What is news?

Newly received or noteworthy information, especially about recent events. When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news.

Charles Anderson Dana, American journalist, 1819-1897 Well, news is anything that's interesting, that relates to what's happening in the

world, what's happening in areas of the culture that would be of interest to your audience.  Kurt Loder, American journalist, b. 1945

To a journalist, good news is often not news at all.  Phil Donahue, American entertainer, b. 1935

No news is good news.  Ludovic Halevy, French author, 1834-1908 [News is] a first rough draft of history.  Philip L. Graham, American publisher, 1915-

1963 The real news is bad news. Marshall Mcluhan, Canadian communications theorist,

1911-1980 News is what a chap who doesn't care much about anything wants to read. And it's

only news until he's read it. After that it's dead.  Evelyn Waugh, British author, 1903-1966

A good newspaper is a nation talking to itself. Arthur Miller, American writer, 1915-2005

If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails of that country will be filled with good people. Daniel Moynihan, American politician and diplomat, 1927-2003

In war, truth is the first casualty. Aeschylus, Greek dramatist, 525 BC - 456BC

Hard News Vs. Soft News

News stories are basically divided into two types: hard news and soft news. Hard new generally refers to up-to-the-minute news and events that are reported immediately, while soft news is background information or human-interest stories.Politics, war, economics and crime used to be considered hard news, while arts, entertainment and lifestyles were considered soft news.But increasingly, the lines are beginning to blur. Is a story about the private life of a politician “politics” or “entertainment”? Is an article about the importance of investing early for retirement a “business” story or a “lifestyle” story? Judging solely on subject matter, it can be difficult to tell.One difference between hard and soft news is the tone of presentation. A hard news story takes a factual approach: What happened? Who was involved? Where and when did it happen? Why?

A soft news story tries instead to entertain or advise the reader. You may have come across newspaper or TV stories that promise “news you can use.” Examples might be tips on how to stretch properly before exercising, or what to look for when buying a new computer.Knowing the difference between hard and soft news helps you develop a sense of how news is covered, and what sorts of stories different news media tend to publish or broadcast. This can be important when you want to write articles or influence the media yourself.

Elements of News

Top ten elements that make a story newsworthy.1. Timeliness

How recent a story is. Not all of the story needs to be timely.2. Proximity

How near to you a story is. People are generally more interested in stories that are geographically close to them.

3. ConsequenceHow many people are impacted by the story. Examples: new laws, taxes, etc.

4. ProminenceThe more famous a person is, the more likely they are to make the news. If you and the president both went to lunch, only the president would make the news.

5. DramaThe more movie-like a story is, the more newsworthy it is. Whenever life and death hang in the balance, it is news

6. OddityWhenever strange things happen, it will make the news. It can also occur with events that only happen once every great while.

7. ConflictWhenever there are two opposing side to an issue. This can also be taken literally… a fight or argument.

8. EmotionsPeople love reading stories that play on emotion. “Awwwwww” factor

9. SexShould always be reported in a mature manner. Deals with marriage, divorce, dating, etc.

10. ProgressAny new discovery or helpful invention can make the news. This can also be a timely update on a long-standing project.Don’t forget!The more of these elements you combine, the more newsworthy a story is. Rarely will a story just have one element if it is on the front page.

Factors which modify news value

1- Newspaper Policy– Owner or publisher may decide certain items/viewpoints. censorship

2- Reader Interest– The Wall Street Journal, USA Today

3- Space Limitations– Depends on no. of pages, program duration, advertisements

4- Advertiser Pressure– Threat to withhold advertisements, e.g. pesticides, beverages, telecom

companies5- Legal Restrictions

– Libelous, obscene, invasion of privacy, violation of standards of good taste. Needs to be carefully discussed and write prior to being printed

6- Relationship to previously-published news stories– Ongoing stories, with each development needs to be reported.– Follow-up , promise made or action proposed

7- Relationship to other news of the day– On a slow news day, local festival

8- Attitudes of reporters toward particular subjects– It is better to write story and let the readers decide.

Basic Approaches to NewsIn journalism, news story writing requires that the questions to be answered take a basic form:• Who is it about?• What is it about?• When did it happen?• Where did it happen?• Why did it happen?• How did it happen?

WhatIn journalism, the "what" identifies an event and is often stated in the "lead (or lede)," the first paragraph of a news story.• What is about ideas and events, projects and problems, dollars and disasters• Journo’s job to monitor, explain, dig out stories from different beats• WHAT gives news its substance; the WHO gives humanity & personality

• E.g. business, science stories are dull because they are primarily about WHAT

WhoA news story identifies who an event involves. The "who" may be part of the lede, and could be the reason the story is news worthy.The Who celebrities, movers and shakers, rich and powerful, weird and wacky

– Who’s involved?– Who’s affected?– Who’s going to benefit?– Who’s getting screwed?– Who keeps the topic real

Journalism provides perfect excuse for letting you ask intimate questions of total strangersWhenA key part of a news story is describing when an event happened. Stories happen in Past, present and future• Timeliness is essential to every story. Media saturated 24 hr cable network and

online delivery culture. They want you to tell when events happened, when will happen and how long they will last.

• Keep eyes on the clock, for two reasons:– To answer WHEN in every story– To finish story before deadline

WhereA news story reports the location at which an event took place.• Crucial, closer the event, more relevant it will be.• Add visuals, maps etc• Where will they build new airport?• Where did police find the body?

WhyThe "why" is usually the most neglected of the questions in the framework. News stories often lack information from authoritative sources to explain the "why."• Why makes the news meaningful• Good Journalism reports the news, great journalism explains it• Why is this law necessary?• Why will it cost so much?• Why should we care?

HowFor journalists, determining how an event took place may be nearly as challenging as explaining the "why," although more effort is usually put into satisfying the question.• Clear, concise way… detailed explanation

• How will this plan work?• How did the prisoner escape?• HOW TO stories are mostly feature stories

ConclusionThe 5W1H framework can be applied to any topic at any level of granularity to gather, analyze and present information from the simplest to the most complex.

Difference b/w Reporter & Journalist

"Reporter" is a specific role: Someone who gathers facts and information from multiple sources, verifies them and writes a story or relays (reports) those findings in a TV, radio or Internet broadcast.

"Journalist" includes anyone who is part of the editorial process of gathering and disseminating news: Reporters, editors, producers, photographers, camera operators, news columnists, etc.

Profile of a Reporter

1- Nose for News: Authorities feel that nose for news in inborn But this virtue can be inculcated by training and practice. Lord Northcliffe: if a dog bites a man, it is not news, but if a man bites a dag it is news. If we believe in it, then it is not difficult for a journalist to train himself in developing the nose for news. But if a journalist is out in the field, he is likely to fall upon one story or the other or meet personality who will certainly become a source of some news.

2- Memory for faces: Young reporter must a good memory for faces. Cultivate sixth sense to make full use of opportunities.

3- Remembering from pictures4- Making Friendships5- Sense of Responsibility6- Adjust balance of things7- Keep interests of the organization without sacrificing public good

Personal Qualities of ReporterThe best news gathering is done by the reporter who has the following personal qualities

1- Intense interest in people2- Ability to meet and converse with all kinds of people3- Inspire confidence and make people feel at ease4- Ability to speak and write standard urdu/english5- Resourcefulness and perseverance (resolve) to obtain difficult story

6- Sense of responsibility and punctuality7- Willingness to respect, considers requests, keep promises8- Desire to do more than is assigned9- Ability to work quickly and accurately10-Realization that every story usually has two sides. Withhold judgment until al facts

are known11-Broad interests12-Educational background13-Nose for news14-Relative importance of facts15-Keenness of observation16-Extensive reading 17-Extensive vocabulary

Dos & Don’ts of a reporter

Know the rules, strategy, team, player records of reports Exercise good teams during practice Interpreting difficult decisions who are too busy to notice exactly what happens Observe accurately Take notes quickly without losing sequence of events Be fair and unbiased even you have a favourite Support opinions with facts Use specialized language of the event Avoid slangs, let the facts describe action Does not attempt to do anything more than present the facts Have a formal line-up Inform readers what lies behind actual events in history Write in more lively way Don’t show bias (optimistic or pessimistic) guesses about an event Present a logical analysis based on research, observation, practices, previous

conversations Compare records Give attention to what may be expected to happen

Sources

Newswriting depends on information. The quality of the information depends on its sourcehaving the latest, most accurate, most credible information. Writing is important but secondary to reporting. The WORLD OF SOURCES INVOLVES

1- Depth (more information & insight)2- Context (more povs from different perspectives)3- Reliability (less inaccuracy, bias if collected from variety of sources)

Newsmakers, spokespeople, experts, official records, reference material, ordinary folks.

Information, at its source

Newswriting depends on information. The quality of the writing is tied to the quality of the information. The quality of the information depends on its source. Reporting is the basic activity of journalism. Good journalism depends almost entirely on good reporting — having the latest, most accurate, most credible information. Writing is important but secondary to reporting. Newswriters must understand information and sources, however, in order to present the information properly to the audience.

Three types of sources• stored – information that you can look up, in a book, in a library, on the Web. The good news reporter knows sources of information and can find them quickly. Once, this was considered the least useful of all types of sources for the journalist. The web has changed that, however. Now because of the web, store information can be accessed quickly and readily, and that information is much more like to be more recent. Even the web does not solve the basic problems of stored sources: they are static (they can’t be questioned) and they may not contain the latest information.

• observational – information that you can get from personal experience, by going to a city council meeting, a fire, a press conference, etc. Reporters would like to cover more events than they are able to. Being an eyewitness to something and being able to talk to people who have experienced it is an experience that cannot be duplicated. Reporters learn to prepare themselves to cover an event by– learning as much as they can about the event beforehand– getting into a position to see and hear what is going on– talking with people who are also experiencing the event– taking good notes; using a tape recorder; making notes to themselves immediately after

the event– taking pictures

• personal – information that you get from talking to people. Look over the section on interviewing in chapter 4 of Writing for the Mass Media. Most news reporters have to interview people to complete their news stories. Being able to talk to people — and getting people to talk to them — is one of the most important skills of reporters. Many people are reluctant to talk with reporters because they are afraid of being misquoted or afraid of the consequences of being in the news. Others are anxious to talk with reporters but they may not have good information or they may be pushing their own agenda or point of view.

Reporters must learn to get the most from their sources by– finding the right people to talk to (VERY IMPORTANT), rather than using “sources of convenience”– respecting their feelings and position– dealing with them ethically by identifying themselves, understanding the principles of on-the-record and off-the-record conversations, and maintaining the confidentiality of sources even when it is difficult to do so (such as being faced with going to jail)– learning how to interview people properly

Finding & Using Sources

No news is without a source. Source provide raw material that reporters turn into stories. Tracking down the best sources before deadline will depend on your instincts & initiative.

• Newsroom adage: A reporter is only as good as his sources.

• They can illuminate, explain, confuse, distort or lie.

• That is why every reporter must learn how to:

– Select sources (Relevance & Importance)

– Check sources (Accuracy & truth)

– Balance sources (Fairness)

– Cultivate sources (Tips & story ideas in future)

How do you decide whether a source is reliable?

By asking yourself the following questions: How does a person know what he/he knows? What’s the past record of this source’s reliability? Does this source has some bias or self-interest that compromises the integrity of what he says? Am I being manipulated for some

reason? Is this information available from other sources that would allow me to verify or refute what he is saying?

What does it mean to ‘attribute’ something to a source?

• Attribute facts & Opinions

• Reporting what’s been said

• You are not saying it yourself

E.g. Sen. Aitzaz Ahsan said the war is a reckless mistake. Rana Sanaullah shifts blame for Lahore blast on protesters. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah says the important buildings on The Mall were provided security in the wake of recent threat alert but he blames the protest demonstration for the tragedy.

What do journos mean when they talk about ‘anonymous’ sources?

Some sources are reluctant to be named/quoted. They are afraid, shy, embarrassed for being fired or arrested etc. Forexample, One prominent senator called the war ‘a reckless mistake.’ It generally undermines credibility. That is why editors discourage it.

Types of Journalism

The general field of journalism has become specialized with various types of writing, depending on the audience and motives of the writers. Distinctions are also made to separate various journalism genres as categories of writing. Some types include:

Advocacy journalism - writing to advocate particular viewpoints or influence the opinions of the audience.

Broadcast journalism - writing or speaking which is intended to be distributed by radio or television broadcasting, rather than only in written form for readers.

Investigative journalism - writing which seeks to add extra information to explain, or better describe the people and events of a particular topic.

Tabloid journalism - writing which uses opinionated or wild claims. Yellow journalism (or sensationalism) - writing which emphasizes exaggerated

claims or rumors. Fashion journalism: Fashion journalism is all about articles or reports related

to the fashion world. Journalists are also known as fashion writers or fashion editors. The primary job is to cover the latest in the fashion business or develop lifestyle articles. Such fashion articles can be found in magazines and newspapers. Today, there are many television channels that cater only to fashion, which gives ample opportunity for journalists who have a passion to cover such topics.

News journalism: Here, the primary aim of the journalist is to report news in a straight-forward manner that covers all the required facts. The style is direct with focus on the gist of the story with other necessary points. The news style should be concise and precise. The facts must be crosschecked which makes the news item as authentic as possible without any media bias. Here, the news story can be for the print media, television, radio, etc. Such news pieces often cover politics and social movements. News stories based on political suppression, public movements or abuse of human rights have proved instrumental in effecting many a social change, or giving voice to the oppressed. Similarly, cultural events are also covered in news journalism.

Celebrity journalism: As the name suggests, the journalist is connected to news and events related to celebrities from the entertainment world and also includes celebrities from other fields such as music, sports, dance, art, politics, etc. This journalism is all about news that is related to their professional and personal life. Reporting gossip is one of the angles of celebrity journalism, wherein journalists are often accused of misconstruing news or quotes in a deliberate fashion. This journalism is particularly popular with newspapers, magazines and television.

Investigative journalism: This type of journalism is about unearthing facts and studying cases that may require more efforts, which can take months or even years. Journalists who specialize in investigative journalism create headlines with news that expose scandals. Sometimes, persistent follow-up of a story proves beneficial to uncover some hitherto unsolved cases. This would require in-depth research from the journalist along with evidence.

Sports journalism: Here, journalists spend hours reporting on a particular sport event. A journalist has to report the accurate facts and statistics related to that event. Interviews with celebrity sport stars are yet one of the interesting features of sports journalism. Although sports-lovers watch the live coverage thanks to the media, there are many people who still enjoy reading or watching in-depth details about the event.

Citizen journalism: Here, it is not the professional journalists who are responsible for the news reports. Any citizen can participate and report news to the media. He/she collects and reports news to the media and participates voluntarily to offer help to the media. They bring to notice issues that may have been missed by media houses.

Environmental journalism: There are many journalists who prefer to cover issues related to the environment and its protection and conservation. Environmental journalists may only report about the news while some work for a cause.

Business and finance journalism: Here, the journalist or reporter covers in-depth reports about the latest in business, launch of products, stock markets etc. There are many shows dedicated only for business news on television whereas in newspapers, one can find a special section dedicated to this subject.

Multimedia Journalism: This is the newest field of journalism and also the fastest-growing. Multimedia journalism can encompass all the fields listed above because a web page can have a written story, still photos, video, and audio. Multimedia journalists are encouraged to have a wide set of storytelling abilities, as well as highly defined technical skills.

Photojournalism: Photojournalists are different from traditional photographers in that they are more interested in capturing images that tell a story than ones that just look nice. Photojournalists are generally highly-trained photographers who may have worked in a traditional photography medium like wedding photography before transitioning into journalism.

White Journalism (Not giving equal representation to minorities and not hiring minority journalists to their capabilities in the newsroom)

Yellow journalism, or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism.

Purple Journalism (In literary criticism, purple prose is prose text that is so extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw excessive attention to itself. Purple prose is characterized by the extensive use of adjectives, adverbs, and metaphors.)

Envelope journalism (also envelopmental journalism, is a colloquial term for the practice of bribing corrupt journalists for favorable media coverage.

Data journalism is a journalism specialty reflecting the increased role that numerical data is used in the production and distribution of information in the digital era. It reflects the increased interaction between content producers (journalist) and several other fields such as design, computer science and statistics.

From the point of view of journalists, it represents "an overlapping set of competencies drawn from disparate fields"

Mobile journalism is an emerging form of new media storytelling where reporters use portable electronic devices with network connectivity to gather, edit and distribute news from his or her community

Non-profit journalism (NPJ), also known as a not-for-profit journalism or think tank journalism) is the practice of journalism as a non-profit organization instead of a for-profit business. NPJ groups are able to operate and serve the public good without the concern of debt, dividends and the need to make a profit. Just like all non-profit organizations, NPJ outfits depend on private donations and or foundation grants to pay for operational expenses.

Backpack journalism is an emerging form of journalism that requires a journalist to be a reporter, photographer, and videographer, as well as an editor and producer of stories. 

Pack journalism is the characterization of news reporting in which reporters from different news outlets collaborate to cover the same story, leaving news reporting homogenous. 

Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative.

Immersive Journalism is a form of journalism production that allows first person experience of the events or situations described in news reports and documentary film. Using 3D gaming and immersive technologies that create a sense of "being there" and offer the opportunity to personally engage with a story, immersive journalism puts an audience member directly into the event. By accessing a virtual version of the location where the story is occurring as a witness/participant, or by experiencing the perspective of a character depicted in the news story, the audience could be afforded unprecedented access to the sights and sounds, and even the feelings and emotions, which accompany the news.

Comics journalism, or Graphic journalism, is a form of journalism that covers news or non-fiction events using the framework of comics – a combination of words and drawn images.

Comedic journalism is a new form of journalism, popularized in the twenty-first century, that incorporates a comedic tone to transmit the news to mass audiences, using humour and/or satire to relay a point in news reports.

Community journalism is locally-oriented, professional news coverage that typically focuses on city neighborhoods, individual suburbs or small towns, rather than metropolitan, state, national or world news.

Online JournalismJournalists today, try new tactics that are very different from the methods used by reporters earlier. Often, journalists are accused of aggressive reporting and media sensationalism, which is a serious issue. The Internet has also provided a medium for people to voice their opinions online. News written for the web is updated minute-by-minute which is referred to as online journalism. Besides, implicit faith of people in the news items has introduced a new form of advertising, i.e. advertorials. In this, advertisers merge their product content in the guise of an article for brand

promotion and marketing of products. A keen news sense and creativity to present the news in an effective manner are obviously the main ingredients in any kind of journalism. After all, it’s all about how you put into words to create an impact that makes a journalist stand apart from ordinary reporters!

Newspaper Hierarchy / Structure of a Newspaper Organization

Editorial Boardo Produce opinion pageso Write editorialso Select letters to the editoro Edit guest opinion columnso Editorial cartoonist

Advertising Departmento Classified adso Retails and display adso Advertising services

Production Departmento Camera and Composingo Press

Circulation Departmento Distribute papero Recruit new subscriberso Respond to calls from customerso Independent contractorso Supervise carriers

Who’s who in the newsroom

Publisher Production Manager Circulation Manager Advertising Manager The Editor Resident Editor

o Managing Editor Photo Editor

Photographers, graphic artists Online Editor

Reporters, Editors Copy Desk Chief

Copy Editor, Sub Editor Features Editor

Feature Writers, Reviewers Sports Editor

Sports Reporters City Editor

News Reporter

Publisher: The ultimate boss who presides over all the departments to ensure profitability.Production Manager: Oversees the staff and equipment that get the newspaper printed on time.Circulation Manager: Supervises the distribution of the paper for subscribers and street sales.Advertising Manager: Coordinates the sales and production of classified and display ads.The Editor: Runs the newsroom, has the final say in story selection and news philosophy.Resident Editor: Performs the functions of an Editor of a newspaper at a centre other than the one from which the newspaper was originally published.Managing Editor: Oversees the day to day operations of a newsroom; resolves staffing issues.These editors have equal clout in the newsroom and usually report to the managing editor.Photo Editor: Coordinates photo assignments and chooses images to run in the paper.Online Editor: Works with other editors and reporters to develop material for website.Copy Desk Chief: Oversees the editing (and at many papers, the layout) of all stories in the paper.Features Editor: Assigns and edits all the stories running in the paper’s feature section.Sports Editor: Assigns and edits all the stories running in the paper’s sports section.City Editor: Assigns and Edits most of the paper’s local ‘hard news’ stories.These staffers have equal status in the newsroom and report to their department editors.Photographers, Graphic artists: Photographers shoot photos, artists create grahics or design pages.Reporters & Editors: Enhance or expand news stories for presentation on newsroom website.Copy Editors: Edit text of stories; write headlines and photo captions, lay out pages.Feature Writers & Reviewers: Write stories about lifestyles and entertainment; critics write reviews.Sports Reporters: Write stories about local teams; at big dailies , they cover national events.News Reporters: Write stories about government, crime, local people, and regional events.

Main goals/ ABCs of News writing

• Accuracy (precision, truthfulness)• Brevity (conciseness, shortness)• Clarity (simplicity, intelligibility, transparency)

Dos and don’ts of news writing• Avoid jargons (Journalistic prose is explicit (clear) and does not rely on jargon

(nonsense discussion) )• Avoid long words• Subject-verb-object construction (e.g. PBC to challenge military courts… The PBC

expressed grave concerns on continued and undue interference of the military establishment in affairs of the state.)

• Use metaphors (e.g. sea of grief), examples, anecdotes (e.g. Fahad, a guy who faced the same tragedy in 2013 said)

• Avoid abstract ideas (concept, things exists only in mind, rather then in material existence)

• Avoid ‘echo’ or ‘word mirror’ (using same word more than once in a paragraph)

The INVERTED PYRAMID

Understanding the forms in which news and information should be placed in journalistic writing and handling those forms with confidence is the mark of a maturing media writer. A couple of weeks ago, we suggested that the way to learn to write for the mass media is to do three things:

Read Analyze Emulate

It’s good to remind ourselves of that approach as we get into reporting because reporting and writing go hand-in-hand.

The information that you get from personal sources needs to be handled correctly so that it satisfies the source, the audience and the demands of journalism. One of those demands is that

we tell readers where information is coming from that means attribution.

The inverted pyramidThe inverted pyramid is an anti-narrative structure of writing about events. Instead of starting at the beginning, the inverted pyramid structure demands that you begin with the most important information and that you present information in decreasing order of importance. Some historians argue that the inverted pyramid form developed in the mid-19th century when news was first

being transmitted by telegraph wires. The wires were unreliable — or during the Civil War would be taken over by the military — so a style of presentation had to be used that would get the most important information out first. The outcome of a battle might be the most important thing that happened during the battle. But rather than writing a narrative that delayed telling what happened until the very end, the journalist had to say it at the beginning of the report. Today the inverted pyramid structure is highly developed and widely used, not just in newspapers and wire services but in many kinds of writing. Many business letters, for instance, use an inverted pyramid structure to tell the recipient immediately what the most important information is.

Lead paragraphThe most important part of an inverted pyramid news story is the lead paragraph. Most lead paragraphs should be one sentence and a maximum of 30 to 35 words. Those are the technical requirements. The content requirement is that it tells the most important piece of information that occurred in the event. In addition, a lead should contain the main who, what, when and where of the story. And they should be direct and simple; they should have the most important information near the beginning of the sentence; should not try to tell everything, but they should be good summaries of what the story is about; should include specific information — concrete facts — about the story; should not begin with the when element because this is rarely the most important thing you have to tell the reader; should use a strong verb to describe the action; should be accurate — above all else.

The second paragraphAlmost as important as the lead is the second paragraph. The second paragraph is where you develop some idea or piece of information that is in the lead. You should not drop into a narrative in the second paragraph. Many students concentrate on writing good leads but then have a tendency to start at the beginning in the second paragraph. Resist that temptation. Remember that you are presenting information in decreasing order of importance. Each new paragraph should present the reader with some new information. But it should be tied to the previous paragraph by the skillful use of transitions.

Inverted pyramid checklistAs you learn to write in the inverted pyramid structure, you should take a look at the inverted pyramid checklist. These are some of the most common mistakes that beginning students make in writing their news stories. This is a good list to have beside you when you finish a story, and you should not turn it in until you have gone over this list.Do not fill this form out until you are told to do so.

Advantages of the inverted pyramid style

The inverted pyramid style offers several distinct advantages in newswriting, which are discussed in the following text.

• Presents Pertinent Facts First

Most readers have neither the time nor the desire to read every word of every story in a newspaper. By using the summary lead, the JO focuses the reader’s attention on the news, arouses the reader’s interest and allows the reader to swiftly skim important facts. In other words, spill the whole story in the first paragraph. The reader can decide whether to continue reading the details or to go on to something else. But even if the reader stops there, the inverted pyramid form of writing has provided the essential facts. The primary objective of a news story then, is not to withhold information, but to present the facts with rapid, simple directness.

• Facilitates Page Layout

The inverted pyramid method of story construction is a valuable tool to the makeup person who is confronted with an eight-inch story and only six inches of column space. If the story has been written in inverted pyramid form, it becomes a simple matter of cutting lines of type from the bottom of the story until it fits the available space or “jumping” (continuing) the story on another page — all without damage to the important facts that appear at the top.

• Facilitates Headline Writing

Headlines for news stories should tell the main facts in the most brief form. If a story is written in the proper inverted pyramid style, the copyreader (who writes the headline) can find these facts in the first paragraph. The copyreader will not have to search the entire story for headline material.

DSNG and OB-VAN

Live Reporting and News Gather is enabled through DSNG (Digital Satellite News Gathering) or OB Van (Outdoor Broadcasting Van). Outside broadcasting (OB) is the electronic field production of television programs from a mobile remote broadcast television studio.  Professional Video Camera  and microphone signals are received into the OB van  for processing, recording and possibly transmission. The mobile Production Control Room (PCR) is known as a production truck.

STRUCTURE OF A NEWS ORGANIZATION

Administrative Department: Responsible for formulation and implementation of administrative policies.

Normally GM is the head of a TV channel, the person is ultimately responsible for all channel activities.

Marketing & Sales Department: Handles sales of channel commercials and works with advertising agencies and also responsible for assigning slots to local and national advertisers, scheduling advertisements etc.

Engineering Department: Takes care of the day to day operations and maintenance of a TV channel. It also makes Planning & Procurement for a new project and also maintaining all the technical equipment.

Programs and Production Department: Programs Department is responsible for making of programs ; starting from planning a program to the final presentation of the same. Those involved in programming decide what programs should be telecast and at what time they should be presented.

News Department: Responsible for news gathering, production and telecast through news bulletins. Current Affairs, Sports, International desk, Political desk are some of the key sub departments of News Department.

Research Department: Collects TV rating points from various sources; they also do viewership survey on their own. Basing on the report they suggest the management and other departments; how to develop the content and other key functions, by which the viewership of the channel can be increased.