B6 Reporting and Editing II

revised and updated

Unit I: Reporting conflicts -- armed and social; calamities and disasters; issues in
reporting development, environment, education, ecology, health, industry, business,
agriculture, consumer issues and gender issues, among others. Computer Aided
Reporting

You need to gather all the available details, accurately and comprehensively and file in a
report that leaves no scope for doubt. Your report needs to be clear, concise and
comprehensive. Clarity requires you to write in simple uncomplicated sentences. Ensure
that each sentence does not have more than one idea. Take care that the sentences are not
long. Ensure that the names, their spellings and ranks and other details are clearly spelt
out. Check the spellings before you leave the event or scene of the event. Ask the persons
at the place to spell their names, most do not have a problem in doing that. Check that
you have the correct quote. If you intend to quote someone in your report ensure that you
have got it right. Ask the person to repeat it.

When you go to cover the action of an ongoing conflict, you run the risk of getting
injured. So you have to ensure your own safety and at the same time try to be as close as
possible to the scene of the conflict.
The issue is that either side might disregard your identity and attack you. It is always
safer to have your identity known and get permissions to go to the scene of action.
Another possibility is that you might actually take sides with one of the parties to the
conflict and then your report is naturally going to be biased. You have to remain impartial
as far as possible.
You need to get both the sides of the story in a conflict to ensure that the story is
balanced and is not going to incite any one group to attack the other.
In case of armed conflict you will have to ensure your own safety too.
If you decide to side with someone then make sure you are siding with the marginalised
sections, who are voiceless.
Do not side with the oppressor or the mightier.
Do not stoke the flames of the conflict with your report.

When you are reporting calamities and or disasters, there is a possibility that you get
involved in the rescue mission forgetting your duty to report. No one is asking you to
forget your responsibility to society in helping the needy, but a balance has to be struck in
discharging your duty. You may reach out to help the victims of the disaster, but do not
forget that you are there to report and at the end of the day you have to send in details to
your boss about the event.
Ensure personal safety while reporting disasters/ calamities. Don’t go for heroics and try
to rescue some drowning person, instead go get some help.
Get all the details from official sources, don’t try to offer your guess estimates. It is safer
to quote an official source and give a lesser number of victims than speculate on the
numbers and create panic in the minds of the readers/ viewers.
While filing your report dont forget to ensure that is is clear, concise and comprehensive.
Always strive to ensure that the story is balanced and don’t take sides.

Covering disasters
Checklist for covering disasters
1. Before venturing out check out the disaster plans of the organisations like police, civic
body etc.
2. Check a map to see what routes leas to the scene. Are there alternate routes.
3. Check out if a control room has been established for the officials and the media.
4. Check if you have enough batteries and correct chargers for your mobiles, computers.
Carry pens and paper as back up to electronic gadgets.
5. Check out if you have appropriate clothing.
6. Keep track of developing trends and news. Be aware news keeps changing at a fast
pace.

When you are doing reporting of specialised subjects like development, environment,
education, ecology, health, industry, business, agriculture, consumer issues and gender
issues, among others, you need to be clear that you should not allow personal bias to
influence your report.
Your report has to balanced and all sides or versions need to be included.
There is a possibility that when you take government figures you may not reflect the
reality. In such situations it is necessary to try and verify the figures and present a picture
that is as close to reality as possible.
Before you start out on the story it would be good to read up as much on the specific
subject as possible. Get as much background information as possible to ensure that you
understand the subject you are covering.
The background information will help you ask the concerned authorities the correct
questions.
Do not limit yourself to a pre-determined questionnaire. Be ready to improvise and ask
supplementaries.
You have to gather as much information as possible because you have to file a report that
is clear, concise and comprehensive.

Talking of computers in reporting may sound strange today, but earlier days reporting
was done through telephone and telegrams. There were teleprinters attached to dedicated
lines that transmitted text over distances. But slowly with computers becoming affordable
the computers and internet have become the backbone of all communication. Reporters
prefer to use computers as this would allow greater clarity in reporting. Computers in
reporting is not using computers as a source of information, it is using computers as a
tool to assist reporters.
unit II
Editorial writing - concept; types of editorials, policy, conferences, letters to editor, edt
page articles, middles.
Feature writing: characteristics of features, types of features, sources. Human interest
stories, travelogues, how-to-do features, survey of market for features, review and
criticism, types of columns and columnists, techniques of column writing.

Editorial is the stand of a publication. It was written by the editor and nowadays it is
written by a team of editorial writers. The editor takes personal responsibility for the
content of the editorial. Unlike a news story it is a commentary on either current affairs
and or an event or a person. It assumes a prior knowledge of the event in the reader. It
does not try to inform the reader about an event or a person or occurrence but tries to take
a stand on the subject and offer a solution.
Earlier the readers too read the editorial to understand the stand of the editor and
commented on it. The editors tried to influence the readers’ viewpoint on the subject.
However, studies have shown that the readers are more likely to form an opinion from the
news item rather than the editorial.
The editorial and the main article on the edit page continue to be given weightage by the
publications. Every effort is made to ensure that the page is error free and conforms to
highest literary traditions. The edit is also an effort to showcase the literary strength of
the editor/ edit writer.

Types of editorials
1. Informative or interpretative: The edit tries to inform the reader of the different aspects
of the subject and offers different interpretations.
2. Appreciative or critical: These edits try to either appreciate or criticise an individual or
government action.
3. Human Interest: These edits try to reflect the human interest aspect of an event or
occurrence.
4. Third Edit or humorous: These edits are written with the sole intention of tickling the
funny bone. They could be sarcastic or witty in their description of a situation.

Letters to the editor are the feedback from the readers and also reflect the opinion of the
audience on a subject or topic. The letters could be a feedback on what was published,
both critical and appreciative. The selection of the letters is to be done judiciously to
ensure that the letters are not only appreciative. One has to be careful to select some that
are critical of the paper and or its stand. The criticism could be on errors in the news or a
critique of the stand taken by the publication. The editor often takes personal interest in
the content of the letters and sometimes even selects the letters. The letters are edited and
or rewritten to be brief and yet the gist of the letter is carried through. Sometimes a
critical letter or a tribute to some person is carried in full length with only efforts made to
correct the language for grammar and syntax.

Edit page articles are selected to reflect the stand of the publication. It is a rare
publication that carries any opinion that opposes its own. It requires tremendous courage
on the part of the editor to carry an opinion that is against his/ her stand.

Editorial Policy is the framework of the content that is carried by the publication. It
defines what news should be carried and what should not be carried. If any individual or
institution is to be ignored or not given coverage. The policy defines what is the kind of
coverage a news event or a political party is to be given.

Editorial Conference is the meeting of the editorial where the content of the publication is
decided. It is held on a daily basis in professional organisations. At the editorial
conference seniors meet up and discuss and decide on the content and the news heirarchy
of the day. This would decide what news would be go on page one and what would go
inside.

Features are detailed reports about an event on an occurrence and also can highlight an
individual’s achievements. They are designed to be timeless and are written interestingly.
The language is often stylish and attractive. Features could be a news features, news side-
story, human interest story, profile, interview, trends or a first-hand account, among
others.

News Feature is a detailed story about the event or occurrence or news. For example a
story on increase in occurrence of heart attacks would be called a news feature.
News Sidebar or side story is the featurish other story that goes along with a main news
item. For example during a natural calamity like a cyclone, a story on a child orphaned by
the cyclone would be taken as a sidebar or side-story.

Human Interest features, are often the follow up stories on a news event. The feature
focuses on the human angle covering the affect on the lives of victims of a tragedy or a
calamity.

Profile or Personality Feature is the item that focuses on the personality or profile of an
individual in news. It could be a famous personality or an award winner. The story tries
to bring to the reader unknown details about the person in news. The writer has to avoid
‘puffing up’ the character and try to be as realistic as possible.

Interview of an individual who has been in the news for some achievement is also called
a feature.

Trends Features are the ones that focus on lifestyle trends of different sections of society.

First-hand accounts or Live-in accounts are the stories where the reporter who has spent a
considerable period of time observing the situation writes a first-hand report. It could be
the experience of a reporter during a tragedy/ accident/ calamity/ or conflict. Such
features could also be done by the reporter who stays put say on the battlefront or even
the slum dwelling of an autodriver.

Unit III: Use of computers in editing; editing mofussil copy; traslation; planning of
pages and editions. Editing supplements, features and special pages.

While editing your primary concerns are accuracy and clarity. The publication’s
credibility must be upheld, and a copy editor has an obligation to those involved to ensure
accuracy.
One of the major issues of wrong information being published is that it can land the
publication in a libel suit. The suit can cost the publication heavily and also the copy
editor can be called to testify. The best way to avoid libel is to prevent them. It is your
duty to cross check any report that you may seem inaccurate or unreasonable. Like they
say “when in doubt delete”.

While editing of reports you have to keep in mind spellings, punctuation, grammar and
style. You have to ensure that the copy is not too wordy. Editing is required to ensure that
the copy conforms to the style of the publication. You may rewrite a copy to make it
stylish but have to ensure that the facts are neither lost nor distorted. While editing, you
have to be careful that the end copy does not slander anyone and reflects fairness in
presenting both sides of an issue.

It sounds strange to hear of computers in editing in today’s world. Editing has evolved
from writing and marking with pen on handwritten notes to typewritten notes to
teleprinter copy. You had to manually cut the copy, rewrite the copy, check and write
correct spelling all using a pen. Given the fact that most paper would blot the ink of a
fountain pen, a ballpen was allowed to be used. You had sufficient margin on the copy to
make your markings and also the typing was in double space to help you write between
the lines.
With the increasing access to computers, editing shifted to on the computer and after
editing it was exported to page making section. The use of computers as made editing
easy in the sense that the cutting and trimming of copy is easier and also while rewriting
the computer helps in shifting sections and or sentences.

Mofussil copy or the reports coming from reporters in the interior regions of the state is
lacking in quality of language. A person posted in the remote areas cannot be expected to
have a mastery of the language. There is a significant mother-tongue influence on the
copy, the syntax and grammar are unlike English. There is a need to be patient while
handling such copy, you may land up losing your own language skill. There is also a
translation from the regional language to English and English to the language of
publication. Since the agency copy is creeded in English the desk has to translate it into
the language of the publication apart from editing it.
It is safer to rewrite the copy rather than allow it to influence your thinking while
translating.

There is a conventional order of the pages in a newspaper. The Front Page is always the
breaking news and the most important news of the day. In a 16 page edition, the Pages 2
and 3 (sometimes also 4) carry only local (regional/ district/ city) news. Pages 4, 5 and 6
are allocated for State news. Pages 7, 9 and 10 are normally for Nation news. Page 11
carries world news, 12 and 13 business and 14, 15 and 16 are exclusively for Sport.

There is substantial difference in the way you need to approach editing of a feature story.
The feature story by definition has time and there is no hurry to get it out. The deadline is
a little more relaxed.
A feature story is more stylishly told and the narrative may be wordy. The conventional
ideal of making it concise does not really work. You need to try and retain the style of the
writer and if possible improve upon the original copy. You have to give some leeway to
accommodate style. However, the norms of accuracy, correct spelling, correct syntax and
grammar are non-negotiable.
Special pages or supplements need some more homework for the Desk. You need to
study up the subject to do justice to the subject being edited.

Nature and need for editing. Principles of editing, functions of editorial desk, copy
editing process.

Editing is enhancing the language of the copy or report and ensuring that the copy is in
line with what the reader expects from the publication.
Editing is more than language, syntax and grammar, the editing also is essential to ensure
that the publication does not end in a libel suit for the content published by it.
The editing has a lot of judgement involved. A word that is correct may not be
appropriate and therefore will have to be replaced. The sub-editor or the copy editor has
to ensure that the words used do not have a wrong connotation.

Copy editors must be very careful when editing stories about crime and the court system.
As numerous journalists and scholars have pointed out, it is the small, seemingly
innocuous crime briefs that usually get a newspaper into trouble. As a rule, editors and
reporters take great care with a major story to guard against libel, i.e. damage to a
person's reputation because of the publication of false information. Often, somebody with
some legal knowledge vets the copy that has the potential of being pulled up in a court of
law. But short crime stories normally do not get such close scrutiny. Consequently, the
copy desk is usually the last line of defence.
Accuracy and clarity are always the copy editor's primary concerns. The paper's
credibility must be upheld, and a copy editor has an obligation to those involved to ensure
accuracy.
The best way to avoid libel suits is to prevent them. Question anything in a crime or
court story that seems inaccurate or unreasonable. It is much better to have the question
answered before the story is published than have to explain why it was published
afterward.
The desk, when in doubt and if it is not possible to clarify with the reporter, simply
rejects the copy or trims appropriately the portion that the subeditor cannot understand.
The risk is that the section that has been ‘trimmed’ might be the operative section or the
most important component of the entire news report.
Further, the desk cannot extrapolate and insert meaning into a section of the newsreport
that was not previously existing.
However, the subeditor is required to include background information into the news
report, this information has to be culled from reliable sources, like past editions or
encyclopedia.
There are times when the desk gets reports on the same incident/ event/ issue from more
than one source. The responsibility of the desk is to give priority to information and not
go by the convention of solely depending on the bureau report. If the bureau report is
incomplete the desk is at liberty to ‘merge’ news reports from other agencies into the
copy. However, in such cases it is essential that the news report reflect the fact that it is
culled from more than one source.
Every news report has to pass the test of brevity, clarity and correctness.
The copy has to be short, crisp and clear without compromising on facts.

The Editorial desk has a function heirarchy which also ensures multiple levels of error
correction.
The subeditor or the senior subeditor is assigned the news report that is either filed by the
Bureau (reporters) or from a news agency or a contributor or a freelancer.
The subeditor scans the copy and then edits or rewrites it. The subeditor also gives the
copy a headline and checks out other visual elements that could contribute to its visual
impact when it is published.
Typically a subeditor goes through a copy at least four times before releasing it for
publication. The first round is a basic reading and selection of appropriate visual
elements. The second round is checking out prographs. The third round does the actual
cleaning and rewriting of the copy. The fourth or the final round is when the subeditor
goes through the final edited copy.
Sometimes the copyeditor is required to compile news from more than one report, for
example the report might have related news occuring elsewere. The subeditor has to
rewrite the lead copy by integrating the news reports from different sources.
The subeditor has to suitably append the background material to the copy filed in by the
Bureau apart from updating some basic information like figures of the dead in an mishap
like earthquake.
Each publication has its own style and spelling for words. For example each publication
has its own rule on how to handle honorifics like Mr Mrs and Dr among others.
Such details of usage of different words is laid down in the style book or style sheet.
Headlines:
Headlines are the short crisp handles given to each news item. The handle both
distinguishes the item as well as is designed to draw the reader’s attention to it.
The headlines tell the entire story either directly or through an analogy. They have to be
crisp and eye catching.
The headlines have to grab the eye of the reader who is casually skimming the page and
draw her to read the details.

Headlines can be functionally defined as -- lead headline, three column headline, two
column headline, single column headline, box headline and brief headline.
The lead headline is the biggest in size and in visibility. All other headlines in the page
have to be different and use smaller font.

Honor the hierarchy of type. Generally, headlines should decrease in size as you go down
the page because the stories are less important. Use three-line headlines above two-line
headlines. The main exception to type hierarchy is the headline at the bottom of an open
page on an anchor story, which gives the reader a reason to look at the story. You need a
bigger headline to attract a reader to the bottom of the page.

Typically in a newspaper the banner headline or the lead headline is single line and most
prominent.
The second most important story or the second lead has a headline depending upon
whether it is a two column, three column or four column package.
Two column news item can have a three line headline.
A three column story can have maximum a two line headline.
A four column story can have only a single line headline.

The headlines are supported by straplines (above headline) and intros (below the
headline) to add value to the headline and help the reader get the complete picture of the
news item.
Both the strapline and the intro explain the headline.

In all types of pages, most 1-column headlines should be three lines. Some publications
allow 4-line, 1-column headlines on long stories. In all cases, the second largest headline
should be two types sizes smaller than the main headline. This sizing will allow the main
headline to stand out.

What comprises a lead and why is it important

Lead tries to pack the most relevantly important points in a narrative in a sentence or a
paragraph to both tell the story as well as hold the attention of the audience. The story
unravels in the following paragraphs and each point included in the lead is elaborated
upon.

It is essential to note down the most important aspects in the narrative and then try to
include it into the lead sentence.

Another way to go about writing a lead is to bring out one single point or ‘shock element’
and start the narrative with that. This can be done when there is a clearly identifiable
point or quote in the narrative that is the ‘core’ element of the entire story.

Before writing the lead, it is essential to go through the story at least once. The second
reading helps correct basic grammatical errors.
The rewriting can happen only after you have read the story at least twice. This is
essential because it helps in correct sentence formation, apart from taking a call on the
most important ‘issues’ in the story.

Checklist for editing a copy

1.Read the entire story once over before starting any corrections.
2.Do only the obvious corrections like spelling errors during the first reading
3.During the second reading attempt to correct the grammar and syntax
4.Avoid passive sentences
5.Avoid long sentences
6.Try and use simple English, something that can be understood without referring to a
dictionary
7.The lead alone can be a long sentence with multiple points.
8.Each point in the narrative can be one sentence, unless the second point is a subsidiary
clause and logically has to be part of the same sentence.
9.Start a fresh paragraph for every new idea.
10.Don’t try to impress your reader with your command of the language, it is more
important to be understood.
11.Avoid using adjectives that are only ‘praising’ an individual
12.Avoid repeating the same word in the successive sentences.
13.After every two paragraphs or so make it a point to give the name and or position to
while attributing a statement.
14.Most important, the structure and formation of narrative has to be in formal language.
15.No using trivial slang in narrative. If found replace it or simply delete it. Only place
you could be using the slang is in a specific quote, but that should not be an excuse
for trivialising the narrative.
16. Cross check verifiable facts like dates, names and timelines in the narrative. No errors
accepted.
Before releasing the copy, ensure it has nothing that could bring in a libel action against
your publication
Unit IV: Process of colour printing, use of colour; use of colour photographs; CMYK
and RGB processes. Digital printing; Page Design and Layout, Principles of Design. Use
of new technologies. Internet, VSAT.

There are three basic colours in nature -- Red, Blue and Green and all colours in the
nature are combinations of two or three of these colours. Each colour is a result of a
combination of different percentage of each colour. Natural colours cannot be replicated
in a typical high-speed offset printing. The printers developed an alternate that comes
close to replicating natural colours in print. Print technologists have developed a
combination of colours which when mixed in different percentages results in colours that
are close to natural colours. For printing the technologists developed a format using
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.
In offset printing each component is broken into fine spots called pixels and the printing
is done using four plates, one for each colour.

CMYK is called subtractive colour model unlike RGB which is called additive colour
model. Since the inks are on a white paper the percentage of the ink subtracts the colour
from the background giving an image of colour.
CMYK printing breaks up each image into fine dots which cannot be perceived by a
naked human eye and each colour is at an angle. A combination of the pixels of different
inks creates an image of a colour. A combination of the four colours in different angles
gives rise to a final colour print. C105, M75, Y 90 and K 45.

Page design and layout

Design is basically an effort to make the newspaper more aesthetic and attract the
attention of the audience. There are some set standards on the use of fonts and sizes.
These are conventional standards based upon the characteristic of the font better
understood by the headline schedule.
The layout of a newspaper means the manner in which the masthead (textbook definition
is nameplate) of the newspaper, the news, the headlines, sub-headlines, pictures and their
captions, advertisements, editorials, features, cartoons and all the elements including
white space are arranged in a page for maximising visual effectiveness. The layout and
typography together contribute to the effective and attractive presentation of a
publication.

The Elements of design of a newspaper are: Text, Photographs, Graphics, Art and
Colour. The purpose of the design is to maximise visual impact of the paper within the
limits of news values. The Designer has to balance the visual impact with ethics and news
values.
Each publication has its own set of typefaces that are used for headlines and text. A
Newspaper works with few options in terms of fonts and variations. A magazine and or
tabloid would allow use of more fonts. The selection of fonts is basically based on
readability and clarity apart from limitations of machinery.
You have to keep in mind that while the stories and graphics are important, they are not
as important as the end product the newspaper that is delivered every morning to the
reader.

The layout begins with the drawing up of a dummy layout. Though theoretically it is
good to have a dummy layout of each page, in practice the dummy layout is given by the
design editor only for page one and special pages. The other pages get filled as they get
the news items, the dummy layout is more drawn in the mind.

The news and pictorial elements of the day are first put in the order of importance and
once the ‘news heirachy’ is defined, the dummy layout is made where the lead story takes
the prominent position and the second lead story the position of second visual importance
and so on.
The page anchor is the story that is laid out at the bottom of the page. The anchor story is
often an off-beat story or something that is written differently. The anchor story gives
relief to the reader.

Kinds of layout designs

Modular: Architect Le Corbusier is credited with having drawn up a modular layout for
newspapers. The Corbusier Grid divides the newspaper into rectangular boxes that are
then filled up with news and or images. This kind of arrangement gives the paper a neat
look. Further, this gives flexibility to change the news items in the boxes.

Balanced Layout: Layout of a newspaper is considered balanced when the left and right
halves and or top and bottom halves look ‘balanced’ with equal distribution of news and
images. But this layout is also likely to give a dull appearance to the publication.

Circus Layout: When the visual impact is of high priority the layout throws all sense of
news heirarchy to the winds and has a layout where the elements like stories, images and
graphic elements are scattered on a page to maximize visual impact.

While laying out a page the designer/ sub-editor considers balance, weight, eye
movement and contrast. The effort is to have a layout that is balanced with weight
distributed symmetrically along the page. The eye-movement decides the location of the
story. The lead story goes on top of the page (some papers prefer right-hand top, whereas
some go with a left hand top position), the second lead, story or graphic element comes
diagonally below. The third story is diagonally below the second lead story.
The sub-editor/ designer uses different elements like cross-heads, quotes, blurbs to break
the monotony of grey text.

New technologies in printing.

The offset printing is by far the most economical form for printing of newspapers. The
process of editing to printing has undergone a seachange with the development of
technology.
Earlier, with the advent of computers, the typesetting section eliminated and the text was
composed on the computer and some definition of width of column and size of the font
given by the sub-editor. The output was taken out on a photo-sensitive paper called
bromide and the strips of text were then pasted on a sheet which then was exposed on
film and the film developed and then the film was exposed on a chemically treated plate.
The plate was then loaded on a printer where the drum with the plate would get inked on
specific portions of the plate and then the same printed on a paper that was a continuous
web, in newspapers. Thus the newspaper printing was called web offset.
With further development in technology the process of pasting and exposing to create
page size films was eliminated and the sub-editor/ designer would make a full-dimension
page on the computer and this would then directly be exposed on a film on a machine.
This process spurred the colour printing in newspapers as the time taken for colour plates
was reduced and the registration also became simpler and more accurate.
The next stage was when the page made by the editorial was directly etched on to a plate
using a plate printer. This increased the accuracy of colour separations and speeded up
the printing process.
Further, development in technology saw the printing machines being loaded with drums
that could be etched directly from the computer doing the page. This not only reduced the
human element involved in the process, reducing error component, but also enabled a
faster incorporation of changes in the page. The Press need not be stopped for a change of
plate for changing the item. The computer to plate technology is called CTP.

With the advent of CTP it has become easier for the printing to be taken up at remote
locations without having to have the editorial in proximity. The use of Internet in
combination with CTP has made it easier for a remotely located editorial to actually see
what is being printed at a facility that would take hours to reach by road. The CTP also
has enabled customisation of the run according to distribution area. For instance, a
publication like The Economist of London that prints in Singapore is now able to take up
India specific advertisements in its Indian edition. The same pages made in London with
changes in some pages of advertisements is printed in Singapore for India. Maybe a little
more changes in advertisements is made in the edition for Singapore.

Given the bandwidth required for a remote printing, the publications utilise satellite-
based communication technologies. This process is a two-way communication facility
with equal bandwidth availability in both directions. For communicating through satellite
the publications use the Very Small Aperture Terminals or VSATs.