Visit 10 big and small newspaper offices' editorial department's news desks and watch all the shift Chief-subs as to the process of selection of news. News principally comes from three sources -city desk, Bureaus, and, the wire. From the wire it is from two sources own correspondents based in capital cities of a state or news agencies. Since the arrival of the computers, the way of doing things have transformed. Several of the previously seen manual practices have ceased to exist and everything now travels online from desk-to-desk until the print-ready page is finalized. The final copy is viewed at one or two stages but the editorials and front pages is viewed at three-four tiers and then Okayed.
One would find that most of the wire stuff i.e. news inputs from agencies as well as letters to the editor's columns is rejected because it is (i) troublesome for certain individuals, (ii) it doesn't suit the policy of the publishers (iii) it may not suit the revenue providers and editors (iv) is may invite legal action against the paper (v) it may be a piece of poor writing or the news content is not worthy of a thing.
Earlier, during manual mode days, the Chief sub's and sub-editor's desk side used to have large dustbins in which the wire copies were thrown. As regards correspondent's copies that were received bia post from moffusil reporters until mid-1980s, it were redrafted and if the field retainer reporter had good relations, it got published.
Obviously, the material that lands or transmitted to a np office as news and features is enormous and it required patience and tranquil environment to select and transmit it to the editor concerned -subject-wise and department wise. Major newspapers publish several editors from one printing place and can have multiple place-editions for geographical coverage. The national capital newspapers, as can be understood, focus on national politics and international diplomacy and national government. What one sees in his copy in the morning edition is not that a newspaper establishment publishes on a print-cycle day and hours but may handle more than 10000-100000 items of which only 5-10 percent are utilized. Even multiple edition newspapers don't publish look-alike copies e.g. the first edition of a Delhi paper usually called taxi-edition is over by 5 pm and then followed by 'the city' and 'late city' editions. The copies to be printed are known. There are rotary machines that churn out 1.5 lack copies in just 2 hours. Printing technology has advanced to amazing standards and capacity during the last four decades, since I was first exposed to a newspaper printing press in the Tribune, Chandigarh, The HT and TOI, both at Delhi. News business is nowadays done with mazing speed and accuracy but content editors and watchers have a heavy time. The selection of the news and content on politically, economically, diplomatically, and security and scientifically sensitive issues is doubly watched and consequences weighed before it is printed for circulation or published. Obviously editors have a heavy responsibly on shoulders and the routine is daily accomplished.
Comments
Post a Comment