The first and foremost job done in a newspaper is copy selection. 
The selection will be made only when the copy editor in charge finds the copy of 
some worth, otherwise he can throw the copy in the dustbin.  

C
​ OPY TASTING: ​ It means weighting a copy and tasting it on its news value. 

COPY EDITING FOR MAGAZINES:   

A magazine is a periodical with a popular focus, i.e. aimed at the general public, 
and containing news, personal narratives, and opinion. A magazine can focus on 
any topic in general or the niche subjects like sports, decoration, fashion etc.  

 
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A skilled editor can make an average copy a reading pleasure by changing the 
structure, language and correcting the grammar of the same. Misspelled word or name, 
incorrect facts etc. can lessen the credibility and damage the quality of publication.  

Since copy editing is the last line of defence before going to the printers, it is important 
to correct all the possible errors at this stage. A magazine editor is responsible to 
ensure that the content of the publication is in sync with the editorial vision and 
suitable for the target audience.  

Editing a magazine article includes proofreading, correcting and rewriting. The cover 
is the most important page, as it is the first to be seen by the readers. Thus, the 
visual as well as the content appeal of the cover should hook the audience as soon as 
it is seen. Remember to proofread all the elements including - volume, issue 
number, correct spellings, correct date etc.  

Checklist for copy editors:   

1. Table of contents: ​Check if the spacing and numbering is properly done.   

2. Articles:​ Ensure that there is no mistake in the headlines, subheads, pull quotes 
and photo captions.   
3. Slugs: ​ The slugs are the section titles that categorize each subject. For 
example - features, beauty, advice, etc. Make sure that they are mentioned 
correctly and are placed at the right spot.   
4. Footers:​ Make sure that all the page numbers that are correctly numbered in 
proper sequence. Also, check information like date and month (if there) to be 
consistent throughout. The content and writing style for magazine is different.  

Journal Editing A journal is a regularly published collection of scholarly articles that 

focus on topics specific to a particular academic discipline or profession. The 
frequency of the same can be monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or even 
annually. Journal articles are typically of substantial length and are research 
oriented. Articles are written by experts in their fields and have technical jargons. 
Journals might also include opinion articles or editorials.   

A prior knowledge is required to understand the language used in journals because they 
are focussed at the niche readers in a particular area.  

 
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Abstract, conclusion, bibliography, charts, graphs, etc. are included in a journal, but 
they rarely contain photographs. A Journal depends enormously on how skillfull 
its editor proves to be in shaping, balancing and developing the contents so that 
people not only read the journal but also subscribe to it. The editor should at all 
time exercise firm but flexible control over what goes into it and how the material is 
processed and presented to readers. Revenue of a Journal is generated through 
subscriptions.  

TOPIC 3: Use of Graphics, Cartoons and Infographics in 

Print 
 

Graphics journalism is a specialized form of journalism that uses graphics forms 

to present information. These forms often use words as well as illustration, so 
the graphics journalist must have the ability to write— especially to use words 
efficiently. Graphics journalism generally backs up and adds information to other 
reporting and writing that the publication has done. Except photographs, there are other 
kinds of picture which can also tell the news. 

1. Provides a new way of seeing and thinking  

The purpose of the information graphics is to provide a new way of 

understanding concepts, ideas and data through visual language. Because our 
brains are wired for pictures, infographics are understood differently than text alone. 
Often, a visual promotes a unique way of thinking about information because we 
are able to perceive new relationships, improve our analysis and form different 
interpretations.  

2. The information tells a story  

 
 48 
 

Many effective graphics tell a story, since they are often produced by visual 
journalists. It might be an explanation of how a laser printer works or an 
explanation of how laser printer works or an explanation of a bat’s wing in flight, but 
there ‘s a story there.  

  

4. It works on multiple levels  

At first glance, it’s good if someone can immediately get the overview, like the 
most important trends or a quick comparison. This gives your audience a sense of 
what the graphic is about and where to focus. Then viewers can be to analyze the 
next level, which involves examining and interacting with the detailed information.  

5. The visual is well-designed  

Information is beautiful. An aesthetic info graphics can reflect this beauty by 
making good use of color, contrast, balance, movement, white space bad 
typography.  

6. The graphic stands on its own  

Although info graphics often accompany an article or a text explanation, isn’t it good 
when they can just stand on their own?. And since the eye and brain are compelled to 
look at a picture first, it’s important that the info graphic can be at least partially 
understood without the accompanying article, if there is one.  

Types of graphics 
1. MAPS 

One of the basic questions which journalists need to answer is where? One of the 
best ways to answering this question is by publishing a map. For a foreign news story, 
there can be a map showing the location of the country where the news is 
happening. For a national story, it can be a map showing whereabouts in the 
country the town is, where the news is happening.  

 
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The usual rule is that no lettering on a map (or other graphic artwork) as it appears 
in a newspaper should be smaller than 9 point.  

2. GRAPHS AND CHARTS 

When the story depends on comparing sets of figures, it may be easier for the readers 
to understand if they are presented in graph or chart form. Once again, it is 
important to remember that all lines should be drawn boldly, and that the chart or 
graph should not be crowded with too much unnecessary information. 

3
​ . DRAWINGS 

Sometimes a drawing can illustrate a story more effectively than a photograph can do. 
A news story about a dramatic rescue of a child from the side of a cliff, in bad 
weather, may be difficult to illustrate with photographs for several reasons. An artist 
can overcome all those problems. In the drawing of the cliff, the reader can be 
taken out into mid air, just out from the cliff, for the best possible view. in the 
drawing, all the stages of the rescue, over two hours, can be shown together, clearly 
numbered so that the readers can understand the order in which things happened. 
Drawings can also be useful in illustrating features. If the feature can be given to a 
good artist several days in advance, it may be possible for the artist to create a 
drawing which captures the point of the feature in a way which no photograph 
can do 

A reporter's on-site reconstruction of the incident in words may be better understood by 
the readers with visual support. Though photographs obviously can serve the purpose in 
a very effective way, nothing like translating the events into sequential graphics. An 
infographist (as an information graphic artist is popularly known) uses a combination of 
skills and materials. He reconstructs a scene in a graphic form. He needs the help of 
specially-briefed reporters. With the information provided coupled with his artistic and 
journalistic skills, a new form of communication takes shape.  

Use of Statistics 

 
 50 
 

● Statics can be made easier through statistical tables. Statics can show in tables 
it charts, the elements represent quantities so it’s important the scale and 
proportions are accurate.   

● The use of quantitative graphics in newspaper requires achieving a balance 

between being accurate and getting the attention of the reader.   

● The statistical representations in newspapers are drawn by graphs 

designers whose key technique is fusion- the striking combination of two 
visual images. This technique often results in visual personifications, visual and 
other visual of speech.  

Cartoons 
The word ‘cartoon’ is derived from the Italian word ‘cartone’ meaning ‘paper’. It is any 
drawing published originally in a periodical that makes its own point, with or without a 
caption.   

In newspapers, political cartoons have always been in use. They are also known 
as Editorial Cartoons. They are single panels of graphics that are satire of political 
events. Cartoons have a non-continuing format and they make an independent 
statement or observation on political events or social Policy. 
 
The use of cartoons in Indian newspapers grew after independence. In 1950s most of 
the article carried illustrations describing the content of the article. Cartoons in 
daily newspapers also appear as critical analysis of political events and social 
issues during this epoch. Many prominent cartoonists presented their views and 
talent in dailies and this consequently gave journalism a new form expression. 
Later were integrated in magazines and newsletters also. 
 
Prominent Indian Cartoonists 
 
1. Harish Chandra Shukla 
2. Sudhir Dar:  
3. Abu Abraham:  

 
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A. Photo caption and Cutline 

Photo captions and cutlines are the most read body type in a publication. Of all the 
news content, only the titles of stories or headlines have higher readership than 
captions.  

It follows that standards of accuracy, clarity, completeness and good writing are as high 
for captions and cutlines than for other type. As with headlines, captions and cutlines 
must be crisp.  

Captions:  

Captions are the little “headlines” over the “cutlines” (the words describing the 
photograph). N​ ot all photographs carry a caption line.

It is an art by itself, and it comes with experience and aptitude. It is, generally, the job of
the news editor. The picture and its caption are complementary to each other, and is
very essential to mention when and where the picture was taken, and who the persons
seen in the picture are.

Cutlines:  

Cutlines (at newspapers and some magazines) are the words (under the caption, if 
there is one) describing the photograph or illustration. 

Cutlines should explain the picture so that readers are satisfied with their understanding of
the picture. They need not and should not tell what the picture has made obvious. It
should supply vital information that the picture cannot.

Cutlines should be as concise as possible. Unlike headlines (and caption lines), they
should contain all articles and conjunctions, just as do sentences in news stories. News
picture Cutlines should be straightforward and clear.  

 
 

 
COMPLEMENTARY COURSE: Journalism
Paper II: Print Media Journalism
For BA ENGLISH/MALAYALAM
IV Semester
(2011 ADMISSION ONWARDS)

UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT
SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION
Calicut University, P.O. Malappuram, Kerala, India-673 635

390
 School of Distance Education

UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT
SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

COMPLEMENTARY COURSE: J ourna lism

Paper II: Print Media Journalism

For BA ENGLISH/MALAYALAM
IV SEMESTER

Prepared by: Mrs.Nandini. D.

Guest Lecturer
Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication,
University of Calicut

Scrutinised by Dr. Muhammadali. N.

Assistant Professor & Head,
Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication,
University of Calicut.

Layout & Settings: Computer Section, SDE

© Reserved

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CONTENTS PAGES

Module - I 05 - 08
Module - II 09 - 11
Module - III 12 - 14
Module – IV 15 - 18
Module - V 19 - 23
Module - VI 24 - 27
Module - VII 28 - 32

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Module I: Introduction to Journalism

What is journalism?
Journalism is both an art and a profession which records events and opinions and seeks to
interpret and mould them for the benefit of the educated public. Journalism is anything that
contributes in some way in gathering, selection, processing of news and current affairs for the press,
radio, television, film, cable, internet, etc. It is a discipline of collecting, analyzing, verifying and
presenting news regarding current events, trends, issues and people. Those who practice journalism
are known as journalists. Journalism is defined by Denis McQuail as paid writing for public media
with reference to actual and ongoing events of public relevance.
Principles and functions of journalism
The central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with accurate and reliable information
they need to function in a free society. This purpose also involves other requirements such as being
entertaining, serving as watchdog and offering voice to the voiceless.
Journalism has developed nine core ideals to meet the task.
1. Journalism€s first obligation is to the truth: Journalism does not pursue truth in an
absolute or philosophical sense, but it can and must pursue it in a practical sense. This
journalistic truth is a process that begins with the professional discipline of assembling
and verifying facts.
2. Its first loyalty is to citizens: Journalists must maintain loyalty to citizens and the
larger public interest above any other if they are to provide the news without fear or
favour. This commitment to citizens first is the basis of news organizations credibility;
to tell audience that news coverage is not slanted for friends or advertisers.
Commitment to citizens also means journalism should present a representative picture
of all constituent groups in society.
3. Its essence is disciplines of verification: Journalists rely on professional discipline
for verifying information. It called for a consistent method of testing information- a
transparent approach to evidence- precisely so that personal and cultural biases would
not undermine the accuracy of their work.
4. Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover:
Independence is an underlying requirement of journalism, a cornerstone of its
reliability. Independence of spirit and mind rather than neutrality is the principle
journalists must keep in focus.
5. It must serve as an independent monitor of power: Journalism has an unusual
capacity to serve as watchdog over those whose power and position most affects
citizens. As journalists, one has an obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by not
demeaning it in frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gains.
6. It must provide a forum for public criticism and compromise: The news media
are the common carriers of public discussion. This discussion serves society best when
it is informed by facts rather than prejudice and supposition. Accuracy and truthfulness
requires that as framers of the public discussion journalists do not neglect the points of
common ground where problem solving occurs.

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7. It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant: Journalism is

storytelling with a purpose. It must strive to make the significant interesting and
relevant. The effectiveness of a piece of journalism is measured both by how much a
work engages its audience and enlightens it. This means journalists must continually
ask what information has most value to citizens and in what form.
8. It must keep the news comprehensive and proportional: Keeping news in
proportion and nor leaving important things out are also cornerstones of truthfulness.
Inflating events for sensation, neglecting others, stereo typing or being
disproportionately negative all makes it less reliable. It should also include news of all
communities, not just those with attractive demographics.
9. Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience: Every
journalist must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility- a moral compass.
Each of them must be willing if fairness and accuracy requires, to voice differences
with colleagues, whether in the newsroom or the executive suite.

Journalism as a profession

Print media journalism

Print media journalism presents various information through newspapers, magazines and
books. Professionals of this stream are – staff correspondents, special correspondents, news editors,
chief-editors, political commentators, cartoonists, columnists, feature writers, content writers for
magazine etc.
Radio journalism

Radio journalism works for broadcasting news and various information through an important
medium of mass communication among workers and householders. Radio journalists are well versed
with the operations of sound recording equipments, microphones and public address systems. They
must also be efficient in digital data recording, operations of the net, audio systems and computers
TV journalism

TV is an audiovisual communication tool. It requires the attention of two senses of the

targeted individual- audio and visual. Hence the TV journalist has not only to give pleasing music,
voice, or other audio signals to the targeted audience but also has to mesmerize them with the help of
his personality, mannerism, video footage and appropriate colour combinations.

Cyber journalism

Internet is a source of all kind of information. Internet journalist is a person who creates
messages to be displayed on the web sites that are to be read, viewed or listened to by a very large
audience. Professionals of this new stream are web masters; multimedia specialists, HTML and
XHTML programmers, Java specialists and other professionals who create and modify
advertisements for the NET. They also create web sites which are mass communication tools.

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Role and responsibilities of a journalist

The main duty of a journalist is to act as an interpreter of the world around. The journalist
observes the events, transmits facts about the event and act as an interpreter of these events and
happenings.
A journalist performs the following roles:

1. Make people aware of the contemporary world.

2. Inform and educate the audience.
3. Promote art and culture.
4. Entertain the mass.
5. Help people in decision making.
6. Make people sensitive to burning issues.
7. Instill good moral values.
8. Make people aware of their rights.
9. Help people in comparative study of past and present and in predicting future.

The MacBride report spells out journalistic responsibilities as:

1. Contractual responsibility in relation to their media and their internal organization.
2. A social responsibility entailing obligations towards public opinion and society as a
whole
3. Responsibility or liability deriving from the obligation to comply with the law.
4. Responsibility towards the international community relating to respect for human
values.

Ethics of journalism
It includes principles of ethics and of good practice to address the specific challenges faced by
professional journalists. The basic codes and canons commonly appear in statements drafted by
professional journalism association and individual print, broadcast and online news organizations.

While various existing codes have some differences, most share common elements including
the principles of- truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability-
as these apply to the acquisition of newsworthy information and its subsequent reportage to the
public.
Professional and ethical standards for journalists
1. As the press is a primary instrument in the creation of public opinion, journalist should
regard their calling as a trust and be eager to serve and guard their public interest.
2. In discharge of their duties, journalists should attach due value to fundamental human
and social rights and shall hold good faith and fair play in news reports and comments
as essential professional obligations.
3. Journalists should observe special restraint in reports and comments dealing with
tensions, likely to lead, or leading to civil disorder.

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4. Journalists should endeavour to ensure that information dissemination is factually

accurate
5. Responsibility shall be assumed for all information and comments published. If
responsibility is disclaimed, this will be explicitly stated.
6. Confidences shall always be respected. Professional secrecy must be preserved.
7. Any report found to be inaccurate and any comment on inaccurate reports shall be
voluntarily rectified
8. Journalists shall not exploit their status for non-journalistic purposes.
9. Journalists shall not allow personal interest to influence professional conduct.
10. Journalists shall not accept or demand bribe to give or delay publicity to news or
comments.
11. Freedom in the honest collection and publication of news and facts and the rights of
their comments and criticism and principles which every journalists should always
defend
12. Journalists shall be conscious of their obligation to their fellows in the profession and
shall not seek to deprive fellow journalists of their livelihood by unfair means.
13. The carrying on of personal controversies in the press in which no public interest is
involved shall be regarded as derogatory to the dignity of the profession
14. It is unprofessional to give currency to rumours or loose talk affecting the private life
of individuals.
15. The press shall refrain from publishing matters likely to encourage vice and crime.
How to start a publication?
A person interested in starting a new newspaper (daily or periodical) is required to contact the
District Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Magistrate, in whose jurisdiction the place of the proposed
newspaper is situated, and file a declaration before him in the prescribed form. In the declaration, the
publisher is to mention the title, language, periodicity and such other particulars of the proposed
newspaper as asked for. He is also required to give a list of alternative titles in the order of
preference.
The Magistrate, before authenticating the declaration has to make an enquiry from the
Registrar of Newspaper for India. After obtaining clearances from the Registrar of Newspapers for
India, the district magistrate authenticates the declaration and sends an authenticated copy to the
office of the registrar of the newspapers for India.
Each issue of the newspaper is to have an imprint line containing the name of the publisher,
printer, owner, editor, and the place of printing and publication of the paper. The name of the editor is
necessarily to be given separately.

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MODULE II: PRESS LAWS

Freedom of press-Provisions in the Indian Constitution
To preserve the democratic way of life it is essential that people should have the freedom to
express their feelings and to make their views known to people at large. The press a powerful
medium of mass communication should be free to play its role in building a strong viable society.
Denial of freedom of the press to citizens would necessarily undermine the power to influence public
opinion and be counter to democracy.
Freedom of the press is not specifically mentioned in Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution and
what is mentioned there is only freedom of speech and expression. In the Constituent Assembly
debates it was made clear by Dr. Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee, that no special
mention of the freedom of the press was necessary at all as the press and an individual or a citizen
were the same as far as their rights of expression was concerned.
The framers of the Indian Constitution considered freedom of the press as an essential part of
the freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed in Article 19(1) (a) of the constitution.
However, the freedom of the press is not absolute, just as the freedom of expression is not.
Public interest has to be safeguarded by Article 19 (2) which lays down reasonable limitations to the
freedom of expression in matters affecting:
a) Sovereignty and integrity of the state
b) Security of the state
c) Friendly relations with foreign countries
d) Public order
e) Decency and morality
f) Contempt of court
g) Defamation
h) Incitement to an offence
Besides the restrictions imposed in the press by the Constitution, there exist various other laws
which further curtail press freedom and the right of the citizens to information as well as the right to
freedom of speech and expression. They are all in force in the interest of public order of the
sovereignty and security of the state.
Official Secrets Act, 1923

As per the Official Secrets Act, no editor, publisher, author or journalist should:

I. Make any sketch, plan or a note which is or may be useful to any enemy.
II. Obtain, collect, record, or publish or communicate to any other person any secret
official code or pass word or any sketch, article or note or other document or
information which may be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy or to a foreign
agent, or which relates to a matter the disclosure of which is likely to affect the
sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the state or friendly relations with
foreign states (Sections 3-5).

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In case of infringement of these provisions, the act provides for punishment with
imprisonment for a period which may extend to three years or fourteen years, depending upon
the offence committed, as per Section 3.
Contempt of Court Act

Contempt of court was enacted for the first time in the year 1952. Later on, contempt of court
was again enacted in 1971 which was further amended in 1976.
According to this act, a person is said to be offender of contempt of courts under following
circumstances:
1. Charging the judge with inability.
2. Expressing doubts on the prestige, status, rights or fairness of judiciary.
3. Publication of any comment on the matters which are under the proceedings of the
court and which may mislead the general public and which lead them to be prejudiced.
4. To cast aspersions or to attempt to influence the judge, jury, advocates or witness of
any matters which are under the proceedings of the court.
5. To interfere in the judicial administration.
6. To threaten the witnesses
7. To attempt to obstruct the police inquiry
8. Against the order of the judge, publication of the proceedings of the curt or the
publication of the picture of the accused.
9. Publication of the report of the proceedings of the court and distorting the facts.
10. Wrongful publication of the proceedings of the courts and distorting the facts.

For contempt of court, the punishment is simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to
six months or fine which may extend to two thousand rupees or with both.
The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986
This act prohibits indecent representation of women through advertisements or in
publications. Indecent representation of women means the depiction in any manner of the figure of a
woman, her form or body or any part thereof in a way as to have the effect of being indecent or
derogatory to women or is likely to injure public morality.
As per Section 3 of the act, no person shall publish advertisements which contain indecent
representation of women in form. Further Section 4 prohibits publication or sending by post of books,
papers, etc. which contains indecent representation of women in any form.
As per section 6, any person who contravenes these provisions shall be punishable on first
conviction with imprisonment up to two years and fine not exceeding two thousand rupees, and on
subsequent conviction with imprisonment for a term of not less than six months but which may
extend to five years and a fine between ten thousand rupees and one lakh rupees.

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Laws of libel/defamation

Defamation simply means tarnishing somebody•s image. There are two types of defamation-
libel and slander.
1. Libel: It is written form of defamation.
2. Slander: It is spoken form of defamation.

The defenses usually put up are justification, privilege, fair comment and innocent
dissemination. To impute a truth about a person for public good, or to express in good faith any
opinion respecting the conduct of public servant in discharge of his public function, or of any
person in touching any public question is not libel. Similarly, to publish a substantially true report
of the proceedings of a court of justice, or to comment in good faith on merits of civil and
criminal cases is not considered defamatory.
The remedies available to the aggrieved person in India are two kinds- civil action under the
common law, or criminal proceedings for the defamation. In the first, the claim is essentially for
damages by monetary compensation. In criminal proceedings, it is punishment with fine and/or
imprisonment.
Parliamentary Privilege

Journalists have to take care while reporting proceedings of Parliament or state legislatures.
The Parliamentary Proceedings (Protection of Publication) Act 1956, which is popularly known as
Feroze Gandhi Act, provides that no person should be liable to any proceedings- civil or criminal in
respect of a publication in a newspaper of a substantially true report of any proceedings of either
house of Parliament.
The Constitution (45th Amendment) act, 1978, passed by Parliament, provides constitutional
authority to Feroze Gandhi Act and extends protection to publication of state legislatures
proceedings.

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MODULE III: NEWS AGENCIES

International new agencies
A news agency, according to UNESCO is “an undertaking of which the principal objective,
whatever its legal form, is to gather news and news material of which the sole purpose is to express or
present facts, and to distribute this to a group of news enterprises, and in exceptional circumstances to
private individuals with a view to providing them with as complete and impartial a news service as
possible against payment, and under conditions compatible with business laws and usage”.
Agence France Presse (AFP)
AFP, founded in 1835, has the maximum representation on its board of directors. Although
AFP is described as an unsubsidized autonomous organization, in effect, the French Government and
various agencies under its control subscribed to AFP, and provided good support. AFP is regarded as
one of the major global news agencies. It has more than 10,000 newspapers and 70 agencies as its
subscribers. Its operations are in more than 150 countries with a network of 110 foreign bureaus.
Associated Press (AP)
The impetus to provide speedy transmission of news was given by the telegraph invented by
Samuel F.B. Morse in 1844. The telegraph enables many small town newspapers in the US to get
their news. The meeting of the leading New York publishers was held in this context in 1848.
Although a decision was made to start a news agency, the name AP was not used till about 1860. AP
took a concrete form in 1900 as a modern news gathering association.
AP with its wide communications network using modern technology has bureaus in more than
100 countries. Its 5000 plus correspondents and a host of stringers cater to about 1300 newspapers,
3400 broadcasters in the US and 1000 private subscribers.
Reuters
The news agency takes its name after its founder Paul Julius Reuter. Around 1850, he set up a
carrier pigeon service. Initially his services were confined to commercial information. His first major
breakthrough came in 1859, when he sent a dispatch for shadowing a war in Italy. Since then the
agency has expanded. Reuters supplies news to its media clients such as other news agencies,
newspapers, the radio and television stations. Under its present form of ownership Reuters claim that
it can ensure that no particular group or faction can have control. Consequently, it hopes to preserve
its integrity and freedom from bias.
Tass- Itar
Often it was customary to exclude Tass from the „globals• as the transnational news agencies
are called. However, in terms of influence, impact and coverage, Tass was in no way different from
the other agencies.
Tass began on the foundation of what was known as the Petrograd Telegraph Agency, in
1917. It supplied news through a network of correspondents in all regional and territorial centers.
Tass has approximately 20,000 subscribers both domestic and foreign.
The work of Tass was complemented by another information agency, Novosti Press Agency
(APN) established in 1961 by the Union of Soviet journalists, the Union of Soviet Writers. Tass and
APN merged to form a new Russian information agency called ITAR- Information Telegraph Agency
of Russia.

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Other major agencies are United Press International (UPI) of USA, Deutsche Press Agenteur
(DPA) of Germany, Kyodo of Japan and Xinhua of China.
Indian news agencies
K.C Roy an Indian journalist during the early years of this century, set up the first Indian news
agency called the Press News Bureau (PNB). S. Sadanand established a nationalistic news agency in
the 1930•s known as the Free Press Of India (FPI) but could not afford to keep it going for more than
a couple of years.
Press Trust of India (PTI)
Press Trust of India is a non-profit co-operative among the Indian newspapers. It took over the
operations of the Associated Press of India and the Indian operations of Reuters soon after India•s
independence on august 27, 1947. It provides news coverage and information of the region in both
English and Hindi.
India s largest news agency, Press Trust of India is a non- profit sharing co- operative owned
by the country•s newspapers. PTI subscribers include 450 newspapers in India and scores abroad. All
major TV/ radio channels in India and several abroad, including BBC in London receive the PTI
service. With a staff of over 1300 including 400 journalists, PTI has over 80 bureaus across the
country and foreign correspondents in major cities of the world.
United News of India (UNI)
Before long, however, united news of India (UNI), a competitive news agency was set up by
Dr. B.C. Roy and sponsored by eight national dailies. Within a decade it could match the services of
PTI in the collection and distribution of news. It now has correspondents in over 200 Indian towns
and cities and around a hundred bureaus across the nation. The various services it offers to its over a
thousand subscribers in India (and 30 abroad ), include UNIFIN, a finance and banking service,
UNISTOCK, a service for stock exchanges, and UNISCAN a news service fed directly into television
sets. Besides, it has a national photo service and supplies computer-designed graphics in ready to use
form on economics and other topics. UNI has started a TV wing to provide news features, news clips
and documentaries to Doordarshan.
Press Council of India
In India, the institution of a Press Council functioned from November 1966 to January 1 st,
1976, under the Indian Press Council Act 1965. But the emergency regime wound it up. The short-
lived Janata regime reconstituted it in April 1979 under a new Press Council Act, 1978, as it felt that
the liberty of the press needed to be upheld by the press itself.
The Press Council of India is a statutory body. It consist of 28 members, headed by a
Chairman who is nominated by a committee made up of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the
Speaker of the Lok Sabha and an elected representative of the council members. Of the 28 members,
13 are nominated in accordance with the procedure prescribed from among working journalists, of
whom six are editors of newspapers and the other seven working journalists other than editors. Six
members represent various interests like those of the owners of big, medium and small newspapers,
and of news agencies. Besides there are five MPs nominated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabhas, and
two from the Rajya Sabha. Representation is also provided to specialists in law, education, literature,
science and culture.

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This representative body has the power to warn, admonish and censure any editor or journalist
who flouts the standards of journalistic ethics or public taste. It has the power of a civil court and can,
therefore, summon witnesses, inspect documents and receive evidence. Cases relating to the laws of
libel, obscenity and contempt, as also the invasion of privacy can be taken up by it for adjudication. It
handles about 500 complaints against newspapers and journalists every year.
The Indian Press Council has, besides, not only to help newspapers and news agencies to
maintain independence but also to build up principles for maintenance of high standards of the
journalistic profession with a stress on public taste, and fostering a due sense of rights and
responsibilities of citizenship. It is for the Press Council to keep under review all developments likely
to restrict the supply and dissemination of news of public interest, including the question of
concentration of ownership of newspaper and news agencies that may affect the freedom of the press.
Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ)
The Indian federation of working journalists (IFWJ) (1950) has its headquarters in New Delhi.
It deals with the problems of working journalists. IFWJ promote, safeguard and defend professional
interests, welfare and status of working journalists and strive to maintain high standards of
professional conduct and integrity. The Working Journalist (monthly) is the organ of IFWJ.
Indian Newspaper Society (INS)
The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) New Delhi is an organization of newspapers and
periodicals. It is concerned with the business aspects of newspaper industry. The members are not
individuals but newspapers. It gives accreditation to advertising agencies, which can place
advertisements with member•s publications and become entitled to credit and other facilities. It
publishes a monthly journal Indian Press. It maintains close liaison with the government departments
and advertising agencies and safeguards member•s interests.

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MODULE IV: NEWSPAPER ORGANISATIONS

Organizational structure of a newspaper

Journalism is not concerned only with writing and editing of newspaper and periodicals. The
gathering and transmission of news, business management, advertising and other processes connected
with the production of a newspaper also come under the purview of journalism.
The organizational set-up varies from newspaper to newspaper depending upon the size of the
newspaper and the different services catered for the readers. Generally speaking, most of the
newspapers have three main departments- editorial, business and mechanical.

Editorial wing

The editorial/news department is the heart of a newspaper. It deals with news, features,
comments, columns and editorials. At the head of the department is the editor or editor-in-chief. The
editor is assisted by the city editor, or chief reporter who has a team of reporters to cover the local
events. In some newspapers, there are separate desks for national and foreign news, which are fed by
new agencies and also by papers own correspondents. The editor is also assisted by critics in special
fields such as theatre, music, films, etc. One important desk and its functionary head, i.e., the copy
editor edits the copy and writes headlines.

The editor of a small newspaper combines in himself almost all the functions, i.e., gathering,
editing and printing of news. He also solicits advertisements and look after the business side of the
paper.

Business department

The second important department in a newspaper is the business department, which earns
revenue for the newspaper. It is divided into two main division- advertising and circulation.
The advertisement department may have further sub-divisions such as advertisements for local
display, classified advertisements etc. It may also have a research bureau and an art section to help in
the preparation of advertisements.
The circulation department deals with the dispatch of copies to the city and beyond the city
through road, rail and air. It may also have a promotional wing to boost up the circulation of the
paper.

Mechanical department

The mechanical department generally is divided into four parts-composing, engraving,

stereotyping and press. In the first, the copy is set into type. The engraving wing is concerned with
photos and drawings and makes cuts for printing. In the stereotyping room, the plates for the press are
cast in the molten metal from the page form. The papers are printed, folded, trimmed, counted and
delivered to the mailing section by the press room.
The bigger newspapers have also separated administrative or coordinating as well as
promotional departments. The administrative department looks after administration of different
departments while the promotional department deals with all the promotional work in respect of

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advertisements and circulation. Also it helps to build up the image of the newspaper and endeavours
to earn goodwill and understanding of the clientele.
Structure of the Editorial Department

Atop the editorial hierarchy ranks the editor or an editor- in- chief who plans and directs the
day to day operations, supported by a team of news editors, chief sub editors, senior sub editors and
sub editors. The news desk usually operates in shift and each shift is headed by a chief sub, also
called as „slot man•. Ideally in a newspaper, it is the news editor who plans and directs page making
while the chief sub helps implement his decisions. Reporters and sub editors are the pillars of
organizational hierarchy. The chief reporter supervises the bureau while the chief sub editor
supervises the desk. The hierarchy of authority in the reporting and editing section is given below.

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Editor
The editor holds the key position in the newspaper organization. He is responsible for the
editorial content of the newspaper including everything from comics to news stories to editorials. It is
the editor who can be sued for libel, who can be hauled up before Court, Parliament and legislatures
for contempt.
A good editor of a newspaper is aware of the scope and interpretation of news. He takes all
important decisions connected with the publication of news and expression of opinion on vital
national and international issues and events.
News editor
The actual news production process is handled by the news editor in a newspaper. All major
decisions regarding coverage of news stories are taken by the news editor in consultations with the
bureau chief. The news editor co ordinates the news collection process, the editing and the final
presentation of news.
Chief sub editor
Chief sub editor ensures that copies are judiciously distributed among the sub editors and also
ascertains that the copies are edited properly and that they conform to publication style and editorial
policy. He may initiate or reply to correspondence regarding material published or being considered
for publication.

Sub editors
The sub editor or copy editor is described as “the mid wife to the story” and “an unsung hero
of a newspaper”. Sub editors work on the copy prepared by reporters. They have no direct
involvement in news events. Still they make the copy attractive. He/she select news events, remove
unnecessary parts and arranges available information in order. He/she has to check and recheck facts,
style, grammar, etc. while editing a story in newspaper. They are also required to put suitable
headlines for each story. A good copy editor is an intelligent reader, a tactful and sensitive critic. As
the saying goes "any fool can write, it needs a heaven born genius to edit”.

Reporters and freelancers

Reporters are people who know how to dig out information whatever the source and no matter
how hidden or obscure it is. A reporter gathers news and writes for his/her organization. A
newspapers reputation and credibility depends on the reporters. A reporter should have a nose for
news, i.e., an understanding of news and news values and the ability to recognize a story when it
comes along.
Reporters should be skilled at:
1. Seeing and hearing.
2. Taking notes.
3. Finding information.
4. Asking questions.
5. Checking and verifying information.
6. Analyzing and interpreting information.

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Besides these skills reporters should also possess such qualities as alertness, curiosity, speed,
punctuality, integrity, tactfulness, fearlessness and clarity of mind.
Freelancers
Freelance journalists are not attached to any newspapers or magazines. One who writes on all
kinds of topics in several newspapers and periodicals without having a regular payroll is known as
freelance writers.
Freelancers quite frequently keep in touch with media organizations and do assignments as
per their needs. With a view to meeting their needs, freelancers have to complete these assignments as
per the schedule of the publications.
Virtually, anybody can be a freelance writer. You must have the grit, determination and
willingness to work hard besides possessing a good language.

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MODULE V: NEWSPAPER CONTENT

Contents of a newspaper

The contents of a newspaper can be broadly divided into four parts-news, articles, and
features, opinion pieces such as editorials, comments, letters to the editor, reviews, columns and
advertisements. News constitutes about 60% of the space in a newspaper.
News
Journalists have tried to define news but no single definition has won wide spread acceptance.
Typical definitions include:
1. News is anything printable.
2. News is an account of an event or a fact or an opinion that interests people.
3. News is a presentation of a report on a current event in a newspaper or other periodical or on
radio and TV.
4. Anything that enough people wants to read is news provided it does not violate the canons of
good taste and the laws of libel.
5. News is a timely, concise, accurate report of an event; it is not the event itself.
6. News is an account of a current idea, event, or problem that interest people.

News has also been defined as “anything you didn•t know yesterday” , “what people talk
about”, “what readers want to know”, “what a well trained editor decides to put in his or her
paper”, “anything timely”, “the report of an event” and “tomorrows history”.
Types of news
There are two major types of news-“hard” and “soft”. The term “hard news” usually refers to
serious factual and timely stories about important topics. The stories may describe a major crime, fire,
accident, speech, labour dispute or political campaign. Hard news may also be called spot news or
straight news. A similar label, “breaking news” refers to events occurring or breaking at the present
moment.
The term “soft news” usually refers to features or human interest stories. Their topics may be
old and unimportant but never dull. Soft news entertains rather than informs and appeals to the
reader•s emotions rather than to their intellect. Such stories may make readers laugh or cry, love or
hate, envy or pity. Such stories may also use a more colourful style of writing with more anecdotes,
quotations and descriptions.
Scholars have divided news stories into two related categories: those that offer readers
immediate and delayed rewards. Human interest stories evoke an immediate emotional response,
entertaining or stimulating readers. In contrast, hard news stories about more serious topics offer
delayed rewards, since readers may not use the information they contain until weeks or months later.
For example, influencing a voter•s decision in a distant election.

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News elements
Although journalists cannot easily define news, most agree on its characteristics. Stories that
actually gets printed or broadcast are likely to possess the following qualities or elements:
1. Timeliness
2. Proximity
3. Prominence
4. Consequence
5. Oddities
6. Human interest
7. Action and conflict
8. Trends and tendencies
9. Health and sex

1. Timeliness: Journalists stress current information-stories that occurred today or yesterday, not
several days or weeks ago. Moreover journalists compete to report the stories ahead of their
competitors. If a story occurred even one or two days earlier, journalists will look for a new angle or
development to emphasis in their leads.
2. Proximity: Journalists consider local stories more newsworthy than stories that occur in distant
places. Proximity is always important since people are more interested in news of local events than in
events that happen far away.
3. Prominence: People are more interested in major events and prominent people than in trivial
occurrences and ordinary people.
4. Consequence: Consequence is an important element of news. Many events make little impression
on our lives. They are isolated occurrences without results. Other events-a Presidential election, for
example, may have profound consequences.
5. Oddities: Deviations from the normal-unexpected or unusual events, conflicts or controversies,
drama or change-are more newsworthy than commonplace. Journalists must be alert for the unusual
twists in otherwise mundane stories.
6. Human interest: Human interest is always an important element of news. People are fascinated by
other people and much of the news you read in the newspaper, hear on radio or see on television is
built around human interest.
7. Action and conflicts: Reports on action and conflicts-fires, accidents, murders, wars, disasters,
political disagreements and so on-tends to fill the pages of newspapers and the minutes devoted to
news by radio and TV.
8. Trends and tendencies: Subtle changes in the world around us-trends and tendencies-are
legitimate and important topics for news stories.
9. Health and sex: Another aspect of news and an aspect of growing significance is the personal,
especially health and sex. There is increasing coverage in newspapers, magazines and on the air of
sex and sexual matters. All aspects of health are being given increasing emphasis by the press.

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Features
A feature can be defined as a story that stresses the human interest angle. A good feature is
about the people in your community and their struggles, victories and defeats. A feature takes a
certain angle and explores it by interviewing the people involved and drawing conclusion from that
information. The writer takes an important issue of the day and explains it to the reader through
comments from people involved in the story.
A feature takes an in-depth look at what•s going on behind the news
• Its gets into the lives of people.
• It tries to explain why and how a trend developed.
• Unlike news, a feature does not have to be tied to a current event or a breaking story.
But it can grow out of something that•s reported in the news.
The feature is the journalistic equivalent of an essay and follows these guidelines:
• Starts with an idea or theme.
• Present information and opinions that back your point.
• Bring the reader to a conclusion.
Features can be classified according to purpose-expository, explaining things or timely
topics; descriptive, giving verbal picture of persons, things and places of interest; and
narratives which narrates events with plots, settings and characters.
Editorial
Editorial is the mirror of the newspapers opinion. It is the conscience of the paper. It projects
the viewpoint of the paper on a particular policy, programme or event. It can inspire, motivate, excite,
appeal, criticise or reject certain idea or policy. The expression of opinion is intended to lead the
public opinion, and convert the readers to its point of view.
Editorials are written with reason and conviction. The writer should have his heart in the
subject on which he is writing. The editorial should not be repetitive of facts stated in the news story.
It should give a digest of facts, evaluate them, and arrive at logical conclusion step by step. The
structure of editorial should be simple, so that the readers can easily follow it.
Interviews
Reporters interview other people to learn their opinions and to obtain factual information
about events in the news. Reporters like interviews because they provide a fast, easy way to obtain
news. Often there is no alternative to an interview.
Though interview stories are of many kinds, they can be broadly classified into three
categories:

1) Interview for getting facts or news interviews.

2) Interview for opinions or symposium or group interview.
3) Personality interview

In some stories different types of interviews are combined together.

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Preparation

Advance preparation or homework of the reporter can be in two parts-reading about the
subject concerned and preparing questions to be asked.
Once the reporter has decided the general subject to be covered he must decide what
information he wants to get. The more specific his objectives the better will be the preparation.
Obviously, he must know the person to be interviewed. If he has written any books, articles or made
any speeches about the subject of interview, the reporter should read them. Such materials will reduce
the time and effort for preparation and help him in framing better and more precise questions.
Reporters who do not prepare questions usually run out of questions. It is always good to tape the
interview if the interview is pre-planned. It is also good to take notes while asking questions for it
will help if the machine fails. While taking notes one should always note important sentences or
phrases which will be useful in assessing the interview and writing the story. Closing of an interview
is also as important as the beginning. The end should be smooth and meaningful. The interviewer
should not publish off the record comments of the interviewee.
Most interviews are presented in the question and answer structure. A brief biographical
sketch is given at the beginning and then the entire interview is reproduced or its excerpts. Another
structure of interview is in the form of a speech story giving important facts and quotes.
Reviews
The critics write reviews on a variety of subjects such as books, plays, films, television, and
radio plays, etc. While writing reviews, the critics should keep in mind that they are not writing for
themselves, but are addressing the readers. Any attempt, therefore, to project too much of critics own
viewpoint, or to criticize the work for the sake of controversy would not enhance the value of the
writing. The effort should be to find out something good in everything.
The critic need not be a practicing expert in a particular field, but he should have sufficient
background knowledge of the subject. The reviewer is free to give his own assessment, opinion and
judgment about the work, provided it is not based on untruth or malice.
Cartoons
Comic strips and cartoons are an essential part of mass media today. Almost all newspapers
and television channels use them. Social, political and cultural issues are coined as subjects for
cartoons. Humorous and simple approach is adopted. It appeals to people in all walks of life.
Cartoons or caricatures are not weapons for socio-political criticisms. It is a form of self-expression
as paintings and can be considered as a visual art form.
Columns
The personal opinion of a column writer is expressed on a subject in a column. The writer has
a fixed style of writing, and he generally writes on fixed subjects and has fixed point of view.
However, there are columns in a newspaper where other persons also contribute. There are also
columns where the columnist writes on a variety of subjects. Columns are on political, economics, or
cultural subjects or on sports, radio, films, books, humor etc. Generally, columnists write once a week
though there is no fixed rule about its frequency.

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Letter to the editor

The letter to the editor is a sort of feedback for the paper. In a letter to the editor, the
individual expresses his personal opinion or grievance on a specific subject of his interest or offers a
suggestion to over come the difficulty. Letters to the editor may also pertain to petty complaints. In
some cases, the letters are written in a very forceful style and make great impact on the readers.

Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing and presentation of
news materials for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now
usually understood to refer only to still images, and in some cases to video used in broadcast
journalism. Photojournalism can fall under all subjects of photography but the image needs to be
news worthy to end up being published.
The job of a photojournalist involves immense responsibility. The photojournalists face great
difficulties when reporting news. He should have a lot of commonsense, a desire to work hard and an
eye for a good picture story. Speed, accuracy and imaginative powers are necessary.
No other medium can bring life and reality as close as photography and it is in the field of
reportage and documentation that photography•s most important contribution lies in modern times.
Not the least of its achievements, photography and photojournalism has proved powerful agents in the
awakening of social conscience.

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MODULE VI: NEWS REPORTING

Reporting Practices: News Story Structure
The news items that appear in newspapers are also called news stories. A news story is always
based on facts. Further, a news story is normally written in inverted pyramid style, that is, the most
important facts come first followed by other facts in order of significance. The inverted pyramid style
has developed in journalism over the years.
Inverted pyramid style
Examples of the inverted pyramid form can be found in writing before the mid 19 th century,
but most journalism historians say that the concept was developed during the American Civil War.
Newspaper correspondents in the field sent their dispatches by telegraph. As they were afraid that the
system would malfunction or the enemy would cut the wires, the correspondents squeezed the most
important information into the first few sentences.
Reporters using the inverted pyramid style of writing normally summarize a story in the lead
and present the facts in descending order of importance. Consequently they place the story•s most
important details in the second paragraph. They continue to add details in decreasing order of
importance. Each paragraph presents additional information: names, descriptions, quotations,
conflicting viewpoints, explanations and background data.
The primary advantage of the inverted pyramid style is that if someone stops reading a story
after only one or two paragraphs, that person will learn the story•s most important details. Moreover
if a story is long editors can easily shorten it by deleting one or more paragraphs from the bottom.
However, this style also has several disadvantages. Just because the lead summarizes facts that later
paragraphs discuss in greater detail some of those facts may be repeated. Second a story that follows
the inverted pyramid style rarely contains any surprises; the lead immediately reveals every major
details. Third, the style makes some stories more complex and more difficult to write. Despite these
problems, reporters use the inverted pyramid style for most news stories.

Inverted pyramid structure

LEAD

BODY

CONCLUSION

Types of Intros or Leads

Basic elements of a news story can be found by asking and trying to find answers to six basic
questions popularly known as the five Ws and one H. The five Ws are- What? When? Where? Who?
and Why?. And the H is how?

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There was a time when journalists were supposed to answer all the questions in the intro. But
slowly it was discovered that it resulted in over-crowding of the opening Para, loss of clarity which at
times confused and irritated the reader.
There are innumerable ways of writing intro or lead. The first paragraph of the story is called
the intro or lead. There are various ways to classify the intro or lead depending on different criteria.
Based on the number of incidents involved, the intro could be simple or complex.
1) Simple lead involves a single incident. Even if the event may have several different incidents,
the intro takes account of a single incident. Simple lead is very common in newspapers and
should normally be favoured as it is easy to write it clearly.
2) Complex lead involves more than one incident in the intro. It is normally used when similar
or related incidents are clubbed together in one story. One has to be careful with this kind of
intro as it is normally long and at times confusing.
Another classification is possible on the basis of variety of presentation in the intro.
Astonisher: This intro is of moderate length from twenty five to thirty five words and tries to
arrest the reader•s attention by presenting the unexpected but not of world rocking importance.
Cartridge or Capsule: This lead is brief and goes right to the point and present news with high
concentration of news values.
Descriptive lead: Also known as situation or picture lead, it tries to paint a word picture of an
interesting person, place or thing to help create mood for the story.
Staccato intro: It consists of short clipped words, phrases, sentences, sometimes separated by
dots or dashes. It is casually disruptive and should not be used if the facts of the story do not justify it.
Miscellaneous freak lead: This type of intro has a novel approach in sentence structure and
presentation, in order to catch the reader•s attention.
Many of the above leads actually summarise the story and therefore they can be described as
summary leads.
With interpretative news stories becoming more and more prominent in journalism interpretative
leads are also becoming common in newspapers.
Interpretative leads normally do not quote anybody and begin with a statement from the writer
of the story. The interpretative lead gives the assessment of the reporter or special correspondents
based on facts of the situation.
Thus we see that all sorts of composition can be used in an intro. Its contents must have the
highest news value in the story. It must be easy to read and understand.
The body
After the intro is written the body of the story will follow in the logical order of the inverted
pyramid style.
The second paragraph can go straight to the next important point of the story, bringing in the
source in an easy manner, so that the story is kept moving smoothly.
In the body of the story choice of apt words is essential to ensure precision and better
readability. The body should be concise and shorn of all verbiage. It should take notice of all material

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points concerning the news event, elaborate or background them where necessary, but should not be
burdened with dispensable details.
Beat
There is division of labour in the reporting staff. The units allotted to reporters and special
correspondents are called beats. A reporter may be in charge of police, crime news or hospital news
so the police, crime, or hospitals will be his beats. Reporters can have more than one beat. In fact all
the government departments, political parties and institutions where news is expected are listed and
distributed as beats among the reporting staff. The allotted beat is the responsibility of the concerned
reporter and he should make arrangements to get all the news from his beat.
Big news which is broken by a reporter is called a scoop. A reporter cannot have scoops every
day but if he is regular at his beat he will not miss a scoop when it is possible to get.
News sources
Sources of news are innumerable. The innumerable sources of news can be classified into
various categories depending on the criteria applied. The sources can be hard or weak. A source is
hard when the facts of a report come from the horse•s mouth, where they are ascribed to the
concerned person or persons by name. On the government policies, for example, the Prime Minister
or other ministers, top officials of the concerned ministries or departments, etc., are the hard sources.
When a general opinion within a particular group with a wide base is to be given, the practice
is to quote “circles” for example, political circles, trade circles. Such sourcing can relate to reactions,
comments, etc., but not to any hard news. These are considered weak sources.
Sources can also be classified as government sources and non-government sources.
Government sources include legislative, executive and judiciary and institutions attached to them.
Non-government sources include political parties, voluntary and other non-government institutions
and members of public.
The main source of news for newspaper is news agencies or wire services. Besides these
sources, namely reporting staff and the wire services, monitoring of radio and television stations also
serve as source of news. There are other classifications of news sources which find mention in the
intro or body of the story and indicate from where or how the news has come to the reporters. These
include:
Press conference or briefing: A formal conference of pressmen invited by a dignitary in
which after initial announcement he answers questions of newsmen. It is also called news conference.
Press briefing is similar to press conference in that newsmen are told something and they can
ask questions. The difference is that briefing is done by a spokesman who is authorized to make a
statement and answer questions on behalf of a dignitary, department or party.
Thus though there is a very thin dividing line between them press conference sounds more
formal while briefing is less formal.
Meet the press
Here the press club or press association invites individuals to meet press representatives. All
arrangements for such meetings are made by press organizations. In these meetings, there are no fixed

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subjects for discussion and no background materials are distributed. The arrangements such as venue,
refreshments, transportation, etc., are all made by the press organization.

Press organizations usually invite important personalities or officials for such meetings

News releases or hand outs

Signed or unsigned statements issued by a government departments, civic body, political
party, institution or organization released to the press is called press release, press note or press hand
out.
Principles of reporting
The reporter must report the news accurately and fairly without prejudice and personal
opinion. To sum up, the essentials of good reporting are accuracy, attribution, fairness and
objectivity.
1. Accuracy: The story should be based on facts. A reporter should strive to make the story as
precise as possible.
2. Attribution: Attribution should be made clear and should be placed before what the person
said. Failure to do so make a reporters story suspect.
3. Fairness: Recognition of the importance of fair and balanced reporting, in which opinions
that differ from those of the writer, or the newspaper or a government official is one of the
important principle of good reporting.
4. Objectivity: Objectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism. News is a
factual report of an event, not a report as seen by a biased person or seen as a reporter might
wish it to be seen. The reporter should be as impartial and honest as possible. Reporters
should have a neutral point of view. They should report what “both sides” of an issue tell
them. The tenets of objectivity are violated to the degree to which the story appears to favour
one pole over the other.

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MODULE VII: NEWS EDITING

Editing
Editing is the process of preparing language, images or sound for presentation through
correction, condensation, organization and other modification.
Copy editing is the process by which an editor makes formatting changes and other
improvements to the text. A person who performs the task of copy editing is called a copy editor. A
copy editor mostly reviews and edits reporters copy for accuracy, content, grammar and style. They
also provide catchy headlines for the story. The following tasks are their responsibilities
1. Ensuring accuracy
2. Trimming unnecessary words
3. Polishing the language
4. Correcting inconsistencies
5. Making the story conform to style and editorial policy
6. Eliminating passages in poor taste
7. Eliminating libelous statements
8. Making certain the story is readable and complete.
Editing process
The main consideration in editing is to tell the story in fewest words possible. Basic principles
of editing lies in its process. The process of editing consists three phases namely, selection, correction
and rewriting.
Selection
The selection of news to be covered is based on the editor•s personal and professional
judgment. The main factor in that judgment can be summed up in a single word: Newsworthiness.
Newsworthy stories are generally those that offer the most information with the most urgency to the
most people.
Correction
Another consideration is respect for accuracy. It means looking out for small factual errors,
which disfigure an otherwise good story. Editing involves making sure words are spelled correctly,
language is used properly, punctuation is in the right places and spelling is accurate.
Rewriting
Don•t be afraid to ask for a re-write. Try not to rewrite the entire article. Only the presentation
style, language and structure of the story is rewritten.

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News Headline
Simplicity, informality and impact are the essential characteristics of a modern headline. It
should give clear signal about the content of the story and should be economical in editorial
production and reading time and in news space. It should be read quickly. It should be proportionate
to the news and flexible.
Headline pattern
Headlines can be multi deck or multiline in a single deck. A deck is a distinct headline on its
own and as such it may consist of one or more lines. If there are two such units, say of two lines each,
the headline will be double deck.
Modern school of thought is against the multi deck. The argument is that multi deck headlines
consume more editorial time in writing, production time in setting and the newsprint space. People
normally don•t bother to read beyond the main heading. In most newspapers one to two top stories on
a page are multi deck. One should not go beyond three decks even in such stories.
There is a wide range of possibilities regarding arrangement of headlines. The basic
typographic arrangements are flush left, centered, stepped, flush right and hanging indention.
Flush left: Many newspapers have switched to this style. The flush left heading has one ore
more lines which are set flush to the left.
Centered: In this type of arrangement each line of headline type is centered on the white of
the column.
Stepped: In this arrangement the first line is set flush left and the last flush right and the
middle lines centered.
Flush right: Each line is pushed against the right hand margin to create a stepped effect on
the left.
Hanging indention: The first line is set full out and the others indented usually to the left. It
cannot be a regular style but can be used as an occasional variant.

Writing headlines
Writing headlines involves half the skill of a good deskman. The difficulty in writing
headlines is in conveying in a few attractive words the essence of a complicated set of facts. In half a
dozen words the headline has to inform the reader what the story contains. The headline gives
emphasis to a few words in bold types. Hence every word should be weighed.
Headline writing is art and craft at the same time. The art is in imagination and vocabulary
and the craft lies in accuracy of content, attractiveness of appearance and practicality.

Newspaper Design and Layout

It is essential to realize that newspaper design is part of journalism. It is not decoration but
communication. Newspaper communicates news and ideas and design is an integral part of the
process.

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A sub editor begins with a blank sheet of newspaper and wants to communicate several ideas
and the day•s news. It is the function of newspaper design to present that mosaic in an organized and
comprehensive way by using text type, display type, photography, line work, white space and a
sequence of pages in the most fitting combination.
Layout means arrangement of headlines, text, artwork and white space on a page or pages.
Layout could be static or dynamic, vertical or horizontal or even a circus layout is possible.
If one can predict the layout of tomorrow•s page today because it has been similar with minor
variations day after day the layout is called static. But layout is dynamic when nobody can predict
what it will be- the lead may be on left or right and if there is a striking picture, headlines will be
submerged to make room for it.
Vertical layout gives the simplest page organization. This oldest layout style has limited range
of news value expression. Though it is visually depressing maximum number of stories can be given
above the fold. Headlines are set in the width of basic single column grid and the text runs single
column.
Horizontal layout is another simple layout but with more capacity for emphasis. It is modular
text squared up under multi-columns heads to create a horizontal unit. Page is then made up of a
series of these units lying flat on each other. In horizontal layout full use of the width of the page is
possible for display. However, there are only a few stories above the mid fold which can be seen at
retail outlets.
In circus layout emphasis is on variety, contrast and movement but not on order or news
value. There are many points of attraction, not necessarily related to news values. The reader is to be
distracted and entertained. The masthead of the paper may appear in any position above the fold.
The newspaper design and layout must be functional. There should be organization and
rational co ordination of heterogeneous material but the news values should get priority in deciding
the display. There should be order but prime importance should be given to news values.
Style book
Style of newspaper expresses its individuality. Personality of news media and its policy
decisions are reflected in style. Stylebook establishes rules of uniformity in matters of punctuation,
form of the abbreviations, capitalization, word division, spellings, numerals and other details of
expression. House style is the set of rules adopted by a particular publishing house or a newspaper
establishment.
Difference in format, narration and presentation of items are based upon a document which is
called stylebook. The stylebook contributes to the uniformity in the style and thus convenience of the
readers. Stylebooks are available in print, electronic and World Wide Web based versions now a
days.

Printing
Printing is a process for production of texts and images, typically with ink on paper using a
printing press. The art and science of making a large number of duplicate reproductions of an original
copy is termed as printing. It may be defined as the art of preserving all other art.

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Johann Gutenberg of the German city of Mainz developed European printing technology in
1440, with which the classical age of printing began. Gutenberg is also credited with the introduction
of an oil based ink which was more durable than previously used water based inks. Printing soon
became the first means of mass communication.
Composing methods
Typesetting is the process of putting into type the words to be printed. It is also called
composition. Typesetting techniques were: hand composing (where single letters were picked up by
hand from pigeon-hole cases, assembled into words, justified into columns and then used for printing)
; linotype (where slug which means full solid line was cast on machine) ; monotype ( which casts and
assembles single characters with the help of two machines); and ludlow (which was used to cast
headlines).
Phototypesetting has replaced hot-metal composition for most printing. It paved the way for
faster and cheaper printing. Phototypesetting is a method of setting (assembling) types on
photographic paper or film. This paper on film is later used to prepare printing plates.
Desk top publishing is the use of a personal computer to write, illustrate and layout a
document or a news story. The use of DTP technology has revolutionized printing.
Desk top printing is important to desktop publishing. It was primarily the introduction of the
Apple laser writer, a post script desk top print. Inkjet and laser printer are the most common type of
desk top printers and are generally used for personal small volume printing and proofing.
Four major printing processes
The printing processes are mainly of four types-letter press, lithography, gravure and offset.

Letter press: It is the oldest printing process and came into being with the invention of
movable types in the fifteenth century by Johann Gutenberg. Printing is done through the relief
method, where the raised printing surface of type or block is inked with rollers. The impression is
then obtained on printable surface (paper, board, plastic sheet etc.) by contact. Printing in a letter
press is a time consuming and laborious process.
Lithography: In lithography and offset lithography or photographic printing, the text or the
image is transferred to a flat slab of stone or metal plate with greasy crayons or ink. The surface is
then damped. Because of the mutual repulsion of water and oil, the greasy parts repel moisture but
catch the ink when rolled on. The image is then transferred to paper. Gradually, the metal plate is
replacing the stone slab and the printing matter is generally transferred to it photographically. Offset
lithography is a further improvement on this process. This process is generally used for posters,
calendars and long-run colour jobs.
Gravure: In gravure or intaglio printing or photogravure, the impression is made from ink
deposited in engraved areas or depressions in a plate. The matter or the image is transferred to a
copper sheet or roller by photography and etched with acid, the desired depth of colour being
determined by the depth of etching. The surface is covered with ink and the surplus ink is wiped off
leaving it in the depressions which are impressed on paper. This process is increasingly used for
illustrated magazines in many colours, requiring large runs.

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Offset technology: This is an indirect method of printing as the ink from a printing plate is
transferred to the rubber surface and then to the paper or impression cylinder. All ordinary offset
printing is done from the metal surface of plates. The material to be printed is transferred to the plated
through a special photographic process. The plates are chemically treated so that only the traced
design of the print will take up ink.
Offset printing is very cheap for colour productions. Anything that can be photographed can
be used as composed type. It can print on different surface. It can also turn out several thousands of
impressions in an hour.
Though it has many advantages it has some disadvantages also as it is impossible to remove
the effect of water in this process. The colour appears slightly washed out on account of the effect of
water. Printing is expensive for small runs. Anyhow the increased use of offset in publishing
newspapers and magazines has greatly increased the use of these presses.

Suggested Reading

1. Shrivastava K.M., „News Reporting and Editing•, Sterling Publishers Pvt.Ltd.

2. Kamath M.V., „Professional Journalism•,Vikas Publishing House.
3. Vir Bala Aggarwal, „Essentials of Practical Journalism•, Concept Publishing Company.
4. Julian Leiter, „The Complete Reporter•,Macmillan.
5. Harold Evans, „Newsman•s English•, William Hainemann Ltd.
6. Baskette, Floyd K., Sissors, Jack Z., Brooks, S., „The Art Of Editing•, Macmillan Publishing
Co.Inc.
7. Bruce Westly, „News Editing•, Houghton Miffin.
8. Sita Bhatia, „Freedom of Press: Politico-Legal Aspects of Press Legislations in India•, Rawat
Publications.
9. D S Mehta, „Mass Communication and Journalism in India•, Allied Publishers Limited.
10. Seema Hassan, „Mass Communication Principles and Concepts•, CBS Publishers.
11. Keval J Kumar, „Mass Communication in India•, Jaico Publishing House.
12. James Watson and Annie Hill, „A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies•, Hodder
Arnold Publication.

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Unit 1
What is Reporting and what is expected of a Reporter; a reporter in a newspaper/ magazine
setting; different roles of reporters in different newspaper settings; a reporter in a
newspaper/magazine versus a reporter in a Newsletter or in a Political environment

Unit 2
Are there Reporters today? The Traditional hierarchy in a newspaper/magazine versus the
changing functional realities in modern times

Unit 3
News versus Views: How to write and how not to write a news report; the “allowances” for
Reporters and others such as Special Correspondents/Diplomatic Correspondents etc

Unit 4
Reporting for a newspaper/magazine versus Reporting for a News Agency; the structural
and functional differences and limitations

Unit 5
Editing: Is there a “sub editor” in the traditional sense? The changing functions of
a sub editor; how to edit a copy; the distinction between editing, rewriting and
“manufacturing”
Print media

PRINT MEDIA COMMUNICATION: AN INTRODUCTION

Communication is a two-way process of sending and receiving messages through

a medium (channel). The sender encodes the message and sends it through a
medium and the receiver decodes the message. The process of communication
can be called effective when the message is received and clearly understood by
the receiver. But communication cannot be successful always as the receiver
might not clearly understand the message as intended by the sender. Sometimes
the message might be wrongly interpreted. Same words can mean different
things. So the receiver can interpret the same message in different ways. The
receiver’s education, cultural background and emotions can affect his capacity to
interpret the message. Thus communication is a process where the sender gives a
message through a medium to a receiver who decodes the message to
understand it.

MASS COMMUNICATION

When the message is send to a large number of people it is called mass

communication. The sender should be careful when he has to send the message
to numerous people. Thus mass communication is a process where the sender
should be cautious about his receivers. There may be unknown receivers and the
reactions of the receivers can vary. Misinterpretation of messages can cause
political, economic conflicts and can affect the various social classes differently.
Since mass communication is a complicated process it requires proper planning
and the medium chosen for mass communication also is important. During times
of conflicts and chaos media can be sometimes used for propaganda or
advertising. Facts can be misrepresented and people sometimes get wrong
information through media. When the sender uses media for commercial success
(for making money and fame) then it is called advertising. Since we live in a multi-
cultural world, communication becomes a process which requires enormous
attention.
PRINT MEDIA

Romans recognized the importance of recording events of life and publishing it.
The origins of print media can be traced back to Roman Civilization. They
recorded marriages, deaths and other important public events. The intention of
printing press in the late 15th century resulted in spreading religious and secular
thoughts. Pamphleteering was used to spread information. But this irregular
method later led to regular publications as people recognized that printing was
cheapest method of spreading information.

DEVELOPMENT OF PRINT MEDIA

Initially books were copied by monks who lived in monasteries. The original
method of printing was Block Printing. Isaac Gutenberg refined this technique of
printing by using movable type, where the characters are separate parts that are
inserted to make the text. Gutenberg revolutionized printing as this movable type
could produce more copies in a short span of time when compared to manual
writing followed by monks. During the industrial revolution period steam
powered press was introduced by GottlobKoeing and Andreas Friedrich Bauer
which made it possible to make over 10,000 copies per day. GottlobKoeing – is a
German inventor known for his high speed printing press. Friedrich Bauer is a
German engineer who used steam powered engine for printing. Offset Printing is
the most common form of commercial printing. This is due to the quality of the
product and the efficiency in printing large numbers. Modern digital presses
which use Inkjet Printers are able to produce copies at low cost but they are yet
to improve to produce the sheer volume of the product that offset printers are
capable of producing.

IMPORTANCE OF AUDIENCE
Audience play a vital role in communication. Media constructs information and
conveys it to audience. Thomas Abercrombie, senior staff reporter and
photographer of National Geography said “Audiences are not blank sheets of
paper on which media messages can be written, members of an audience will
have prior attitudes and beliefs which will determine how effective media
messages are.Communication becomes effective only if the message is properly
received by the audience to produce the desired result. The nature of the
audience also changes with the media. The audiences are different for different
media. Newspapers have a set of audience, radio has another set and T.V has a
different set. Radio and newspapers can sometimes have common audience.
There are no effective ways to measure audiences or to measure individual
responses. Thus audience is important in media studies. There are different
theories related to how audience will interpret messages. Every individual
receives the message in a unique way. This will result in confusion or ambiguity of
meaning and the sender of the message should be careful about the way in which
the message is send to the receiver.

FEATURE WRITING
A feature story is a piece of news item written with a particular intention i.e.
either to make audience aware of a particular matter, to instruct or to entertain.
Unlike a general news story, the feature might be prejudiced and sometimes can
be used to express the emotion of the writer. An ordinary news story on the other
hand is written to convey information and lacks the opinions and conclusions of
the reporter. Hence the feature writer has more freedom to express himself and
feature comparatively is less time sensitive than an ordinary news story. Any
ordinary news story is highly time sensitive. The earlier updating of news is
important. But a feature need not be on a topic of current discussion but can be a
general topic. A feature story is normally slightly bigger than an ordinary news
story.

HOW TO WRITE A FEATURE - STRUCTURE OF A FEATURE

• Headline : Headline should be as catchy as possible. The reader decides to read
the news only if the headline is attractive.

• The introduction: The introduction should be attractive and should persuade

the reader to read further. It can have quotations, anecdotes and can be made
dramatic and sensitive.
 • The body : Of the feature should present the details of the story. The various
and opposing ideas regarding the story are presented in the body. The story
should maintain its rhythm and tempo throughout.

• Conclusion : The conclusion should be able to convince audiences of a particular

perspective and should end with a punch line so that the reader will be reminded
of the story when it is mentioned again.

SOME KEY POINTS OF FEATURE WRITING

1. Focus should be on the topic and the topic should appeal to the audience. The
feel and emotion that the writer creates determine the success of the feature.

2. Be clear what the feature should do. Is it to inform, persuade, evaluate, evoke
emotion, observe, analyze?

3. Accuracy is important. Make sure that the details are correct.

4. Write for the audience. Know the audience’s taste and write

. 5. Interviews should be detailed and it would be better if the writer can meet the
interviewed rather than talk on the phone so that the interview can be flavoured
and detailed.

6. Use Anecdotes (Life incidents), quotations and stories to make the feature
attractive.

7. Use the same tense form of the verb throughout the feature unless the
situation demands so that the language will be stable for the audience.

8. Write in Active Voice. Avoid lengthy, complex sentences and paragraphs. Use
Active Voice of the sentence. (the person who does an action is mentioned at the
beginning of the sentence).

9. Collect details from various sources before writing a feature. Update

information and talk to experts on the topic before writing.

10. Check the grammar & spelling before sending for publication.
ARTICLE WRITING

Article analyses, interprets and provides arguments for and against an idea. The
Article provides back ground information, present an update condition and goes
on to predict the future. Articles usually provide some important information,
interpret a trend, analyse the situation and predict the future of a particular issue.
Accuracy and consistency are needed because credibility is the prime quality of an
Article. An Article writer should have overall view of the topic and he should be
able to substantiate his points through examples.

An Article

1. Gives information

2. Interpret a recent trend

3. Analyse a current situation

4. Attempt to predict the future of a particular issue.

While Writing an Article the writer should have accurate information. Credibility
is important. To ensure this the writer must do extensive research, check the
authenticity of the sources and make sure the sources are quoted accurately.

STRUCTURE OF AN ARTICLE

An article should have headline, introduction, body and conclusion.

HEADLINE : The headline should be attractive and should clearly state the topic of
discussion. INTRODUCTION : the Introduction is the Lead paragraph presenting
the topic.

BODY : The Body of the article analyses and interprets the topic.

CONCLUSION : The conclusion of the article can be a summing up or a prediction

of the future of the topic.
 EDITORIAL WRITING
The Editorial is an important column of the Newspaper usually written by the
Editor on serious National or international news. The Editorial is called the “Voice
of the News paper” as the point of view of the newspaper is clearly deposited in
the editorial. Editorials try to persuade people to think in a particular way.
Editorials are meant to influence public opinion and encourage critical thinking.
Usually an editorial is written by a senior Editorial staff or by an expert voicing the
News Paper’s attitude. The Editorial is also an article but a serious article intended
to influence public opinion. The topic of the Editorial is a contemporary issue of
national or international significance. The News Paper’s opinion of the matter is
publically announced through the editorial. The opinions should be clear and
unlike articles. The editorials are not meant to provide information. It is a call to
action. For a chosen topic the paper should have an opinion which should be
announced to the common public. The introductory paragraph voices the
perspective of the writer. The body of the editorial should provide statistics and
relevant data. The conclusion should be a belief summary of the opinion
expressed and a call to action. There is no limit on the length of the editorial. They
should make a strong and clear point and the length of the editorial is
unimportant as long as it can influence the thought of the reader.

WRITING A NEWS STORY

News is an update on the happening around us. As the terms suggests News is
any new piece of information. It can be the details on a current event, on going
projects or it can be on future projects. A newspaper publishes the back ground
information, analyses and criticizes the details to interpret it for the society. There
is something called “news worthiness”. There are several factors that decide the
news worthiness of news. They are

1. RELEVANCE- How important is the news for the audience is an important

question. An event of Canada might be irrelevant news for an Indian who
would prefer a more local news. The news should be of a current issue.
2. TIMELINESS : Recent event or upcoming events are likely to be news.
3. IMPORTANCE, IMPACT OR CONSEQUENCE. How important is the news to the
reader. Issues of social concern come under this category.
4. PROMINENCE : The news of public figures are likely to be of interest than non-
public figures.
5. PREDICTABILITY : Certain events like elections, major sporting events, award
announcements, legal decisions etc are predictable.
6. UNEXPECTEDNESS : Events like natural disasters, accidents or crimes are
completely unpredictable.
7. CONTINUITY : Some events like wars, elections, protests and strikes require
continuing coverage. These events are likely to remain news for along time.
8. HUMAN INTEREST STORIES: Editors should know the response of the
audience. The editor should select high interest stories to balance out other
hard hitting investigating stories.
9. NEGATIVITY : The news should make an impact on the reader. So there is a
normal trend of publishing negative news.
10.THE UNUSUAL : Strange and unusual stories are likely to receive reader’s
interest. Readers expect their newspapers to be accurate sources of
information. A straight news story is supposed to be objective and fair. The
news story has a structure. It has an inverted pyramid structure. The news
story has a particular writing style. The summary of the news is the
introductory paragraph. The details are given in the body of the news and the
story is concluded with minor details. Every news story has a Headline.
HEADLINE. There should be a simple and direct headline that can attract the
reader. The head line usually has a logical sentence structure, written in an
active voice in the present tense of the verb.

The Lead : The lead or opening paragraph is the most important part of a news
story. It is the first paragraph of a news story. It gives the reader important details
and the summary of the news. There are several ways to write a lead.

1. The Five W s’ and “H” :- the lead should explain the what, why, when, which,
where and how of things.

2. Specificity : Try to give specific details about the news.

3. Brevity : Readers should be told why a news is important and in few words as
possible. Avoid unintentional redundancy. Go right to the heart of the story.

4. Active Sentences : Use active sentences to make the lead lively.

5. Honesty : The lead should be a honest portrayal of the story.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEADS

1. Summary Lead : This is the most traditional news writing style where the lead
gives a summary of the news.

2. Anecdotal Lead : Sometimes the lead can begin with a Anecdote (an interesting
story or an incident) that can attract the reader.

3. Question Lead : The Lead can begin with a provocative question.

4. CONTRAST LEAD : It highlights conflicts or differences by drawing attention to

the circumstances or time.

5. TEASER LEAD : Teases the imagination or withholds the information till the end
of the news.

6. Quotation Lead : The :Lead can begin with a quotation. The essential
ingredients of a News story are

1. Date Line : A date line includes the name of the city or town of the incident, the
date on which the story happened.

2. By-Line: The byline contains the name of the reporter. Sometimes the credit is
given to the staff reports.

3. Credit Line: The name of the person or organization providing the photos or
the name of the News agency supplying the News forms the credit line.

FREELANCING

A Freelancer is a self- employed journalist not committed to any newspaper or

magazines. They have the freedom to write on any topics and can sell their stories
at their will. They do not have a regular work schedule and need not work for an
employer. The major drawback of freelancing is the uncertainty of job and income
and the lack of company benefits. They are unorganized workmen. Freelancers
should be aware of the market, should have update knowledge, should know that
readership of the important newspapers and magazines and should be clever
enough to sell their news to prominent papers and magazines.

Editing
The reporters of a newspaper surveys the outside or exterior. The Editor manages
the inside of the Newspaper. The editor or the editorial board is responsible for
every news published in the paper or magazines. The editor is penalized for the
mistakespublished by the newspaper. The Chief Editor assigns duties to reporters.
He checks quality of the news submitted. The News Editoris usually the active
head of the copy desk. The news editor handles all the copies - local and non local
except that processed by special desks such as sports and literary sections. The
Managing editor or Executive editor is the head of the Editors. The duties of the
editor includes

1 To make sure that the news story conforms to the attitude and style of the
News paper.

2. Correct factual errors.

3. Make stories objective and legally safe.

4. Check the clarity of the news and correct the language.

5. Determine the space to be provided for news.

SUBBING

Subbing or Su-editing is done by the Sub Editor who corrects and checks the
News stories. The sub-Editor checks the style and tone of the story and often
writes the headlines. He gives the final touch to the newsstory. He is responsible
for the circulation and should ensure the reader’s satisfaction.
REPORTING

7 Cs and 4 Ss of Communication In any business environment, adherence to the 7

Cs and the 4 Ss of Communication helps the sender in transmitting his message
with ease and accuracy. The 7 Cs are as follows:

Credibility: If the sender can establish his/her credibility, the receiver has no
problems in accepting his/her statement. Establishing credibility is a long-drawn
out process in which the receiver, through constant interaction with the sender,
understands his/her credible nature and is willing to accept his/her statements as
being truthful and honest. Once the credibility of the sender has been established,
attempts should be made at being courteous in expression. Much can be
accomplished if tact, diplomacy and appreciation of people are woven in the
message. Courtesy implies taking into consideration both viewpoints as well as
feelings of the receiver of the message. A courteous message is positive and
focused at the audience. It makes use of terms showing respect for the receiver of
message and it is not biased.

Completeness: The communication must be complete. It should convey all facts

required by the audience. It is cost saving as no crucial information is missing and
no additional cost is incurred in conveying extra message if the communication is
complete. A complete communication always gives additional information
wherever required. It leaves no questions in the mind of the receiver. There
should be enough information to be useful to enable the reader use the
technology or practice successfully after following the instructions. Important
items should be included and all the steps in a process covered in enough detail.
Complete communication helps in better decision-making by the audience/
readers/ receivers of message as they get all desired and crucial information. It
persuades the audience.

Clarity: Clarity of ideas adds much to the meaning of the message. The first stage
is clarity in the mind of the sender. The next stage is the transmission of the
message in a manner which makes it simple for the receiver to comprehend. As
far as possible, simple language and easy sentence constructions, which are not
difficult for the receiver to grasp, should be used. Scientific terms can be made
simpler and jargon should be avoided. Clarity in communication enhances the
meaning of message. A clear message makes use of exact, appropriate and
concrete words.

Correctness: If the sender decides to back up his communication with facts and
figures, there should be accuracy in stating the same. The information must be
truthful and accurate and the statements should be scientifically justifiable. A
situation in which the listener is forced to check the presented facts and figures
should not arise. Finally, the usage of terms should be non-discriminatory. In
correct communication, the message is exact, correct and well-timed; a correct
message has greater impact on the audience/readers; it checks for precision and
accuracy of facts and figures used in the message and makes use of appropriate
and correct language in the message.

Consistency: The approach to communication should, as far as possible, be

consistent. There should not be too many ups and downs that might lead to
confusion in the mind of the receiver. The level of the language should be the
same throughout. If a certain stand has been taken, it should be observed without
there being situations in which the sender desires to bring about a change in his
understanding of the situation. He should ensure that the shift is gradual and not
hard for the receiver to comprehend.

Concreteness: Concrete and specific expressions are to be preferred in favour of

vague and abstract expressions. It should say when a particular technology or
policy is appropriate? When it should not be used (eg: on which soils, at what
altitude), and give an indication of costs and benefits. Abstractions or vague
statements can cloud the mind of the sender. Instead of stating “There has been a
tremendous escalation in the sales”, if the sender made the following statement:
“There has been an escalation in the sales by almost 50% as compared to last
year”, the receiver is more apt to listen and comprehend the details. Concrete
message is supported with specific facts and figures; it makes use of words that
are clear and build the reputation and concrete messages are not misinterpreted.

Conciseness: The message to be communicated should be as brief and concise as

possible. As far as possible, only simple and brief statements should be made.
Excessive information can also sway the receiver into either a wrong direction or
into inaction. Quantum of information should be just right, neither too much nor
too little. Concise communication is both time-saving as well as cost-saving. It
underlines and highlights the main message as it avoids using excessive and
needless words. Concise communication provides short and essential message in
limited words to the audience. A concise message is more appealing and
comprehensible to the audience and is non-repetitive in nature.

4 Ss : An understanding of the 4 Ss is equally important.

Shortness: It is often said “Brevity is the soul of wit.”. If the message can be made
brief, then transmission and comprehension of messages is going to be faster and
more effective. Flooding messages with high sounding words does not create an
impact. Often, the receiver has to spend his time trying to decipher the actual
meaning of the message.

Simplicity: Simplicity, both in the usage of words and ideas, reveals clarity in the
thinking process. Using simple terminology and equally simple concepts would
help.

Strength: The strength of a message emanates from the credibility of the sender.
If the sender himself believes in a message that he/she is about to transmit, there
is bound to be strength and conviction in whatever he/she tries to state.

Sincerity. A sincere approach to an issue is clearly evident to the receiver. If the

sender is genuine, it will be reflected in the manner in which he communicates.

Reporting means gathering facts and presenting them objectively with ail news
writing skills. It is an active, creative, long and tough process of news, gathering,
ideas and opinion collection, fact finding in order to serve the general public by
informing them and enabling them to make judgment of the issues of the time.
The reporter either he/she is general assignment reporter, beat reporter or
specialized reporter wants to know at all costs, what is going on and why, what
has happened and why and who is involved in what manner. He/she reports it to
satisfy the curiosity of the public by giving due coverage to 5Ws & 1H which the
people want to know.
News is not planted and cultivated in neat row for efficient harvesting and not
necessarily in the tidy news offices. They are not developed in a vacuum. News is
more likely to be found among the people, institutions, organizations, history etc.
By the reporting of short news stories the reader can receive the information
about the citizens, social, cultural and religious groups. Conducting interview is
another part of reporting. Through interview news, personal ideas and opinions
can be reported. Without reporting process there can be little business in news,
and without news there can be no newspaper.

Political Reporting

Generally the coverage of a political campaign oPa political personality is not

sufficient. Much time and coverage needs to be given in following a candidate
around and listening to the political speeches over and over again. Most of the
political reporter’s time is spent while covering the purely political aspects of
government and personalities who run the government. He/she goes beneath the
surface of routine political events and comes up with stories of great importance.
For political reporting the broad knowledge of election laws, system and
organizational setup of different political parties, political organizations,
precampaign activities, campaigns, election practices, polling laws and techniques
and way of result coverage and their proper interpretation are required by the
political reporter He/she has to interview candidates, write biographical sketches
and evaluate the candidates’ position on major issues during a political campaign

Education and Research Reporting

Research and education go together Through research one can add new
knowledge which is necessary for educating the nation and also for national
development. The research programmes of different institutions and their
findings •and achievements should be reported. The education system, its merits
and demerits are the main sphere of education reporting. Public and private
schooling and what
is happening in universities and colleges regarding academic activities and
developments, teachers and students training facilities, co-curricular activities,
unions and a»ociatson« should be highlighted in the news stories. The budget
allocated for education and its utilisation, literacy rate and programmes to
increase literacy rate, adults education are the topics about which public has
some curiosity to know. Trends in classrooms teaching and dozens of other
significant problems can also be reported. The education and research reporter is
normally expect-d to cover activities at all levels of the research and schooling
system from policy making to the teachers in the classrooms. The research and
education beat offers the opportunity for many routine stories as well as major
news breaks, features and interpretative pieces.

Environment Reporting

The environment affects everyday life. People, sensitive about it, demand the due
coverage of environment and the factors causing pollution, etc. Therefore the
environment reporting can become a human service reporting. What are the
government measurements for the prevention of pollution and what is public part
in creating and preventing the pollution. Nowadays environmental protection has
become a political movement and a sensitive reporter uses the techniques of all
kinds in environmental reporting. It merited attention, with most of the early
focus being on water pollution, air pollution, sanitation and urban sprawl, etc. The
reporter has to cover the horror stories about the possible diseases and
destruction of the planet. The reporter has to point out particularly the
development of what lie/ she considers dangerous system for producing energy
and importance of energy for national development. Through environmental
reporting the public can be well aware about the rate at which natural fuels are
being consumed and pollution caused b\ the burning of these fuels. He/she has to
inform the readers about present happenings and future impact on human life.

Religious Reporting

Religious news are also part of the newspaper contents. It is one of the most
sensitive beats, and demands great care and responsibility on the part of the
reporter covering various religious events. However, impartiality is the only
effective means to deal with this beat. The reporter has to report in fair, factual,
impartial and unbiased way and maintain objectivity.
The religious reporter must have clear understanding of religious sects, groups,
organisations, institutions and worship services in the country and particularly in
the city where he/she is working. The reporter uses simple way of explaining the
news events for general readers by interpreting the refigious voiding,
terminologies
In religious reporting political motives of the local and national leaders must foe
covered. Incorrect use of titles in religious reporting discourages the
i s’ interest while their correct use builds confidence in the reliability of the
news. A reporter has to be cautious in religious reporting and should always keep
in view the highly sensitive nature of religious ideologies, conflicts and
controversies.

Speech Reporting

Speeches are the basis for sound stories published daily in the press. All those
speeches taking place from time to- time in the city are important to the
participants but few are worthy of news coverage. Advance stories are also being
written about speeches through which the readers are informed about the person
to be delivering the speech, venue and topic, etc. The reporter in speech
reporting must be well aware of the ways of covering an event, and how to get,
write, arrange and structure the facts of speech in a news form. The additional
information can be gathered at the end of the speech or to clarify some points
which is a good practice.
The most significant criteria in speech reporting are to include all the positive as
well as negative aspects of various speeches. The reporter takes only the essential
parts of the speech and report these points in a concise way. The main points of
the speech go into the lead or intro while quotes go into the body of the story.

Cultural Reporting

Cultural reporting requires a reporter to cover not only individuals i.e. artists,
craftsmen etc. but also to cover different cultural organisations, institutions and
other events by upholding public interest . For this he/she has to dig out that how
many cultural organisational setups exist in the city. The cultural reporter is
actually a cultural promoter. The reporter has a great responsibility to stimulate
interest and participation in various cultural functions. He/she has to get ideas,
opinions and news about culture from different materials printed by these
organizations. When actually covering culture, it is preferable to visit the scenc of
cultural activity personally. Familiarity with cultural heritage and history is a
special qualification of cultural reporter. He/she must be conscious about
manipulation by the artists. The cultural news story writing style and contents
must be based on information, entertainment and of general public interest.
Music world-cinema, theatre, television-literature, fairs etc. have great
newsworthy material of public interest.

SPORTS REPORTING

Sports reporting field is broad and interesting enough to challenge tije finest
talent. The sports coverage remains the life blood of most sports pages. More
opinions and news analyses appear on these pages. Sports reports are read
mostly due to their contents and style. Sports reporter should take into account
all the compulsory elements of the sports news item while reporting a news event.
Sports reporting requires qualities of background knowledge and judgement,
critical evaluation of sports besides sound general knowledge about games and
their rules & regulations. The performance of the teams should be covered fairly,
impartially
and in an unbiased way. The quality of a written sports item depends on the
quality of its reporting. The sports reporter who, among other things, Knows the
players well, the strategy they use during game, key incidents, crowd behaviour
and the game which he/she is covering, is able to write an interesting sports story.
But while writing a sports story or its advance story the reporter must follow the
regular news writing and reporting principles in building the story and other
requirements of sports writing Sports reporting ranges from straight news
reporting through all degrees of interpretation and feature writing and the
editorialised column. A sports event may be treated in any one of these degrees
or in all of them combined. For an important sports event, an advance story, a
straight story, similarly background, prediction, follow-up types of stories may be
used.

PARLIAMENT REPORTING

Parliament and its proceedings have always been the main interest of newspaper
readers. Parliamentary reporting offers opportunities to the reporter to conduct
first hand study of the practical working procedure, responsibilities, role and
functions of parliament, their members, different officials, the offices which they
hold and their biographies besides the working of government. He/she remains in
touch with the parliamentarians who may become an important source of news.
In parliamentary reporting, all the techniques, proceedings and requirements of
political and court reporting are involved because it is highly technical and
sensitive. It needs professional skills and there are chances that even an
experienced reporter may misinterpret the arguments and the proceedings.
He/she must, have access to legal parliamentary literature, reports, periodicals to
improve his/her knowledge and skill. A parliamentary reporter should be well
acquainted with the legislative procedure in both the Houses of parliament and
could write reports of adjournment and privilege motions, as well as of questions
hour, tea break discussions on private bills and proceedings of the Senate. A lot of
information can be obtained through private dealings with the members of the
parliament. Parliamentary report has to be composed in prevalent parliamentary
terminology.

COURT/CRIME REPORTING

Reporting crime news can be a demanding task and at times, if properly done, it
even amounts to public service that perhaps can even be deterrent to certain
types of crimes. However, crime news reporting needs technical care on the part
of reporter while covering his beat. A crime reporter should know what is meant
by crime. A breach of law is a crime and may be either felony or a misdemeanour.
The basic principle of crime/court reporting is that NOTHING is permitted which
may prejudice the right of any accused to a completely FAIR and IMPARTIAL trial.
Crime and court reporting may be completed in four steps, i.e. the crime, the
arrest, the trail, the verdict In the selection of facts for crime/ court news story,
the reporter must be well-alert and these facts should be carefully handled by
observing the ethics of crime/court reporting. The length, the headline size and
lead formation of a court/crime story is determined by the seriousness of the
crime and court proceedings.
WAR REPORTING
The coverage of war imposes major responsibilities on reporters. On the one hand,
they must exercise the greatest care not to spread rumours and on the other
hand, they must expose themselves to danger if necessary to determine the
magnitude of war event. But whatever they do. they must always be conscious
that careless war reporting can cause untold harm in a tense situation. The
greatest care must be taken in reporting killings, injuries, prisoners, property loss
and the area captured etc. The kind of weapons being used in the*war can a!so
be reported. The position of armies on land, in the air or oceans, bombing on
different areas and types of bombing can be explained The 1SPR in Pakistan also
releases information about war situation.
The cause of war, beginning of war, major areas of war and who is at fault must
be covered in war reporting. The fundamental precautions regarding war should
be followed. Different news story types can be used in war reporting to give full
coverage of war.
QUALITIES OF A NEWS REPORTER
Reporters write stories, report events and happenings in and around the society.
They provide the core of news stories that are published daily in our commercial
newspapers or broadcast in the electronic media. As there is no substitute for
good reporting, so also there is no substitute for good reporters. A good reporter
is a great assert for his/her media organisation. He/she is the ear and the eye of
his/her medium. It is what he/she reports that the audience will know about. The
reporter touches lives with his report.

Some of the major qualities that make a good reporter are discussed below.

• S/he must have a mastery of the written or spoken language of the

medium of expression: This will enable him/her to interact easily with news
sources, eyewitnesses or even the victims of events.
• S/he must have a nose for news: This means the reporter or journalist must
be curious about getting news from newsy or stale situations. A good
reporter must have a natural instinct for news and should be able to
identify news from seemingly events that may not be considered
newsworthy by everyone else.
• S/he must be current and keep abreast of events and happenings: In the
media industry, yesterday’s news is stale and no more needed. To remain
relevant in the industry, therefore, the reporter must keep abreast of
happenings in and around him/her.
• A good reporter must be fair, accurate and objective in his news writing
and reporting job. Fairness, accuracy and objectivity are news virtues,
which the profession thrives on. Any attempt to compromise any of these
values makes a mess of the reputation and credibility of the industry. These
qualities of a reporter must be jealously guarded.
• A good reporter must be creative: Creativity makes the reporter see
another unique story from an already published report. Without creativity,
the reporter will remain dry, uninspiring and boring to his readers and even
his sources.
• S/he must also have the ability to dress well: A common idiom says how
you dress is how you are addressed and I add that it also betrays your
address.
• A good reporter must know how to dress for the occasion otherwise
• he/she will be lost in the crowd or misrepresented. Dressing well is not
necessarily dressing expensively. It only means having the right kind of
dress for each occasion or situation.
• A good reporter must have perseverance: Perseverance is having the
staying power and refusing to give up even when the situation calls for
giving up.
• A good reporter must have the ability to stay longer and under stress or
pressure.
• A good reporter must be a “good mixer”: There is no room for the reserved
kind of reporter who cannot easily get into a discussion with a potential
news source.
• A good reporter should be able to blend easily with all kinds of persons
especially when such persons are primary to getting the news
• he/she is pursuing at that moment. The good reporter should be able to
make contacts, grow and maintain them.
• S/he must have a high level of comportment: The good reporter must have
self-control and high level of comportment no matter the situation or
circumstances.
• He/she is not expected to be carried away easily by any surrounded
situation.
• A good reporter must have the ability to embark on creative risk and
courage especially in reporting coups, wars, conflicts, crime, disaster etc.
S/he must have the ability to ferret out news through the process of
monitoring people and events.
• S/he must also possess good observatory skills and have an eye for details:
Poorly trained reporters look without seeing.
• The good reporter is able to see leads and news worthy situations by
merely observing people and situations. Whenever the good reporter looks,
he/she sees.
• He/she is also able to taken in a lot of details by mere observation.
• S/he must be a good listener and must have an unusual patience: The
poorly trained reporters are only interested in hearing their voices in an
interview situation. However, a good reporter is only interested in hearing
the news source talk. Therefore, listening becomes a vital quality a reporter
must possess in order to succeed.
• S/he should also possess enough idealism to inspire indignant prose but
not too much as to obstruct detached professionalism (Ragged Right cited
in Agbese, 2008).
• A good and modern reporter must be multi-skilled: S/he should be
equipped with an array of skills to meet the demands of diverse media
users (Mencher, 2010).
• A good and modern reporter must also have the unique quality called
enterprise: He/she should be able to work through tougher assignments or
situation by instantaneously assessing the situation and taking decisions
and steps that will give him/her what the media organisation wants.

CONCLUSION

Good reporters are great assets to their media organisations. Not everyone
who went to a journalism school usually turns out to become a good reporter.
This is the primary reason they are always sought after anywhere they could
be found. According to Sid Bedingfield, President, Fault Line Productions (cited
in Mencher, 2010), “Reporting is the essential ingredient in good journalism.
Everything else is dressing….The reporter is the engine that drives the
newspaper, the contributor who makes the newscast worthwhile.
Reporter in a newspaper/ magazine setting
A journalist must possess certain basic qualities to be a successful professional.
Integrity of character, commitment to the truth and the reasoning power are
quintessential to building credibility. A good perception and interpersonal
skills to elicit news would stand him in good stead in reporting. Primarily, a
reporter has a 3-fold responsibility: responsibility to society, responsibility to
the newspaper/news organization and responsibility to his source of
information. A well-read reporter can do justice to his beat. He needs to know
all aspects of his beatlaws and byelaws, functions and areas of operations and
jurisdiction and so on. He should cultivate contacts in and out of his beat to
get information. A perfect talker, he should be able to handle difficult people
and difficult situations. A competent reporter anticipates news rather than be
taken by surprise. This ability is of great importance to face situations that
arise suddenly.

PRESENTATION OF CONTENT: One of the major functions of newspapers is to

play the role of a watchdog. The reporters basically play this role. To be the
eyes and ears of the people, the reporter must be committed to the society;
he must use the power of the pen for the well being of the society and resist
the temptation to destroy. Nevertheless, he is neither a social worker nor a
morality preacher. More important than social and moral issues, a reporter
has to do a job. This involves many roles and many responsibilities. To do the
job well, a reporter has to have certain qualities. We shall discuss about these
in this lesson. The content of this lesson shall be presented as follows: o
Qualities of the Reportorial Staff of Newspapers, o Responsibilities of the
Reportorial Staff of Newspapers, o Qualities of the Editorial Staff of
Newspapers, and o Responsibilities of the Editorial Staff of Newspapers

QUALITIES OF REPORTERS: A talented reporter writes to build his own image

and that of his institution. An alert mind and a sense of curiosity are important
assets to him, no matter what is his beat. Besides these qualities, he must
develop certain specific qualities to excel in his field. These are discussed
below.
 NOSE FOR NEWS: A reporter’s primary job is discovering the new. But quite
often, most of the material before a news reporter may just be publicity
matter or advertisements in disguise. Therefore, a reporter must check his
material and swift the news from publicity. The golden rule in reporting is to
go by the reader’s interest. Most of the time, a reporter will be covering
routine matters like press conferences, which are hardly exciting. And the
beginner would learn his craft by doing city reporting in the beginning before
graduating into highly specialized reporting. Reporting speeches of politicians
could be less challenging but the keen-eyed reporter looks for something
unusual that may be lurking under the ordinary occurrence. His sharp sense of
observation may help him gather amusing sidelights of interest to his readers
and report an exciting news story.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: It is generally observed that introverts make poor

reporters. Reporters move about meeting people, making and winning
confidence. In this era of investigative reporting, readers are keenly interested
to know what is going on behind the scenes.

DEVELOPING CONTACTS: A friendly and affable nature helps develop sources

that could provide precious information, clues, or other material for the
reporter in search of a story. The ability to win the confidence and respect of
the potential sources is an asset of the newsman. People may hesitate to talk
on sensitive matters, especially to a reporter on the investigative track. They
may like to reveal but they are afraid of the consequences. There could be
informers of the underworld. What may be at stake for them could be their
jobs or their lives. Often it may be quite difficult to win their trust, and the
reporter has to assure his sources that they will remain protected and their
identities kept a secret. Beware of vested interests - be it political, business or
professional -who would like to plant a story of half-truths or even lies.
Crosscheck with other sources and establish the truth before you file the story,
which may deceptively appear to be the greatest story of your career. The
story could turn out to be your greatest career disaster. Do not slight or show
in bad light insignificant or ordinary people because a humble clerk or a lowly
peon could give you a tip for a story. The Watergate scandal was exposed by
two cub reporters acting upon the lead given by an ordinary source. The
Harshad Mehta case began with a source contacting Ms. Sucheta Dalal of The
Times of India, Bombay, with an unconfirmed report about some activities in
the State Bank of India. Ms. Dalal, Assistant Business Editor of the paper,
followed the lead provided by the source and got the story confirmed from
reliable contacts bringing to light the stock scam concerning stock broker
Harshad Mehta and others involving a staggering Rs. 6000 crore.

BEING OBJECTIVE AND FAIR: The reporter must be a sharp observer of

events, presenting the facts in a balanced and objective manner. How does
one maintain balance and objectivity in reporting? The first thing to do is to
write the news story properly to assure the reader that what he reads is news
not the reporter’s opinion or some publicity matter in disguise. The sources
must be quoted except when they want to remain anonymous. And ensure
that the story is balanced, by giving adequate coverage to all the sides of the
sides of the subject. Also ensure that the information one presents is true by
counter checking. Do not adopt an indifferent attitude seeing each event
afresh, unconnected to any previous events or expectations or future
possibilities.

CLARITY OF EXPRESSION: Clarity of thinking leads to clarity in writing, and

however complex and specialized the subject; the reporter should have the
gift for simplification, reducing it to the layman’s parlance. Explain difficult
terminology and simplify government press notes, notorious for burying the
new points. TEAM SPIRIT: News-breaking stories of dramatic dimension,
sometimes, call for a team of reporters to handle them. The Bofors
investigative stories had The Indian Express team working from Geneva and
Stockholm besides New Delhi. The securities scam investigations by The Times
of India involved Sucheta Dalal and Business correspondent, R Srinivasan who
posed as an investor and went to the State Bank officers in Bombay to get
confirmation about the goings on in the bank. The Statesman investigative
stories are attributed to ‘The Statesman Insight Team’. Working in a team
involves pooling you talents, sources and contacts to achieve synergy.
 COPING WITH PRESSURES: Investigative journalists thrive on exposing the
bungling and misdeeds of men in power. On the other hand, men in power
thrive on publicity and good press. Corrupt men at the top shudder at
investigative journalists and hence try to put pressure to change the news or
“kill the story”. While the government and advertisers could indirectly
pressurize you through your news organization, direct pressure could also
come from the government and political parties. In case you are doing stories,
which could lead to harmful exposure of someone, he could take recourse to a
range of legal and illegal options, including legal action, threats and violence to
pressurize you.

There are three ways of coping with pressure:

• Fighting it,
• Giving in, and
• Anticipating the pressure and taking preventive measures.

The first one is the most noble of the three options and history is full of
shining examples of this category. During the Quit India Movement
Gandhiji said, “It is better not to issue newspapers than to issue them
under a feeling of suppression.” Because a newspaper is a business as
well as a public-service employing thousands of people, you cannot
expect to become a hero throwing thousands unemployed and ruining
a business. You cannot fight on your own and if your news organization
does not back you, the consequences could be disastrous for you as a
professional journalist. The reporters who generally brave powerful
pressures are those who have the full support of their organizations or
their professional colleagues backing them in a united manner. It may
be recalled that the journalists of the Punjab Kesari group of
newspapers who have taken a courageous anti-terrorist stand in Punjab
worked under extremely tight security. The group has lost two of its
owners to terrorist bullets but has not given in to pressures.
News Hierarchy:

Editor-in-chief: Oversees entire staff, communicates with publisher, public face of

the paper.
Managing editors: Run most day-to-day operations, work on budgets and content
planning, go-between between staff and the editor-in-chief.
Section editors: Depending on the size of the paper, there could be several of
these or only a few. You can have metro editors, entertainment editors, sports
editors, business editors, feature editors, government editors, suburb editors,
Web editors, etc. The bigger the paper, the more specialized the section editors.
Assistant section editors: Secondary editors in various areas; again, their
existence and/or number depend on the size of the paper.
Photography editor: Handles all of the photo requests and manages
photographers. May have an assistant or two.
Copy chief: Handles production and manages the copy desk. May have an
assistant or two.
Design/graphics editor: Handles graphic arts requests and manages the layout of
the paper.

Those are your basic managerial positions. At least twice a day (late
morning/early afternoon and late afternoon), the editors will meet for a budget
meeting to discuss the content and layout of the next day's newspaper.

Below these people, you have your reporters, photographers, copy editors,
designers, Web producers and graphic artists. Larger papers may have senior
reporters, multimedia producers, community/social media managers and/or
community liaisons.
 Writing a News Report

Here's something very few people realise: Writing news stories isn't particularly
difficult. It does take practice and not everyone will be an expert but if you follow
the guidelines below you should be able to create effective news items without
too much stress.
The Five "W"s and the "H"

This is the crux of all news - you need to know five things:
Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Any good news story provides answers to each of these questions. You must drill
these into your brain and they must become second nature.
For example, if you wish to cover a story about a local sports team entering a
competition you will need to answer these questions:
• Who is the team? Who is the coach? Who are the prominent players? Who are
the supporters?
• What sport do they play? What is the competition?
• Where is the competition? Where is the team normally based?
• When is the competition? How long have they been preparing? Are there any
other important time factors?
• Why are they entering this particular competition? If it's relevant, why does the
team exist at all?
• How are they going to enter the competition? Do they need to fundraise? How
much training and preparation is required? What will they need to do to win?

The Inverted Pyramid

This refers to the style of journalism which places the most important facts at the
beginning and works "down" from there. Ideally, the first paragraph should
contain enough information to give the reader a good overview of the entire story.
The rest of the article explains and expands on the beginning.
A good approach is to assume that the story might be cut off at any point due to
space limitations. Does the story work if the editor only decides to include the
first two paragraphs? If not, re-arrange it so that it does.

Unit-4

Newspaper/Magazine versus News Agency

Newspaper
Newspaper, publication usually issued daily, weekly, or at other regular times that
provides news, views, features, and other information of public interest and that
often carries advertising.
Forerunners of the modern newspaper include the Acta diurna (“daily acts”) of
ancient Rome—posted announcements of political and social events—and
manuscript newsletters circulated in the late Middle Ages by various international
traders, among them the Fugger family of Augsburg.
In England the printed news book or news pamphlet usually related a single
topical event such as a battle, disaster, or public celebration. The earliest known
example is an eyewitness account of the English victory over the Scots at the
Battle of Flodden (1513). Other forerunners include the town crier and ballads
and broadsides.
In the first two decades of the 17th century, more or less regular papers printed
from movable type appeared in Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. The Dutch
“corantos” (“currents of news”), which strung together items extracted from
foreign journals, became the sources for English and French translations
published in Amsterdam as early as 1620. Rudimentary newspapers appeared in
many European countries in the 17th century, and broadsheets with social news
were published in Japan in the Tokugawa period (1603–1867).
The first English corantos appeared in London in 1621. By the 1640s the news
book had taken the form of a newspaper—the title page being dropped. The first
English daily was The Daily Courant (1702–35). Not until 1771 did Parliament
formally concede journalists the right to report its proceedings. The Times, which
became a model for high quality and later led in mechanical innovation, was
founded by John Walter in 1785, and The Observer was founded in 1791.
The Thirty Years’ War (1618–48) set back incipient newspapers in Germany, and
censorship in various forms was general throughout Europe. Sweden passed the
first law guaranteeing freedom of the press in 1766.
In France the first daily, Journal de Paris, was started in 1771, and the Journal des
Débats (1789), published until World War II, was founded as a daily to report on
sessions of the National Assembly. Papers multiplied during the Revolution and
decreased sharply after it.
The first newspaper in the United States, Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and
Domestick (Boston, September 1690), was suppressed by the colonial governor
after one issue. In 1704 the Boston News-letter began publication as a weekly
issued by the postmaster. The Boston Gazette (1719) was printed by James
Franklin, Benjamin Franklin’s brother. Independent newspaper publishing in the
English colonies is considered to have begun with James Franklin’s New-England
Courant (1721). Freedom of the press was advanced in a landmark case in 1735
when John Peter Zenger, a New York City newspaper publisher, was acquitted of
libel on the defense that his political criticism was based on fact. Press freedom in
the United States was further secured by the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution (1791). Most of the press of the new republic proved fiercely
partisan in the political struggles between the Federalists and Jeffersonian
Republicans.
Circulation in the low thousands was common for papers at the beginning of the
19th century. Rising circulations were made possible by increased literacy and by
technological advances in mechanical typesetting, in high-speed printing (rotary
press), in communications (telegraph and telephone), and in transport (railway).
Led by papers in Great Britain and the United States, newspapers broadened their
appeal and reduced prices. The Times, for example, increased circulation from
5,000 in 1815 (price seven pence) to 50,000 by the mid-19th century (five pence).
In the United States, Benjamin Day established the Sun in New York City (1833) as
the first successful penny paper. Two years later James Gordon Bennett began
theNew York Herald. He shaped many of the directions of modern journalism,
including comprehensive coverage and an emphasis on entertainment. Horace
Greeley, who crusaded for women’s rights and against slavery, founded the
independent New York Tribune (1841). Another independent, though less
flamboyant, paper, The New York Times, appeared 10 years later. By the mid-19th
century, there were 400 dailies and 3,000 weekly papers in the United States.
What became the Associated Press was organized (1848) by New York publishers
as a cooperative news-gathering enterprise, and in London Paul J. Reuter began
his foreign news service for the press (1858). Competition in New York City
between Joseph Pulitzer, who owned the World from 1883, and William Randolph
Hearst (Journal, 1895) led to excesses of lurid and sensationalized news,
calledyellow journalism, and reactions against it in the late 1890s. In western
Europe many papers became primarily organs of political and literary opinion.
In 1896 Alfred Harmsworth (Lord Northcliffe) launched the London Daily Mail as a
national paper. Priced low to increase circulation, it was deliberately based on a
plan for earning most of the revenues from advertising. He also introduced the
first tabloid (Daily Mirror, 1903)—about half the size of a standard paper (15 × 23
inches [38 × 58 cm]). The first American tabloid was the New York Daily
News(1919), started by Joseph Medill Patterson and devoted to sex and
sensationalism. Early in the 20th century, the number of American papers
reached a peak (more than 2,000 dailies and 14,000 weeklies). They declined in
number thereafter, though total circulation rose. During the 1920s and ’30s
competition for circulation continued, and the wide use of syndicated columnists
and ready-to-use features, comic strips, crossword puzzles, and other
amusements developed.
A dozen large chains later came to control more than half of the American dailies.
The first American chain was organized by Edward W. Scripps in the 1890s. A
pattern of consolidation and merger was seen worldwide, especially in the second
half of the 20th century.
Dissatisfaction with established papers, notably among younger readers, led to
the rise in the second half of the 20th century of a diverse “underground,” or
alternative, press. The Village Voice in New York City began publishing in 1955.
The alternative press, sometimes strident and irreverent, was forthright in
seeking fresh approaches. Various special-interest groups, among them trade,
ethnic, and religious interests, are also served by papers edited expressly for them.
Nearly all the world’s major newspapers began publishing online editions of their
newspapers in the early 21st century. Although some newspaper publishers
charged their readers for this access, many made their Web editions available for
free, based on the expectation that advertising revenue, combined with lower
printing and distribution costs, could make up for lost subscription fees.
Newspaper In India

Indian print media is at a massive business in the media world and its newspapers
are said to offer majority of national and international news. The history of
newspaper in India began in 1780, with the publication of the Bengal Gazette
from Kolkata.

The advent of the first newspaper in India occurred in the capital city of West
Bengal, Calcutta (nowKolkata). James Augustus Hickey is considered the "father of
Indian press" as he started the first Indian newspaper from Kolkata, the 'Bengal
Gazette' or 'Calcutta General Advertise' in January, 1780. This first printed
newspaper was a weekly publication. In 1789, the first newspaper from Bombay
(now Mumbai), the 'Bombay Herald' appeared, followed by the 'Bombay Courier'
in the following year. Later, this newspaper merged with the Times of India in
1861. These newspapers carried news of the areas under the British rule. The first
newspaper published in an Indian language was the Samachar Darpan in Bengali.
The first issue of this daily was published from the Serampore Mission Press on
May 23, 1818. Samachar Darpan, the first vernacular paper was started during the
period of Lord Hastings. In the same year, Ganga Kishore Bhattacharya started
publishing another newspaper in Bengali, the 'Bengal Gazetti'. On July 1, 1822 the
first Gujarati newspaper, the Bombay Samachar, was published from Bombay,
which is still in existence. The first Hindi newspaper, the Samachar Sudha Varshan
started its circulation in 1854. Since then, the prominent Indian languages in
which newspapers had been published over the years are Hindi, Marathi,
Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu and Bengali languages.

The Indian language newspapers eventually took over the English newspapers
according to the NRS survey of newspapers. The main reason was the marketing
strategy that was followed by the regional papers, commencing with Eenadu - a
Telugu daily started by Ramoji Rao. The second reason was the growing literacy
rate. Increase in the literacy rate had direct positive effect on the rise of
circulation of the regional papers. The people were first educated in their mother
tongue according to their state in which they live for and eventually, the first
thing a literate person would try to do is read the vernacular papers and gain
knowledge about his own locality. Moreover, localization of news has also
contributed to the growth of regional newspapers in India. Indian regional papers
have several editions for a particular state to offer a complete scenario of local
news for the reader to connect with the paper. Malayala Manorama features
about 10 editions in Kerala itself and six others outside Kerala. Thus regional
papers in India aim at providing localized news for their readers.

Eventually, the advertisers also realized the huge potential of the regional paper
market, partly due to their own research and more owing to the efforts of the
regional papers to make the advertisers aware of the huge market. These
advertisers paid revenues to the newspaper house and in return publicized their
products throughout the locality. Thus, newspapers in India not only acted as
news providers but also promoters of certain market products. Some of the
prominent newspapers in India in the recent times are The Times of India, The
Statesman, The Telegraph, The Economic Times, Indian Express and so on. The
Economic Times is one of the India's leading business newspapers; carrying news
about the Economy, Companies, Infrastructure, Trends in the Economy, Finance,
Stocks, Forex and Commodities, news from around the world and from the world
of politics besides editorial and various other features. The Malayala Manorama
releases daily, weekly, monthly and annual publications from Kerala. Started in
1988 in Tamil and Telegu languages, it is now published in other regional
languages like Hindi, Bengali, as well as in English. Among the various publications,
the Malayala Manorama Daily has the largest circulation, selling about 11 lakhs 50
thousand copies daily. The Times of India was founded in 1838 as The Bombay
Times and Journal of Commerce by Bennett, Coleman and Company, a colonial
enterprise now owned by an Indian conglomerate. The Times Group
publishes The Economic Times (launched in 1961), Navbharat Times (Hindi
language), and the MaharashtraTimes (Marathi language).

The newspapers collected their news from the news agencies. India has four news
agencies namely, the Press Trust of India (PTI), United News of India (UNI),
Samachar Bharti and Hindustan Smachar. Newspapers and magazines in India are
independent and usually privately owned. About 5,000 newspapers, 150 of them
major publications, are published daily in nearly 100 languages. Over 40,000
periodicals are also published in India. The periodicals specialize in various
subjects but the majority of them deal with subjects of general interest. During
the 1950s, 214 daily newspapers were published in the country. Out of these, 44
were English language dailies while the rest were published in various regional
languages. This number rose to 2,856 dailies in 1990 with 209 English dailies. The
total number of newspapers published in the country reached 35,595 newspapers
by 1993 (3,805 dailies). Newspaper sale in the country has increased by 11.22% in
2007. By 2007, 62 of the world's best selling newspaper dailies were published in
countries like China, Japan, and India. India consumed 99 million newspaper
copies as of 2007, making it the second largest market in the world for
newspapers.

Newspapers in India have almost created a huge industry in the nation. It

publishes the largest number of 'paid-for titles' in the world. In 1997, the total
number of newspapers and periodicals published in India was around 41705,
which include 4720 dailies and 14743 weeklies. However, in the last one decade
the news media in India has changed rapidly. All the major news media outlets
have an accompanying news website. A new class of newspapers in India is
entirely internet based.

Magazine
Magazine, also called periodical, a printed or digitally published collection of
texts (essays, articles, stories, poems), often illustrated, that is produced at
regular intervals (excluding newspapers). A brief treatment of magazines follows.
For full treatment, see publishing: Magazine publishing.
The modern magazine has its roots in early printed pamphlets,
broadsides,chapbooks, and almanacs, a few of which gradually began appearing
at regular intervals. The earliest magazines collected a variety of material
designed to appeal to particular interests. One of the earliest ones was a German
publication,Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen (“Edifying Monthly Discussions”),
which was issued periodically from 1663 to 1668. Other learned journals soon
appeared in France, England, and Italy, and in the early 1670s lighter and more
entertaining magazines began to appear, beginning with Le Mercure Galant (1672;
later renamed Mercure de France) in France. In the early 18th century, Joseph
Addisonand Richard Steele brought out The Tatler (1709–11; published three
times weekly) and The Spectator (1711–12, 1714; published daily). These
influential periodicals contained essays on matters political and topical that
continue to be regarded as examples of some of the finest English prose written.
Other critical reviews treating literary and political issues also started up in the
mid-1700s throughout western Europe, and at the end of the century specialized
periodicals began appearing, devoted to particular fields of intellectual interest,
such as archaeology, botany, or philosophy.
By the early 19th century a different, less learned audience had been identified,
and new types of magazines for entertainment and family enjoyment began to
appear, among them the popular weekly, the women’s weekly, the religious and
missionary review, the illustrated magazine, and the children’s weekly. Their
growth was stimulated by the general public’s broader interest in social and
political affairs and by the middle and lower classes’ growing demand, in both
cities and rural areas, for reading matter. Woodcuts and engravings were first
extensively used by the weekly Illustrated London News (1842), and by the end of
the 19th century many magazines were illustrated.
Magazine publishing benefited in the late 19th and 20th centuries from a number
of technical improvements, including the production of inexpensive paper, the
invention of the rotary press and the halftone block, and, especially, the addition
of advertisements as a means of financial support. Other developments since
then have included a greater specialization of topics; more illustrations, especially
those reproducing colour photographs; a decline in power and popularity of the
critical review and a rise in that of the mass-market magazine; and an increase in
magazines for women.

Reporting for news paper

News in newspapers is written so that it may be edited from the bottom up. As
old editors liked to say, a page form is not made of rubber. It won’t stretch. What
doesn’t fit is thrown away. Historians trace the inverted pyramid, which is not the
traditional style of British or other foreign newspapers, to the American Civil War,
when correspondents, fearing that the telegraph would break down before they
could finish Irving Fang transmitting their dispatches, put the most important
information into the first paragraph and continued the story with facts in
descending order of news value. During the days of letterpress printing, the
makeup editor fit lead type into the steel chase by the simple expedient of tossing
paragraphs away — from the bottom — until the type fit the allotted space. In
modern offset lithography the same job can be accomplished by a razor blade or a
computer delete key; the editing, especially under time pressure, is often still
done from the bottom of a story up. The reading of a newspaper matches
bottom-up editing. The reader’s eye scans the headlines on a page. If the headline
indicates a news story of interest, the reader looks at the first paragraph. If that
also proves interesting, the reader continues. The reader who stops short of the
end of a story is basically doing what the editor does in throwing words away
from the bottom. If newspaper stories were consumed sequentially as they are in
radio and television newscasts, the writing style would change of necessity. If, for
instance, a newspaper reader was unable to turn to page 2 before taking in every
word on page 1 starting in the upper left hand corner and continuing to the lower
right corner, the writing style of newspaper stories would, I believe, soon
resemble a radio newscast. Yet, although the newspaper reader can go back over
a difficult paragraph until it becomes clear, a luxury denied to listeners to
broadcast news, it is also true, as one newspaper editor noted, that if the
newspaper reader has to go back often to make sense of stories, the reader is
likely to go back to the television set.

News Agency
News agency, also called press agency, press association, wire service, or news
service, organization that gathers, writes, and distributes news from around a
nation or the world to newspapers, periodicals, radio and television broadcasters,
government agencies, and other users. It does not generally publish news itself
but supplies news to its subscribers, who, by sharing costs, obtain services they
could not otherwise afford. All the mass media depend upon the agencies for the
bulk of the news, even including those few that have extensive news-gathering
resources of their own.
The news agency has a variety of forms. In some large cities, newspapers and
radio and television stations have joined forces to obtain routine coverage of
news about the police, courts, government offices, and the like. National agencies
have extended the area of such coverage by gathering and distributing stock-
market quotations, sports results, and election reports. A few agencies have
extended their service to include worldwide news. The service has grown to
include news interpretation, special columns, news photographs, audiotape
recordings for radio broadcast, and often videotape or motion-picture film for
television news reports. Many agencies are cooperatives, and the trend has been
in that direction since World War II. Under this form of organization, individual
members provide news from their own circulation areas to an agency pool for
general use. In major news centres the national and worldwide agencies have
their own reporters to cover important events, and they maintain offices to
facilitate distribution of their service.
In addition to general news agencies, several specialized services have developed.
In the United States alone these number well over 100, including such major ones
as Science Service, Religious News Service, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and News
Election Service. Specialized services in other countries include the Swiss
Katholische Internationale Presseagentur, which reports news of special interest
to Roman Catholics, and the Star News Agency of Pakistan, which supplies news
of Muslim interest in English and Urdu.
The major press associations in the United States have expanded their service to
include entertainment features, and some feature syndicates provide straight
news coverage as a part of their service. The Newspaper Enterprise Association
distributes both news and features in the United States.
Despite the plethora of news services, most news printed and broadcast
throughout the world each day comes from only a few major agencies, the three
largest of which are the Associated Press in the United States, Reuters in Great
Britain, and Agence France-Presse in France. Only these and a few others have the
financial resources to station experienced reporters in all areas of the world
where news develops regularly (in order to ensure access to well-organized
transmission facilities) or to send them wherever news develops unexpectedly.
These agencies are also equipped to distribute the service almost instantaneously.
The world agencies have established a variety of relationships with other agencies
and with individual news media. Most of them purchase the news services of
national or local agencies to supplement news gathered by their own staff
representatives at key points. Reuters, like the Agence France-Presse, supplies a
worldwide news file to be distributed by some national agencies along with their
domestic news reports. The American services more often contract to deliver
their service directly to individual users abroad.
News agencies in communist countries had close ties to their national
governments. Each major communist country had its own national news service,
and each news service was officially controlled, usually by the minister of
information. TASS, the Soviet news agency, was the principal source of world
news for the Soviet Union and its allies; it also made Soviet Communist Party
policy known. Communist states outside the Soviet sphere, e.g., China and
Yugoslavia, had their own state news services, which were controlled in similar
fashion. China’s Hsinhua, or New China News Agency, was the largest remaining
news agency in a communist country by the late 20th century.
Most other countries have one or more national news agencies. Some depend on
a common service, such as the Arab News Agency, which provides news for
several states in the Middle East. Others are national newspaper cooperatives,
such as the Ritzaus Bureau of Denmark, founded in 1866. A few, like the Agenzia
Nazionale Stampa Associata of Italy, have expanded coverage abroad in a limited
degree to supplement their domestic service but still depend on Reuters and
Agence France-Presse for much of their foreign news. Germany since 1949 has
built Deutsche-Presse Agentur into one of the more important news agencies in
Europe, including extensive exchange with other national services. In Canada
theCanadian Press is a cooperative news agency with headquarters in Toronto.
The oldest and largest news agency operating exclusively in Britain is the Press
Association, founded by provincial newspapers on a cooperative basis in 1868. It
began active work on February 5, 1870, when the postal service took over the
private telegraph companies that had previously supplied the provincial papers
with news. It supplies news to all the London daily and Sunday newspapers,
provincial papers, and trade journals and other periodicals.
The ability to transmit news rapidly greatly increased during the 20th century.
Radioteleprinters that make possible fast automatic transmission of news
messages linked all major areas. Picture transmission by radio and high-fidelity
wires became well developed. From the major agencies, teletypesetter service,
pioneered by the Associated Press in 1951, was available to newspapers wishing
to have computerized typesetting done directly from news-service transmissions.
By the 21st century, most news agencies had moved the bulk of their operations
and transmission to computers.

Qualities of a Good Journalist

Journalism is a sacred profession so one should require certain qualities for
thisProfession. It is understood that Organization is recognized by its workers and
the
workers by their organization. A single worker can cause the failure of whole syste
m if not caughttime. From above discussion it is clear that a Journalist should
have following Qualities;
Information of Current Affairs:
In present time, Life is so much complex so one should have complete
information andawareness about his/her surrounding issues. Lack of information
can put you on back in thisfield. He/should should have awareness about
his region, country, culture, geography andmust have good interest in National
and International affairs of his/her country.
Good Writer:
Everyone knows how to write but writing according to the demand of department
is
little bit difficult. So, a journalist must have extraordinary writing skills which com
es viaexperience. One should how to write a news, article or column. Being a
journalist, You shouldnot wait for the mood to write.
Good Translator:
Translation skills to translate the content in required language is also
necessary.He/she can write and understand the concerned language. For example
being a Pakistani he/shecan translate the news from national language Urdu to
English. If you are journalist of anyinternational News Agency than good grip on
English is necessary. Learning other differentlanguages is also very helpful for a
Journalist to gather more and more views about anyissue.
Deep Study Of Language and Literature:
Studies polish the attitude of a person. Study enhances the speaking power
andgood behavior of a person. Study of different books also increase your
vocabulary andgives many options of words about any condition. Therefore, a
Journalist must study the languageand literature deeply.
Deep Analysis:
Deep analysis means observing the different issues with full concentration.
Notonly observing but also saving it in our memories. A good observer can be a
good journalistWriting a news is like making a sketch of the incident. This skills
gives you the power to better understand different skills of your surroundings.
Positive Thinking:
Positive thinking and a restful mind helps the Journalist to understand
differentissues more accurately .For a journalist; it is very difficult to work without
it. Positiveautomatically solves your different issues. Restful mind is necessary
because a journalistalso have to face certain problems and become depressed. So,
in such circumstances a restfulmind is necessary to take right decisions.
Curiosity:
Curiosity is present in every person but real thing is its correct use. Curiosity isvery
necessary for a journalist because it helps him/her to know different sides of a
news.Even a tiny incident can help a journalist to fetch a big story behind it only
because ofcuriosity about that incident. This quality is compulsory for those who
are working crimereport department or investigation department.Honest:It does
not suits a Journalist to be one-sided. This is totally against the
respectofthat profession. One should only provide the fact without his personal vi
ews about any issue. Itis one of the basic rules of Journalism. Journalist’s report
should not reflect his/hersupport to any regional, political or religious party.
Good Memory:

It is also necessary for a Journalist to have a good memory. One should remember
all theimportant points of news. Weak memory makes you dull. One can be a
good journalist ifhe/she have a good memory. Weak memory will decrease the
value of your news because forgotten part is tried to be fulfills with other and this
will effect the factness of the news.
Determination and Strong Will:
Last necessary quality for an ideal journalist is determination and strong
will .Actuallyit is the basic rule of success in every field of life. You
can’t achieve your goal without
determination. When you lose it you fail.Above are the few qualities of a good
journalist. So, if want to be a good journalistthan you must have the above given
qualities in your character.
Integrity
Without integrity, it doesn't matter how good of a writer the journalist is or how
wonderful his sources.Once a reporter is caught plagiarizing or twisting the facts,
no one will find him credible as a journalist.Integrity means more than just not
plagiarizing or fudging the facts, though; integrity means beingcommitted to
uncovering the truth regardless of the difficulties involved and reporting it in a
fair,respectful manner.
Industrious
Before a reporter interviews any sources, he needs to do the background work.
He finds informationonline from reputable websites, from print articles and from
other reporters. He prepares his questionscarefully and checks with his subject to
make sure he correctly understands what the person is saying. Hetalks to other
people to clarify and validate what the source has said, and he follows up on
anycontradictions. He reads any pertinent documents, such as public records, and
follows where the trailleads him.
Observant
A good newspaper journalist is observant. He notices the details that give richness
to a story: theexpressions on the face of the subjects, the clothes they are
wearing or the style of music playing in the background. He notices the amount of
traffic in the neighborhood, the types of shops and houses, whetherit's crowded
or quiet. In short, he notices everything. Not every detail will make its way into
the story, butobserving the details will help him write a fuller, more compelling
story.
Accurate
Accuracy is vital. A good journalist verifies all the major details of his story,
including addresses,numbers and the spelling of names. For a controversial story,
he talks with people on all sides of the issueto make sure he is not presenting a
slanted view of the issue. He does not let his own opinions cloud hisreporting. He
double checks his work before he submits it to the editor.
Empathetic
A newspaper journalist remembers he is dealing with real people, sometimes
when they are at a
difficult point in their lives. He is respectful of their feelings even when he must as
k them hard questions.Journalism can be a tool to right social injustices by
revealing them to the public, and a reporter's empathycan help him relate to the
downtrodden.
Thick-Skinned
Journalists are usually not a popular group. By reporting the facts, they are bound
to offend some of the people almost all the time. A journalist needs to be tough
enough to get the story even when people aregiving him a hard time, and he
needs to be tough enough to deal with the complaints that will inevitablycome his
way from time to time if he's doing his job correctly.