On some recent reads…
To sharpen my writing skills I was going to go to bookshops and hunt for some books on clauses and idioms. But I chanced upon a book at my mother’s office library. Yes, that very library that fed my fires while I was younger. All my reading of the classics of several literatures took off from here. Significant memories are Dostoyevsky and Jane Austen. Like always, I freaked out a little bit when I went into the library, the minimum number I have wanted to pick up at any library are 20 plus books and definitely exceed the number of library cards I am allowed. Curse this love of books! This time, I spent a good time convincing and cajoling myself about the PhD work that awaits me and managed to get out of the library with a mere four books. One was on the history of Karnataka, another, a translation of Premchand’s stories, The Wisdom of Lao Tse and the last one, a book that summarized the workings of a newspaper, called Behind the Scenes on a Newspaper. Behind the scenes… is a small book of 150 pages, I finished in a couple of days. It’s a part of series of books that was published on a variety of different enterprises like the coal mine, a nuclear power station, a hospital, an oilfield and so on. Smelling the old paper of this book was a strange joy, reading up that old way of English writing was even more of a thrill; the book was published in 1964. It opened up a time from the past, gave me some newspaper history and a good account of the machines that must now all be extinct.
Reading this book was satisfying for yet another reason. Not having done journalism at anytime, I always have qualms about writing. Even a good piece of writing triggers some doubts in me; endless reworkings are routine. But writing is really difficult--for anybody. The more we read, the more the confusion. So, in my attempts at combining being a voracious reader that my research career demands and loving literature and writing, I have dreamt of taking a journalism course in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan…one of the things to do before I die! Although friends have assured me that I don’t have to do anything like that at all! Anyway, here are some quotes from what I learnt from the book that I find useful and interesting and would like to remember:
“Today British Newspapers are divided into two categories: ‘quality’ and ‘popular’. This is not a class distinction, but a classification of style and methods of news presentation. The quality newspapers report the news in a straightforward, clear-cut style without resorting to slang or other gimmicks to make their reports appear more exciting. The popular newspapers, on the other hand, lay great emphasis on the ‘human’ side of the news; they give prominence to exciting stories about the troubles and exploits of ordinary men and women, often at the expense of duller but perhaps more important news items. Popular newspapers use larger headlines and more and bigger pictures than quality newspapers, and they deliberately employ slang and up-to-date expressions to give their reports more punch. For example, people are ‘rocked’ rather than ‘surprised’; and in football matches goals are seldom ‘scored’: instead the ball is ‘slammed’, ‘blasted’, or ‘hammered’ into the net.” Pg 15
“The difference in approach is blazoned in the headlines-not only by the size of the letters, but also by the wording. When the Russians launched the first woman into space in June 1963 The Daily Telegraph’s headline read ‘Russian Woman Pioneer in Space’ and that of The Times ‘Russia Sends Woman Into’; whereas the Daily Mail splashed ‘Date in Space’ across its front page, and the Daily Express proclaimed ‘MISS UNIVERSE’ in immense capital letters.” Pg 16
“Daily newspapers have three main functions: to inform, to instruct and to entertain”.Pg 18.
A diagram showed clearly who worked under whom and for what. Under the Features, which is what I am obviously interested in: There was the Features Editor, Features Sub-editors under whom there was the Literary Editor, Woman’s editor, Gossip column, Music, theatre, Film, Television Critics etc, Travel, Motoring, Bridge, Chess, Property Correspondents etc and Crossword editor.
“Theoretically the Editor is responsible for every single statement printed: if a libel action is brought against his newspaper, it is he who must defend the action. But in practice the Editor cannot possibly read and check every word that appears in each day’s issue, so he delegates this task to subordinates, and himself concentrates on shaping the general lines of the newspaper’s policy.” Pg 22
“The principal editorial contents of a newspaper comprise news; leading articles or ‘leaders’; feature articles on subjects in the news; women’s page; book reviews; sports reports; theatre, music, art, and film criticisms; and readers’ letters.” Pg 22.
“…one ‘back room’ department of which the entire newspaper staff makes use: the reference library. The library of a national newspaper contains thousands of reference books, and also an immense number of newspaper cuttings.” Pg 24.
“…There are obituaries of eminent people, written while they are still alive and kept in reserve in case they should suddenly die or be killed.” Pg 24.
“A good reporter is a man of many skills. He must write clearly and express himself lucidly; describe people and places so vividly that readers can visualize them; and he must be absolutely accurate I everything he writes leaving no detail unchecked.” Pg 27.
“The provincial correspondents are paid ‘linage’—that is, they are paid according to the number of lines actually printed in the newspaper.” Pg 30.
“Communications have speeded up considerably since 1776, when the Morning Post brought off a sensational sccop by publishing the news of the American Colonies’ Declaration of Independence—forty-four days after the Declaration had been signed!” Pg 37.
“The editorial space is generally divided up by the Assistant Editor and the Features Editor, who allocate each department a certain number of columns.” Pg 39.
“The News Editor reads out his list of news items, explains the significance of each, and tells the Editor and the heads of the different departments how he proposes to treat each story. The Editor and the others then air their views about his arrangements, and suggest possible improvements.” Pg 40
“…a rush of fresh news… may be so dramatic that the original plans will have to be drastically modified.” Pg 40.
“All the written material that comes into a newspaper office is called ‘copy’.” Pg 41.
Copy Taster: A man with considerable experience of editing news, he glances quickly through each story, assesses its value and marks on the first sheet the number of words he considers it worth and the number of the page on which it should be printed.” Pg 41.
“The sub-editor’s main task is to make each story as clear and concise as possible.” Pg 41.
“In the course of cutting the sub-editor may drastically reshape the article; for example, he may try to give the story greater impact by starting with the third or fourth paragraph instead of the first.” Pg 41.
“Feature articles, in which the style of writing is almost as important as the material content, are usually left almost entirely in their original form, especially when they are written by well-known authors. But with news stories, in which the object is simply to state as many facts as possible in as short a space as possible, the sub-editors have a free hand to cut, reshape, and reword as they think fit.” Pg 41-42.
“Besides improving the writing, the sub-editor looks out for mistakes of spelling, punctuation, and grammar; for inconsistencies within the article; for words with double meanings; and for errors of fact.” Pg 42.
“Indeed a false or misleading report about a person may easily result in a libel action being brought against the newspaper.” Pg 42.
“All large newspapers permanently retain a lawyer, who generally sits in the newsroom throughout the evening so that doubtful copy can be submitted to him without delay.” Pg 42.
“Another of the sub-editor’s jobs is to ensure that the newspaper’s ‘style’ is used correctly throughout.” Pg 43.
“The sub-editor…must show originality and imagination in his handling of the different articles, but of course he must never invent facts that are not already in the copy.” Pg 43.
“Copy which is not good enough to be used, or for which no space can be found, is impaled on the ‘spike’ –a length of thick wire with a sharpened end, mounted on the wall or on the side of a desk.” Pg 44.
“A leader may be about almost any subject”. “A leader [leading articles], unlike the news reports, is always a statement of opinion, an attack, a defence, a critical review of a problem—and it usually recommends that some particular action should be taken.” Pg 46.
“Leaders are planned and written under the direct control of the Editor. Sometimes the Editor may write one of the leaders himself but more often he delegates the task to one of his half-dozen or so professional leader writers, each of whom, besides being an experienced journalist, is an economic or political expert.” Pg 46
“Almost all newspapers put their leaders on one of their centre pages; and on this page they usually publish, in addition, a substantial article on a contemporary problem by some well-known authority on the subject.” Pg 49.
“A feature article is more comprehensive than a news story. Instead of merely reporting facts, a feature examines the implications of an event or a problem at greater length and in a more literary style of writing. Like a leader, a feature may cover almost any subject, from life in a Communist country behind the Iron Curtain to the future of the public schools or the conservation of wild life. Normally the Features Editor aims to publish an article of this kind at a time when the subject is of topical interest, or ‘in the news’. To do this he often has to plan many weeks ahead. For instance, if the King and Queen of Belgium were to pay a State visit to Britain (as indeed they have done), the Features Editor might commission an author some weeks in advance to write an article on the Belgian royal family, for publication on the day of their arrival in England.” Pg 50
“Long-term planning is also essential for the serialization of new books—another prolific source of features. By buying serial rights from the publisher or literary agent, the newspaper is entitled to print extracts from a book before it is published, over a period of days or weeks.” Pg 50.
“Most national daily newspapers devote one or two pages to reviews of new books every week, and many readers rely on these reviews to help them to choose their books and prepare their library lists. The book reviews come under the control of the Literary Editor, who, like the heads of most departments, is always short of space. Into two full pages of a newspaper such as The Daily Telegraph the Literary Editor can fit reviews of perhaps twenty or thirty books—and yet review copies pour into his office from the publishers at an average rate of more than a hundred a week. ” Pg 50.
“Although a gossip column usually carries the name of one person…the feature is in fact almost invariably compiled by several journalists.” Pg 51.
“Perhaps the most independent member of a newspaper’s staff is the travel correspondent.” Pg 52.
“One of the main problems of the Features Editor is to keep up a constant flow of new ideas and to find new ways of treating old themes.” Pg 52.
“A news photograph should show plenty of action: a picture of something actually happening is obviously more instructive and entertaining than a lifeless picture with no action.” Pg 53.
“Line drawings and cartoons reproduce best.” Pg 54.
“In addition there will be a number of freelance cameramen, who will sell their pictures to various markets, and there will also be several photographers from the numerous photographic agencies, which supply the newspapers in much the same way as the news agencies, charging them a reproduction fee for each photograph used. Pg 55.
“…the Art Editor will outline the edges of a section to be reproduced, and will write on the back of the print the size to make the block.” Pg 58.
“Advertising gives a newspaper its editorial independence—the freedom to follow any political line.” Pg 61.
“The type of advertisements a newspaper secures depends partly on its editorial policy”. Pg 62.
“Special firms conduct readership surveys, in the course of which they accumulate information on such points as the age-range of readers, their social status, and the proportion of men and women among them.” Pg 63.
“Not only must they (ads) be distributed evenly throughout the newspaper, but every important customer must be found a good position and at the same time kept clear of rival firms advertising the same kind of product.” Pg 64.
“Newspaper advertising falls into three main groups: ‘financial’, ‘classified’, and ‘display’”. Pg 64.
“Publicity Manager’s job is to establish an ‘image’ of the newspaper in the minds of the public-to publicize the virtues of the newspaper in an effort to win over new regular readers”. Pg 66.
“…the publicity manager will most likely send out posters or bills a week or so beforehand for newsagents to paste on the hoardings in front their shops.” Pg 67.
“…a vicious circle develops. Too little advertising comes in, and so the number of pages has to be cut. The result of this is that many readers, finding less to interest them, give up that newspaper and change over to a rival. Finally, when the next circulation figures are announced, showing a fall in readership, the confidence of the advertisers is shaken. Pg 69.
Reading this book was satisfying for yet another reason. Not having done journalism at anytime, I always have qualms about writing. Even a good piece of writing triggers some doubts in me; endless reworkings are routine. But writing is really difficult--for anybody. The more we read, the more the confusion. So, in my attempts at combining being a voracious reader that my research career demands and loving literature and writing, I have dreamt of taking a journalism course in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan…one of the things to do before I die! Although friends have assured me that I don’t have to do anything like that at all! Anyway, here are some quotes from what I learnt from the book that I find useful and interesting and would like to remember:
“Today British Newspapers are divided into two categories: ‘quality’ and ‘popular’. This is not a class distinction, but a classification of style and methods of news presentation. The quality newspapers report the news in a straightforward, clear-cut style without resorting to slang or other gimmicks to make their reports appear more exciting. The popular newspapers, on the other hand, lay great emphasis on the ‘human’ side of the news; they give prominence to exciting stories about the troubles and exploits of ordinary men and women, often at the expense of duller but perhaps more important news items. Popular newspapers use larger headlines and more and bigger pictures than quality newspapers, and they deliberately employ slang and up-to-date expressions to give their reports more punch. For example, people are ‘rocked’ rather than ‘surprised’; and in football matches goals are seldom ‘scored’: instead the ball is ‘slammed’, ‘blasted’, or ‘hammered’ into the net.” Pg 15
“The difference in approach is blazoned in the headlines-not only by the size of the letters, but also by the wording. When the Russians launched the first woman into space in June 1963 The Daily Telegraph’s headline read ‘Russian Woman Pioneer in Space’ and that of The Times ‘Russia Sends Woman Into’; whereas the Daily Mail splashed ‘Date in Space’ across its front page, and the Daily Express proclaimed ‘MISS UNIVERSE’ in immense capital letters.” Pg 16
“Daily newspapers have three main functions: to inform, to instruct and to entertain”.Pg 18.
A diagram showed clearly who worked under whom and for what. Under the Features, which is what I am obviously interested in: There was the Features Editor, Features Sub-editors under whom there was the Literary Editor, Woman’s editor, Gossip column, Music, theatre, Film, Television Critics etc, Travel, Motoring, Bridge, Chess, Property Correspondents etc and Crossword editor.
“Theoretically the Editor is responsible for every single statement printed: if a libel action is brought against his newspaper, it is he who must defend the action. But in practice the Editor cannot possibly read and check every word that appears in each day’s issue, so he delegates this task to subordinates, and himself concentrates on shaping the general lines of the newspaper’s policy.” Pg 22
“The principal editorial contents of a newspaper comprise news; leading articles or ‘leaders’; feature articles on subjects in the news; women’s page; book reviews; sports reports; theatre, music, art, and film criticisms; and readers’ letters.” Pg 22.
“…one ‘back room’ department of which the entire newspaper staff makes use: the reference library. The library of a national newspaper contains thousands of reference books, and also an immense number of newspaper cuttings.” Pg 24.
“…There are obituaries of eminent people, written while they are still alive and kept in reserve in case they should suddenly die or be killed.” Pg 24.
“A good reporter is a man of many skills. He must write clearly and express himself lucidly; describe people and places so vividly that readers can visualize them; and he must be absolutely accurate I everything he writes leaving no detail unchecked.” Pg 27.
“The provincial correspondents are paid ‘linage’—that is, they are paid according to the number of lines actually printed in the newspaper.” Pg 30.
“Communications have speeded up considerably since 1776, when the Morning Post brought off a sensational sccop by publishing the news of the American Colonies’ Declaration of Independence—forty-four days after the Declaration had been signed!” Pg 37.
“The editorial space is generally divided up by the Assistant Editor and the Features Editor, who allocate each department a certain number of columns.” Pg 39.
“The News Editor reads out his list of news items, explains the significance of each, and tells the Editor and the heads of the different departments how he proposes to treat each story. The Editor and the others then air their views about his arrangements, and suggest possible improvements.” Pg 40
“…a rush of fresh news… may be so dramatic that the original plans will have to be drastically modified.” Pg 40.
“All the written material that comes into a newspaper office is called ‘copy’.” Pg 41.
Copy Taster: A man with considerable experience of editing news, he glances quickly through each story, assesses its value and marks on the first sheet the number of words he considers it worth and the number of the page on which it should be printed.” Pg 41.
“The sub-editor’s main task is to make each story as clear and concise as possible.” Pg 41.
“In the course of cutting the sub-editor may drastically reshape the article; for example, he may try to give the story greater impact by starting with the third or fourth paragraph instead of the first.” Pg 41.
“Feature articles, in which the style of writing is almost as important as the material content, are usually left almost entirely in their original form, especially when they are written by well-known authors. But with news stories, in which the object is simply to state as many facts as possible in as short a space as possible, the sub-editors have a free hand to cut, reshape, and reword as they think fit.” Pg 41-42.
“Besides improving the writing, the sub-editor looks out for mistakes of spelling, punctuation, and grammar; for inconsistencies within the article; for words with double meanings; and for errors of fact.” Pg 42.
“Indeed a false or misleading report about a person may easily result in a libel action being brought against the newspaper.” Pg 42.
“All large newspapers permanently retain a lawyer, who generally sits in the newsroom throughout the evening so that doubtful copy can be submitted to him without delay.” Pg 42.
“Another of the sub-editor’s jobs is to ensure that the newspaper’s ‘style’ is used correctly throughout.” Pg 43.
“The sub-editor…must show originality and imagination in his handling of the different articles, but of course he must never invent facts that are not already in the copy.” Pg 43.
“Copy which is not good enough to be used, or for which no space can be found, is impaled on the ‘spike’ –a length of thick wire with a sharpened end, mounted on the wall or on the side of a desk.” Pg 44.
“A leader may be about almost any subject”. “A leader [leading articles], unlike the news reports, is always a statement of opinion, an attack, a defence, a critical review of a problem—and it usually recommends that some particular action should be taken.” Pg 46.
“Leaders are planned and written under the direct control of the Editor. Sometimes the Editor may write one of the leaders himself but more often he delegates the task to one of his half-dozen or so professional leader writers, each of whom, besides being an experienced journalist, is an economic or political expert.” Pg 46
“Almost all newspapers put their leaders on one of their centre pages; and on this page they usually publish, in addition, a substantial article on a contemporary problem by some well-known authority on the subject.” Pg 49.
“A feature article is more comprehensive than a news story. Instead of merely reporting facts, a feature examines the implications of an event or a problem at greater length and in a more literary style of writing. Like a leader, a feature may cover almost any subject, from life in a Communist country behind the Iron Curtain to the future of the public schools or the conservation of wild life. Normally the Features Editor aims to publish an article of this kind at a time when the subject is of topical interest, or ‘in the news’. To do this he often has to plan many weeks ahead. For instance, if the King and Queen of Belgium were to pay a State visit to Britain (as indeed they have done), the Features Editor might commission an author some weeks in advance to write an article on the Belgian royal family, for publication on the day of their arrival in England.” Pg 50
“Long-term planning is also essential for the serialization of new books—another prolific source of features. By buying serial rights from the publisher or literary agent, the newspaper is entitled to print extracts from a book before it is published, over a period of days or weeks.” Pg 50.
“Most national daily newspapers devote one or two pages to reviews of new books every week, and many readers rely on these reviews to help them to choose their books and prepare their library lists. The book reviews come under the control of the Literary Editor, who, like the heads of most departments, is always short of space. Into two full pages of a newspaper such as The Daily Telegraph the Literary Editor can fit reviews of perhaps twenty or thirty books—and yet review copies pour into his office from the publishers at an average rate of more than a hundred a week. ” Pg 50.
“Although a gossip column usually carries the name of one person…the feature is in fact almost invariably compiled by several journalists.” Pg 51.
“Perhaps the most independent member of a newspaper’s staff is the travel correspondent.” Pg 52.
“One of the main problems of the Features Editor is to keep up a constant flow of new ideas and to find new ways of treating old themes.” Pg 52.
“A news photograph should show plenty of action: a picture of something actually happening is obviously more instructive and entertaining than a lifeless picture with no action.” Pg 53.
“Line drawings and cartoons reproduce best.” Pg 54.
“In addition there will be a number of freelance cameramen, who will sell their pictures to various markets, and there will also be several photographers from the numerous photographic agencies, which supply the newspapers in much the same way as the news agencies, charging them a reproduction fee for each photograph used. Pg 55.
“…the Art Editor will outline the edges of a section to be reproduced, and will write on the back of the print the size to make the block.” Pg 58.
“Advertising gives a newspaper its editorial independence—the freedom to follow any political line.” Pg 61.
“The type of advertisements a newspaper secures depends partly on its editorial policy”. Pg 62.
“Special firms conduct readership surveys, in the course of which they accumulate information on such points as the age-range of readers, their social status, and the proportion of men and women among them.” Pg 63.
“Not only must they (ads) be distributed evenly throughout the newspaper, but every important customer must be found a good position and at the same time kept clear of rival firms advertising the same kind of product.” Pg 64.
“Newspaper advertising falls into three main groups: ‘financial’, ‘classified’, and ‘display’”. Pg 64.
“Publicity Manager’s job is to establish an ‘image’ of the newspaper in the minds of the public-to publicize the virtues of the newspaper in an effort to win over new regular readers”. Pg 66.
“…the publicity manager will most likely send out posters or bills a week or so beforehand for newsagents to paste on the hoardings in front their shops.” Pg 67.
“…a vicious circle develops. Too little advertising comes in, and so the number of pages has to be cut. The result of this is that many readers, finding less to interest them, give up that newspaper and change over to a rival. Finally, when the next circulation figures are announced, showing a fall in readership, the confidence of the advertisers is shaken. Pg 69.
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