Newspaper Production Lecture Note PDF

CHAPTER THREE POSSIBLE STORY SOURCES Introduction The starting point of newspaper production is the gathering of news. In essence, no production can actually take place without news item and other contents to be produced. Students of journalism often wonder how jour...

CHAPTER THREE POSSIBLE STORY SOURCES Introduction The starting point of newspaper production is the gathering of news. In essence, no production can actually take place without news item and other contents to be produced. Students of journalism often wonder how journalists gather volume of information that fills the pages of their news medium. It is important to state therefore that news and other editorial contents of a newspaper do not fall from the moon. They are deliberately searched for, gathered, prepared and delivered for mass consumption (Nwodu; 2006). Nwodu (2006, p.87) further informs that the search for news “takes reporters to various areas and institutions where news items are found”. These are simply the news beats. This unit shall therefore focus attention on beats as sources of news in a given society. 3.1: Meaning of News Beat News beats are simply “special interests areas or places where reporters are assigned to for purpose of continuous coverage” (Nwodu; 2006, p.87). Beat in this context therefore is an institution, agency or establishment were a reporter goes to on regular basis to gather information about happenings in that specific area for publication in his/her news medium. So when a reporter is assigned to a particular beat by the editor, that reporter undertakes the coverage of events emanating from that beat for his/her medium. This is why a reporter who covers a given beat is often called special beat reporter or by the name of the beat he covers. For instance, the reporter who covers energy beat may be branded ‘energy beat reporter’ whereas one assigned to cover economic matters goes by the name, ‘economic beat report’. A specialised reporter therefore is “limited to same aspects of news coverage or to a particular beat” (Nworgu and Nwabueze; 2005, p.55). Once a beat is assigned to a reporter, he/she automatically assumes the responsibility of ensuring daily coverage of activities in that beat. There is a limit to what can go for news from that beat. According to Nwodu (2006, p,88) 1 Newspaper Production 2024 “news from advertising agencies, news release, news from roving reporters and special assignment reporters are hardly regarded as news from the beats”. News from the beat must therefore come from a specific news area. News beat is therefore very crucial in news gathering and production. The relevance of news beat in the process of news gathering, processing and production according to Nwodu (2006, p. 88) includes among others: It enhances day to day work of news organizations by making news readily available. It boasts the quality and quantity of news carried by news organization. It leads to specialization in news reporting. The more a reporter covers a special beat the more he specializes in the coverage of such beat. 3.2: Major News Beats in Ethiopia We earlier define news beats as specific areas where a reporter is officially assigned to for continuous reporting. In this segment, we shall examine some of the common news beats in Ethiopia and the major information usually sought from such beats. The beat as Nwodu (2006, p.88-89) categorizes them are: 1. Police/Crime Beat This is where crime beat reporters usually go to obtain follow up information about judicial killing/assassination, arrest of hooligans and robbery suspects, arson and various criminal activities. The major contact person that clarifies issues when reporters seem to be in doubt or needs to attribute information/stories on crime suspect, rounding off criminals, exposing hideouts for criminals, parading of crime suspects is usually the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO). The reporter assigned to this beat also covers police special events like press conference, passing out parade (POP), anniversaries, and sundry social activities of the police. Note that institutions like Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) come under this beat. 2. Judiciary or Court Beat. Covering judiciary beat seems to be the hardest aspect of reporting. This is because of the kind of jargons often used in the administration of justice. However, reporters assigned to this beat often monitor and report updates of celebrated and or controversial cases relating to misappropriation of public fund by top governments/public officials, rape, cases of divorce involving public figures etc. 2 Newspaper Production 2024 The judiciary beat reporter also reports social functions relating to judiciary and sundry matters like appointment of justice, judges and magistrates; call to bars; special court session for departed colleague; judicial panel of inquiry; human rights activities etc. 3. Government Communication Correspondence The beat reporters cover government activities including their actions and inactions. Government here covers both the federal, state and local governments. So it is the responsibility of the beat reporter to always report the activities of the president, the governors, the local government chairman, and their aids on regular basis. Note the emphasis is on the executive arm of the government. 4. Legislative/Parliament Beat Reporter The national and state assemblies as well as the local government council are very important news sources. For this reason, newspaper edition in Ethiopia and indeed elsewhere usually assign people to cover the activities happening in these assemblies and even in the constituencies and wards they represent. 5. Science, Power and Mines. Many a time, the scientific and technological lives of a nation are faced with a number of developments and challenges. A breakthrough in medical/biological science, an advancement in a given aspect of technology, construction of dam, breakdown in power installations, appointments in ministry of science and technology; and so on are all newsworthy. It takes the effort of science, power and mines beat reporter to chronicle the activities for use in the production of newspaper. 6. Agriculture This beat is also very crucial to newspaper audience in Ethiopia. This is so because both subsistent and large scale mechanized agriculture are practiced in Ethiopia. The agricultural beat reporters therefore work closely with Ministry of Agriculture and extension service inorder to continuously report developments, issues and sundry activities in the industry. 7. Education The beat reporter is concerned with continuous coverage of education Ministry; tertiary, secondary and primary educational institutions, issues and developments in the educational industry. 8. Sports 3 Newspaper Production 2024 The reporter assigned to this beat, covers every aspect of sports and the ministry of sports, Because of the enormous interest Ethiopians have in sports and the broad range of sporting activities that go on in the country newspaper editors often assign reporters to cover different aspects of sporting activities. For instance, the reporter that covers football for a newspaper may differ from the one that covers marathon race or boxing etc. 9. Recreation and Leisure Entertainment is a thriving business in Ethiopia today. The home movies (both English and Local languages subtitle) are thriving. Comedians are waxing strong. The music industry is flourishing. Fast food industry is booming. In all, people are increasingly realizing the importance of hanging out in recreation centers to be entertained and to give their lives good treat. So reporting entertainment and recreation has become a serious news beat where reporters are assigned to for freq uent coverage. So the reporters report activities taking place in recreation centers with emphasis on: who is doing what in the industry, and the activities of the movie/entertainment stars. 10. Banking /Finance As the name implies, this beat involves banking, insurance, assurance, stock market and sundry financial institutions that service business and economic activities of a country. So the beat reporter is saddled with the responsibility of covering events, development and challenges arising from this beat. 11. Armed Forces/Para-Military Beat This beat covers the Army, Navy, Air force, Custom, Immigration, Civil Defence, Road Marshal (safety) and sundry institutions meant to protect the territorial integrity of the nation. In some newspaper organizations that have strong financial base and are well staffed, reporters are usually assigned to different arms of this beat. However, in some fledging ones, a reporter can cover all including police though not effectively. Health/Hospital Beat The reporter of health /hospital beat undertakes the coverage of health related issues including activities taking place in the health ministry. He/she reports epidemic, discovery of new diseases, vaccines, new health challenges, healthy health practices etc. 12. Foreign Affairs 4 Newspaper Production 2024 The beat reporter reports internal & external affairs, diplomacy and polices. Often times, the beat reporter can travel to other nations to cover special events like UN Session, a country’s General elections and other international issues of interest to the nation. The beat reporter most times monitors the wire service and extract international news he thinks will be of interest to the newspaper audience. CHAPTER FOUR 4. DEPARTMENTS, PERSONNEL AND COPY FLOW Newspaper organization has various departments taking care of a variety of tasks. Each department has a specified function with several staff taking care of each function. Various departments that are a part of a newspaper organization include: 1. Editorial department 2. Advertising department 3. Circulation department 4. Printing department 5. Administrative department 6. Stores department 7. IT Department 1. EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT The editorial department forms the backbone of any newspaper organization. As the name implies, this department is the one responsible for content creation in any newspaper establishment. The main responsibilities of this department is the gathering of news, selecting which news and features 5 Newspaper Production 2024 get to be published in the paper, editing the news and features that have been selected for publication and then laying them out for print. Following chart represents the hierarchy of the department followed by a brief description of the functions performed by various staff members. Publisher- The publisher is responsible for all of the operations of the newspaper, both editorial and business. The main job of the publisher is to see that the newspaper remains financially healthy. Editor- The editor is responsible for all of the editorial content of the newspaper and for the budgets and money spent by the editorial side of the newspaper. Often in smaller papers, the publisher and editor is the same person. 6 Newspaper Production 2024 Editorial page editor- The editorial page editor is responsible for the editorial page and the "op- ed" page of the newspaper. These pages are where the newspaper's editorials are printed as well as letters to the editor, columns by syndicated columnists and guest columns by local people. Managing editor- This is the person who is in charge of the day-to-day production of the newspaper. City Editor- The city editor -sometimes called the metro editor -is in charge of the news coverage of the area in which the newspaper is located. The city editor usually has the largest staff and assigns tasks to most of the local news reporters. News reporter- A news reporter gathers information about news stories in the local area. There are generally two kinds of reporters: i) a beat reporter, and ii) a general assignment reporter. A beat reporter covers the same subject or location all the time. The subject is generally of interest to the reporter. Various beats include legal reporting, parliamentary reporting, political reporting, etc. A general assignment reporter, on the other hand, covers any story assigned by the city editor or assistant city editor. Chief copy editor- The chief copy editor is in charge of the newspaper's copydesk. The people on the copydesk read news stories (and sometimes stories from other sections) to make sure they are written according to the newspaper's standards. The chief copy editor makes final decisions about the copy and is in charge of the staffing of the desk. Copy editor- A copy editor is specially trained to read the stories that others have written and make sure they conform with the rules of grammar and style. A copy editor also writes headlines and performs other duties that help produce the newspaper every day. Photo editor- A photo editor is not a photographer, although it is often the case that the photo editor is a former photographer. This editor assigns photographers and helps select the photos that the newspaper prints. Graphics editor- The graphics editor is the head of the graphics department, sometimes called the "art department." This editor is in charge of all of the graphics and illustrations produced for the newspaper. 7 Newspaper Production 2024 Graphics reporter- A graphics reporter researches and designs informational graphics that support news stories the paper. A graphics reporter is an expert in graphic forms and also must be able to local information that can be used to build graphics. 2. ADVERTISEMENT DEPARTMENT As an integral mass media vehicle, newspapers are vehicles of advertising meant to appeal to their readers. As such, the advertising department is the one which is critical because it gets in the revenue necessary to sustain the newspaper. Getting in revenue through advertising for the newspaper happens through various means. There can be several sections in this department one to look after local advertising, one for classified ads, one for general / national advertising, one for legal advertising and yet another one for preparing copy and so on. For example, there is a complete sales team in place, whose job it is to push the newspaper as an advertising vehicle of choice to advertising and media buying agencies acting on behalf of clients, as well as clients. The Advertising department will accept and process orders from advertisers, to book space in the newspapers, as well as create ads, give agencies statistics and information about the circulation and readership of the newspaper as well, as well as work with the editorial teams to create space, the department carries out a number of functions, including accepting and processing orders from advertisers, creating advertisements, providing media information to advertisers and advertising agencies, helping businesses develop advertising plans and working with editorial teams to develop features that will attract advertisers or help clients place their products with a coordinated editorial write up. 3. CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT The circulation department takes care of everything after the newspaper is printed. This includes delivering the publication to homes through their own or third-party carriers, to the post office to be mailed into homes, as well as to newsstands, vending machines, and other places it's circulated. It is usually headed by a major executive, the circulation manager, since the newspaper ultimately stands or falls on the basis of the number of steady readers that can be enrolled. The circulation manager may have any or all of the following subdivisions under his supervision: 8 Newspaper Production 2024 (i) City Circulation: It involves the maintenance of circulation records for the city of publication; the recruitment, supervision and reimbursement of carrier boys; the: supervision of district men who oversee circulation by subdivisions of the city, taking responsibility for moving papers to the news-stands, relations with news-stand operators, etc. (ii) Area Circulation: Responsibilities here include getting papers destined for the surrounding area into the mail and operation of a fleet of tempos/taxis to carry the papers into surrounding areas where mail service is not rapid enough.The circulation manager is also in charge of moving the papers into the appropriate distribution channels as they move into the mailing room from the press room. (iii) Sales Promotion: It involves the direction of an office staff to keep records, notifying subscribers when their subscrip¬tions need renewing, the handling of complaints, new subscriptions and renewals over the counter, by mail, etc. Promotion is essentially the "public relations" department of the newspaper. Where a separate promotion department exists, it usually is responsible for initiating promotion policies, subject to the approval of the publisher, and usually coordinates the promotional activities of other departments 4. PRINTING DEPARTMENT This is another department in a newspaper establishment whose name simply tells people the job that they perform. This department is responsible for the printing of the newspapers. The department is in charge of everything that has to do with the production and printing of the papers, which includes, transforming journalists’ stories into type and maintaining the printing machines. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT This department is responsible for the general administration of the entire establishment. The department is in charge of certain very important duties such as planning, organizing and staffing. Thus, the department basically looks after the general administrative work pertaining to personnel their selection, training, promotion, allotment of work, maintaining leave record, liaison with government departments, general facilities and all such work that facilitates working of other departments. In the absence of a separate legal department the administrative department also 9 Newspaper Production 2024 handles the work pertaining to legal matters. Otherwise there is a separate department for the legal aspects 6. STORES DEPARTMENT This is a department that has one sole responsibility which is to properly store newsprint and all the raw materials used for printing. They also store all other materials that are used in the establishment. 7. IT DEPARTMENT This department is in charge of protecting, maintaining, and improving the technical equipment associated with running a media outlet. Engineers/technicians spend some of their time on preventive maintenance and trying to keep equipment from breaking and much more of their time fixing equipment that has already broken. This last job is especially important, considering that the high cost of new technology makes it difficult to replace equipment. Like the production/printing department, this department is not a part of the news department but still plays an important part in the newscast. This department is mostly headed by the Chief Engineer. He/She is responsible for all operations and maintenance that has to do with any and all engineering equipment used throughout the organization. Chief engineer has to manage and maintain complex integrated systems with minimum supervision and maintain and repair of all technical equipment in the organization. This position requires the ability to troubleshoot, diagnose and handle the tools necessary to repair newsroom equipment and effectively present information and respond to question from managers, clients, customers and public. A solid working knowledge of the latest gadgets, computers, hardware, parts and related software with practical knowledge of electrical, plumbing and basic construction techniques is helpful. Chief Engineer presides over ground-keeping technician. 4 2. PERSONNEL IN EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT The primary concern of the copy editor in the organizational chart of his newspaper is, of course, the editorial department. Here the description is not so easy, since very marked differences are discernible from one newspaper to another. However, a typical organizational scheme would go something like this: 10 Newspaper Production 2024 The editorial department actually has two sides, and usually these are separately responsible to the publisher. They are “news” and “editorial”. The news side is usually under the supervision of a managing or executive editor. The editorial page crew consists of editorial writers and is directed by a “chief editorial writer,” and “editor”, or “editor-in-chief”, or sometimes an “editorial page editor”. (i) The News Desk: All stories destined for the newspaper, whether they come from the typewriters of reporters and rewrite men or from the several wire services, teleprinters and other sources-require editing. This duty falls chiefly on the copyreader who sits on the horseshoe shape table called the desk. The city editor and other editors read all the copy. In the old days there was what was called the universal desk system under which the desk editor handled everything that came in. Nowdays, even in small dailies, the work is usually divided between the city desk and the teleprinter’s desk. Between them they edit the copy and write headlines for all spot news-everything except sports and financial coverage. The independent or separate desk system in operation on a large scale allocates the news of different readers, each of whom has his own team of copyreaders. The editors with a crew of men edit the news designated as cable, teleprinter, city beats, society, business, finance, sports and reserve news. In larger newspapers there is a separate desk for international news. Where the system is the universal desk or separate desk, the process of editing runs along similar lines, in which case the story goes to a ‘slot man’ who sits at the head but on the inside rim of the horseshoe desk. This editor, called the news editor, glances through the copy quickly, gauges its relative importance, determines the space it should occupy-200 words or a half or three-quarters of a column- and decides the type on the copy and passes it on to one of his copyreaders who sits on the rim of the horseshoe. 11 Newspaper Production 2024 This copyreader, also called the desk man, rim man or ‘mechanic’ of the editorial room, is the anonymous and frequently unappreciated collaborator of the writer. Newsmen or correspondents who see his blue pencil flay their cherished prose, have no words of praise for him. Neil Mac Neil in his book “Without Fear or Favour” indicates the newsman’s true worth. He says that the reputation of many a star reporter rests partly on the work done by rim man in the green eye shade who comes out the reporter’s cliches and trims them, to pieces. Only where the copyreader happens to be a former reporter, driven to the horseshoe desk by the dint of seniority, does the correspondent feel encouraged. Copyreaders are generally paid higher than reporters. The work holds out attractions for men with editorial ability. The chances for advancement are good as the copy desk is a recruiting ground for office executives. The work is mainly two-fold: the editing of the story and the construction of a suitable headline for it. The amount, of this work varies with each paper and even at different timings on each day. On a big desk the copyreader may edit from 10 to 15 columns. His editorial function is to bring each news that comes to him up to par. As he picks up the copy and reads; he forms general conclusions about the story in hand. Has it news value? If it hasn’t, then it is not worth printing. Is it accurate and fair? Inaccurate and uncertain items are no; wanted by a good newspaper. If at all he selects anything which is dubious or doubtful, he takes the responsibility for published inaccuracies. Is it libellous? An item that contains words or implications that may get the paper into legal difficulties has to have the danger spots eliminated. Is it complete? Is the treatment fragmentary and partial? Will it lead the reader up in the air? If so, its details must be rounded, with or without the help of background materials. If the item meets these qualifications, the copyreader starts his editing to fit his paper’s requirements. These requirements may vary but, as a general rule, we take it that the paper requires. (i) Clearness: 12 Newspaper Production 2024 The reader must have no difficulty in finding out what the story means. (ii) Condensation: The copyreader must cut and condense each story to the length assigned to it. Condensation applies to words and not to ideas. Verbal frills may go but the meaning must remain. Condensation is done by substituting short words for long ones-even smaller words tor bigger ones; for example, ‘try’ in place of ‘endeavour’. (iii) Arrangement: The copyreader’s notion of arrangement differs from that of the literary man. It is based on the convention of the Mead’ which puts the important parts first and the least important parts last. It also makes for the sequence of ideas. (iv) Style: The copyreader’s style has nothing to do with literary quality. It refers to particular rules which his paper has laid down for spelling, punctuation, capitalisation, abbreviation, use of numerals and the like. The copyreader edits his copy along the foregoing principles by means of a set of standardised copy reading symbols, which tell the typesetter what section to omit, when to transpose, when to spell a word out and when to contract. He then proceeds to check the copy paragraphs and if the story has sufficient length, supplies sub-heads. CHAPTER FIVE ENDING NEWSPAPER ARTICLES SUCCESSFULLY 13 Newspaper Production 2024 Editing is a process of deciding on the content and form/language of media texts (written, spoken, visual). As such, it is a process of teamwork among reporters, section editors and copy editors meant to make copies improved. As stated in the above definition, Editing is not just a matter of rectifying the form/language of texts. It is not an activity which merely involves making corrections levelled at textual infelicities; it is more than that. It is a matter of deciding on the form and content (essence) of texts. Editing is not just a matter of deleting, cutting out unnecessary materials from texts; it is also a matter of adding missing elements. 5.1 Editing: more than correcting spelling errors Students in editing classes often are shocked to learn what a wide range of skills editing encompasses. Some of the basic ones are nicely summarized as follows: As a matter of routine, the editor, the copyeditor more specifically, (the last person to see copy before it is set into type), is expected to be an expert on all issues dealt with by the newspaper. In addition, it is assumed that the copy editor also is an infallible authority on any matters of English style, grammar and usage.... Beyond demonstrating these attributes each day and at a pace that offers scant opportunity for contemplation or reflection, the editor/copy editor also must write headlines: sometimes two or more for each story, sometimes new ones for each edition. Editors must summarize the story, accurately and concisely. They must fit the space assigned, and they must in a few words seize the attention and interest of the reader. That may sound like a lot, but it’s only the beginning. Editors also must be able to judge the importance of material, deftly condense wordy writing, add punch to dull passages, solve ethical and legal problems, and spot holes and contradictions in writing. More and more, editors also are expected to be as fluent in graphic communication as in written, so that they can package information for easy reader access. Therefore, editors also need to know how to select type, choose and crop photos, design pages, and select graphs and charts to complement or replace words. Rare is the person who can demonstrate a mastery of all these skills. But time spent improving your skills in these areas is a wise investment, whether you plan to work on newspapers, magazines or newsletters or in public relations or advertising. Here’s why: 14 Newspaper Production 2024  The ability to communicate accurately and clearly is necessary for every type of media job. Whether you’re writing memos to co-workers or letters to the public, reporting information or trying to sell a product, you must get the details right and make sure readers can understand the message. Carole M. Howard, vice president of public relations and communications policy for the Reader’s Digest Association Inc., gave just that message to aspiring public relations practitioners: “Above all, you must be able to write and edit for all type of media including print (especially news releases), video scripts, slide shows, corporate ads and speeches.” Another professional, Art Spikol, writer, editor and longtime columnist for Writer’s Digest, writes: “Everything counts. When I get a letter or a resume with a spelling error, it may well change my opinion of the writer. I may even toss it into the trash.” In today’s media, the line between writing and editing is blurred. Many writers have to act as their own editors; many editors do little except write. Skill in editing can lead to increased job prospects in a glutted market. You are more desirable as an employee and have more potential markets to fit into. This is important at a time when an increasing percentage of mass communication graduates are taking the only job offer they receive—and many others are going for long periods with no offers. We should be aware of certain problem areas in which reporters commonly make mistakes of a serious sort, and about which we should therefore be doubly alert. These areas include the following: - Spelling of names. If you are not absolutely certain, it alwayspays to check the spelling of a name. This one time, John Smith may turn out to be Jon Psmith! - Addresses. In the experience of this old copy editor, reporters often get addresses wrong, so it pays to double check. - Geographical details. Reporters are even more prone to get geographical details wrong — to place Peace River, Alta., above the 57th Parallel, for example, or describe a lake as being downstream from a dam, or place the capital of British Columbia upon Victoria Island. Most newsrooms have an atlas — use it! - Sums and percentages. As a class, reporters are bad with numbers. Check their arithmetic. If their percentages don’t add up to 100, query them and provide an explanation for readers. This means you should learn the formula for calculating percentages. - Dates. Reporters tend also to be bad with history. Check their dates. Don’t let them sell you a wooden nickel with the date B.C. stamped on one side! 15 Newspaper Production 2024 - Location and descriptions of past events. For the same reason, editors should be particularly alert when handling copy that purports to describe and explain historical events. Reporters frequently get it wrong. Check again. - Canadian Constitutional details. Sad to say, Canadian reporters are often unfamiliar with Canadian constitutional law, and too familiar — by osmosis, presumably — the U.S. version. Canadians don’t directly elect their prime minister, nor can they plead the Fifth— except colloquially. (Although you can’t really read Americans the Riot Act, either.) What comes under provincial jurisdiction in Canada may be a federal responsibility in the U.S. Finland has no “federal” government — Fin land not being a federation. Copy editors need to know these things. Trust your instincts! If something seems wrong — or not quite right — check it again! Every fact and figure presented by a reporter should be suspected. Consider the following: The downing of the Iranian aircraft brought memories of the sinking of the liner Lusitania on May 1, 1916, in which 1,195 lives were lost after the American liner was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of England. What would you question about that sentence? The reporter got the casualty count right. Alas, Lusitania was torpedoed off the west coast of Ireland and she set said on May 1, though in 1915, and managed to stay afloat until May 7. Moreover, while she was loaded with Americans, she was a British liner. It was, however, the Germans who did the deed. What about this one: Alberta government employees in Grande Prairie and Peace River are celebrating the province’s decision to give extra vacation days to government workers who live north of the 57th Parallel. But why? Grande Prairie and Peace River are south of the 57th ! Remember, thanks to the Internet, checking is easy. Finally, another form of common error in a story is the inclusion of facts that are inconsistent with one another. The facts of a story must be consistent. If facts in one paragraph seem to contradict those in another paragraph, a change must be made to one case or the other, or an explanation must be provided. Frequently, for example, reporters will describe criminals feeing from their scene of their crime by one route in one part of a story, and have them take another route in another part of the same story. 16 Newspaper Production 2024 However, reporters are particularly likely to introduce inconsistent facts in their leads. They do this because they are trying to hype or torque their leads beyond what the true facts of the story will support in order to get better play. The good copy editor will be on the alert for this kind of inconsistency in leads. For example, a story may say the mayor denounced waste in city departments. But the context of his remarks may merely be mildly critical. If he mildly criticizes or suggests reforms, that is not enough to support a lead claiming he denounced anything. Consider the following example: Calgary Mayor Al Duerr Tuesday denounced the waste of taxpayers' money by city departments. “We must ensure that city taxes are not wasted,” Duerr said. “Every dollar must be spent carefully, and a dollar's worth of service must be obtained from it for the people of Calgary. “I am tired of hearing attacks on this municipal government by people who do not understand the cost of running a city without the support we had from the provincial government only a few years ago.” Clearly, in this made-up example, Duerr is not denouncing the waste of taxpayers’ money, he is denouncing people who criticize his city for wasting money. The copy editor must soften or change the terms to bring the lead into conformity with the quoted statement and the facts of the story. 5.2. The Professionally Dirty Mind To do her job properly, a journalist must cultivate a “professionally dirty mind.” This doesn’t mean, of course, that journalists should speak offensively, or while away the hours in the newsroom telling obnoxious jokes. Moreover, there’s more to a professionally dirty mind than mere smut. He point is that as professionals who work with words and language, journalists — especially copy editors and above all headline writers — must be constantly aware that words and phrases can have alternate meanings and must be alert to possible unintended meanings that might creep into print. Unintended meanings in journalism often come about in one of two ways: because a word or phrase has an alternate or slang meaning, or because the position of the words, or the use of punctuation, unintentionally conveys the wrong impression. So, for an example of the first sort, to describe an unmarried man as a bachelor may, in certain contexts, imply to the reader that the man is homosexual. Therefore, to write “Mr. Smith, a bachelor…” may be, depending on the context of the story, to court danger. 17 Newspaper Production 2024 In Britain, to write the phrase “assisting the police with their inquiries” implies that someone is in custody, suspected of a crime, but not yet charged. In Canada, journalists don’t have to play quite so cute in such circumstances. In the United States, they don’t have to worry about this implication at all. Nevertheless, merely using the phrase may carry the connotation of crime. Likewise, people are often referred to as “tired and emotional” to imply that they were drunk. This may seem funny, or merely a minor ethical issue, but it can have serious consequences. In Canadian defamation law it doesn’t matter what you meant to say, it matters what readers understood you to mean. So if Mr. Smith is, say, the president of the League to Preserve Traditional Marriage and he can produce witnesses willing to testify in court that they took the bachelor reference to mean he was gay, he may very well have grounds to successfully sue you. The second type of miscommunication happens when you start out to say one thing and end up saying quite another — often with unintentionally hilarious results. The Lethbridge Herald copy editor meant to write a headline saying an intoxicated man who broke the window of a pawnshop and stole a violin would be sentenced to nine months in jail. What he wrote, famously, was: Drunk gets nine months in violin case Even the positioning of punctuation in a sentence can dramatically change its meaning. Consider the meaning of the following sentences, with and without commas: The woman, who is married, is happy. The woman who is married is happy. We have all seen lists of funny headlines with unintended meanings. As journalists, we should not wish to have our work end up on one. To avoid this, we need to be as precise as possible, to read what we have written carefully to ensure that we have not added an unintended meaning. Journalists therefore should be alert to puns. Summary - No one can predict the errors journalists will introduce into their copy. - Errors are inevitable when news is breaking because a clear picture of unfolding events is not available. - Errors are also inevitable, however, because reporters may be lazy, in a hurry, inattentive, or mistaken in their beliefs. - Copy editors need broad knowledge in a wide variety of areas. 18 Newspaper Production 2024 - The best way to get that knowledge is to read widely. - Since we can’t all know everything about everything, it helps to have newspaper copy read by several people — time permitting. - Several problem areas can be identified where reporters make errors of fact. These include: o Spelling of names. o Addresses. o Geographical details. o Sums and percentages. o Dates. o Locations and descriptions of past events. - Leads need to be consistent with the facts as stated in the story. - Beware of, and be prepared to change, leads that overstate the facts in the story. 19 Newspaper Production 2024