"Words. A child needs a forest of words to wander through, a sea of words to splash in. A child needs to be read to, and a child needs to read."

TWO EXCERPTS FROM A POWERFUL PIECE, "The Gift of Reading", by Frank Bruni, IN THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Words. A child needs a forest of words to wander through, a sea of words to splash in. A child needs to be read to, and a child needs to read.

Reading fuels the fires of intelligence and imagination, and if they don’t blaze well before elementary school, a child’s education — a child’s life — may be an endless game of catch-up.

“Kids who read more get better at reading, and because they are better at reading, it’s easier and more pleasurable so they read still more,” he [Daniel Willingham, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of Raising Kids Who Read] said. “And kids who read well don’t just do better in English class — it helps them in math, science and every other class, too.”

I’d go even further. Reading tugs them outside of themselves, connecting them to a wider world and filling it with wonder. It’s more than fundamental. It’s transformative.

Read the article in its entirety here: "The Gift of Reading".

• ALSO READ: "Read, kids, read"

Listen in as Rukmini Callimachi, the remarkable journalist who is tracking ISIS, talks about possibly the most difficult of media assignments

RUKMINI CALLIMACHI

How on earth does she do it? Rukmini Callimachi, who began her freelance career in New Delhi with Time magazine and who now covers ISIS for The New York Times, has written some striking stories in the past year or so. Here are just a few:

ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape

From Amateur to Ruthless Jihadist in France

The Horror Before the Beheadings

Before she joined The New York Times, Callimachi was working as the Senegal-based West Africa bureau chief for The Associated Press. Her AP stories were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in the international reporting category last year. Check out those stories here.

Earlier this year, Callimachi was interviewed by Aaron Lammer on the Longform Podcast. I have been listening with fascination to the first part of this two-part interview, which has become especially relevant in the aftermath of last week's Paris attacks. From figuring out how to deal with sources to pondering the journalist-terrorist relationship, from asking the tough questions to taking on the trolls on Twitter — Callimachi discusses the many issues that journalists have to grapple with when reporting on one of the biggest stories of this era.

Listen to the interview here:

• Part 1
• Part 2

A word of advice: To better appreciate and understand what Aaron Lammer and Rukmini Callimachi are talking about, it helps to be well-informed and well-read. Here are a couple of the topics that you may like to bone up on before putting on those headphones:

The conflict in Mali

The strife in Libya

And, of course, you should also read Callimachi's stories, at least the three I have highlighted above.

PS: Rukmini Callimachi, according to Wikipedia, left Romania with her mother and grandmother when the country was being run by a communist regime. Her name "Rukmini" is derived from her family's closeness to Rukmini Devi Arundale, founder of Kalakshetra in Chennai.

• ALSO READ: You can learn so much from listening to these fascinating podcasts

Why Jonathan Bach wants to be a journalist, come what may

Here is a relevant excerpt from a recent op-ed feature in The New York Times:

"...the best journalists connect with readers, viewers and listeners by being open-minded and compassionate. That’s one reason so many people remain in the profession..."

The piece, written by Héctor Tobar, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon, focuses on the importance of journalism while highlighting the journalism ambitions of one of his students, Jonathan Bach.

Read the thought-provoking article in its entirety here: Who'd be a journalist?

In 8 minutes, a response from The New York Times to my e-mail pointing out a typo in a headline

At 7:47 p.m. today I sent this e-mail to Margaret Sullivan, the Public Editor of The New York Times:

SUBJECT: May I point out a punctuation mistake in a headline?

Dear Ms Sullivan,

This is Ramesh Prabhu in Bangalore.

I am a huge fan of The New York Times and many of my blog posts (I teach journalism at a local media college) are devoted to NYT articles and blog posts that I think will contribute to the understanding among my students and other followers of the better aspects of journalism. Here is a relevant post: What our newspapers can learn from The New York Times.

That was by way of background.

I am writing now because I have spotted a punctuation error in a headline for an article on O.C.D. by Jane E. Brody.

The headline reads

O.C.D, a Disorder That Cannot Be Ignored

Surely a period is needed after the "D" (and before the comma).

I attempted to bring this to the notice of the editors by commenting on the article this morning (about eight hours ago). But the headline has not been rectified yet.

I look forward to hearing your views on the subject.

Sincerely,

Ramesh Prabhu
Bangalore

*
At 7:55 p.m. I received this reply:

Dear Mr. Prabhu,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I've let the editors in charge of the blog know of the typo.

Best,

Jonah Bromwich

Office of the Public Editor

The New York Times

***

Is it any wonder I think The New York Times is one of the world's greatest newspapers?

THE HEADLINE THAT GOT MY GOAT.

• Learn more about the Public Editor's role and responsibilities: "Public Editor's Journal".

• ALSO  READ: "Mistakes that annoy readers".

• UPDATE (10:13 P.M.)

The headline typo is rectified. See below:

The best of journalistic virtues:

A.
Courage

Campaigning

Toughness

Compassion

Humour

Irreverence

B.

A serious engagement with serious things

C.

A sense of fairness

D.

An eye for injustice

E.

A passion for explaining

F.

Knowing how to achieve impact

G.

A connection with readers

• From Alan Rusbridger's essay, "Does Journalism Exist?", in a wonderful and fascinating book, Page One: Inside The New York Times and the Future of Journalism (edited by David Folkenflik), which puts journalism and one of the world's greatest newspapers front and centre. I have already placed a copy of the book in the Commits library. (Alan Rusbridger is the editor of the highly respected Guardian newspaper.)

• I have now ordered the documentary on which the book is based. Take a look at the list of awards and award nominations for the documentary here. And here is a riveting feature from Slate on David Carr, "the star of Page One", the documentary. (Carr has also contributed an essay, "Print Is Dead. Long Live The New York Times", to Page One, the book.)

• ALSO READ: "If you want to understand what journalism should be..."

"Read, kids, read"

Now where have you heard that before?

At Commits, for sure. Since April 2003, when I began teaching journalism, I have been pushing my students to read. (Sometimes, they push back, and that, I have to say, is a big concern for me.)

In June 2010, I also wrote a blog post on the subject: "Why you must read".

And I have been using my social media accounts in a big way to try to popularise reading.

MONIKA KHANGEMBAM, CLASS OF 2012

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when, two days ago, first thing in the morning, I received this message via Facebook from Commitscion Monika Khangembam (Class of 2012), with a link to an article by Frank Bruni in The New York Times:

7:00am

Monika Khangembam

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/13/opinion/bruni-read-kids-read.html?referrer=
This article reminded me of you sir.

After I sent a message thanking her, Monika replied:

Yay! I am so glad you liked it. The ideas expressed in the article resonate with what you mostly say in class and how you keep telling us to read more. I can also imagine you encouraging (read nagging) your nieces and nephews to read. 

During the course of our text conversation, Monika revealed she is reading The Fault in Our Stars, which finds mention in the NYT article, too. So I replied:

What a wonderful coincidence. I bought a copy of this book for the college library some time ago, but before placing it in the library I read it to try to understand why it had become a bestseller. It is an excellent book, for young people especially. I loved the highly original plot.

Monika then articulated her own thoughts about the book:

That's amazing sir. I am not so much into these young adult novels but I accidentally came across this and I am glad I did. The characters feel so real. I can so relate to Hazel. You relate to her more if you are a 20-something and still struggling to understand your life. There is this particular part in the beginning where Augustus talks about oblivion and how Hazel responds to that. That has helped me to be less scared and be a bit more adventurous. It's funny how a few lines can influence us so deeply.

And it's amazing, I thought to myself, how a few lines written by my student about the transformative power of reading can brighten my day like nothing else can. Thanks a million, Monika!

SRUTI NAYANI, CLASS OF 2004

• There's more good news on the reading front. Commitscion Sruti Nayani (Class of 2004), who has been blogging about books for some six months now, has just published a post about the importance of writing. Sruti makes six important points in the post. Here is the first one:

Read and read some more. I do not know how one can begin writing if one does not read; reading is essential. You could begin with newspapers, magazines, essays, short stories, fiction, non-fiction or even articles. Basically, just about everything. The idea is to find a path to the written word. This kind of reading could help you to understand the different types of writing and eventually develop your own style.

Now where have you heard that before?

• For more on Frank Bruni, the legendary New York Times journalist, check out "Do you have what it takes to be a restaurant critic?"

***

SOMETIMES IT IS EASY TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF A READING ROOM POST (A FACEBOOK CONVERSATION WITH BRINDA DAS, CLASS OF 2015):

Brinda Das

May 31

“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.”
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars — reading The Fault in Our Stars.

Like · · Share

• Debarati Deb and 7 others like this.
• 
  

  Luella Tariang I cant wait for d movie..!!!!!!

  May 31 at 2:45pm · Like · 1
• 
  

  Brinda Das I am loving the book.

  May 31 at 2:46pm · Unlike · 1
• 
  

  Ramesh Prabhu When did you pick up the book, Brinda?

  May 31 at 6:37pm · Like
• 
  

  Brinda Das Sir, I am reading the e-book. I purchased it today and I am reading Chapter 9 now.

  May 31 at 6:38pm · Like
• 
  

  Ramesh Prabhu From Amazon? Flipkart?

  May 31 at 6:39pm · Like
• 
  

  Brinda Das Sir, I got the e-book from Flipkart.

  May 31 at 6:41pm · Like
• 
  

  Ramesh Prabhu How come you chose this book?

  May 31 at 6:42pm · Like
• 
  

  Brinda Das I read the email you had sent and also read that Monika Khangembam is reading this book. I also wanted to read this book so got a copy of it.

  May 31 at 6:46pm · Like · 1
• 
  

  Ramesh Prabhu Ah -- this post, right?
  

  
  

  THE READING ROOM: "Read, kids, read"

  May 31 at 6:48pm · Like · 1 · Remove Preview
• 
  

  Brinda Das Yes, Sir! This is the post. I am glad that this book has been mentioned. It's a lovely book.

  May 31 at 6:49pm · Unlike · 2
• 
  

  Monika Khangembam I am glad you are loving the book Brinda. Happy reading!

  May 31 at 7:06pm · Like
• 
  

  Brinda Das Thanks a ton for mentioning this book. Monika Khangembam It is indeed a lovely book.

  May 31 at 7:09pm · Like · 1
• 
  

  Monika Khangembam Keep reading and tell me which are your favourite parts

  May 31 at 7:11pm · Like
• 
  

  Brinda Das Monika, I will surely do that. Till now, my favourite part is Isaac in the hospital telling Hazel how each one of us deserve true love that should last for a lifetime.

  May 31 at 7:14pm · Like · 1

***

Frank Bruni's article is so inspiring
BISWAJIT DEY (Class of 2016): I read the article by Frank Bruni just now. I found it really inspiring — this was the first time I got to know that there are so many positive aspects to reading other than gaining knowledge; reading acts as therapy too. Thanks for sharing, Sir.

***

• Patrick Michael, editor of the Dubai-based Khaleej Times, commented via Google+

Ramesh, as a voracious reader, it's heartening to read that the message is getting home. I'm sure many more will realise the benefits of reading. Anything and everything. Comics included.

I follow most of the links you send and some I forward to a few of my colleagues who, despite the many years of experience under their belt, still believe that life is a learning curve and you can learn more from books than from idle chatter.

My next book: Straight to Hell: True and Glorious Tales of Deviance, Debauchery and Billion Dollar Deals. Read all about it here. Can't wait to get my hands on this mother of lies!

Oh, the pleasures of reading!

What's wrong with this opening paragraph in a New York Times blog post?

When a copy editor gets to work on an article for The Times, it doesn’t matter what section its for, the guiding principal is the same one new doctors embrace when they take the Hipocratic Oath: First do no harm.

As soon as I finished reading this intro, written by a copy editor at one of the world's greatest newspapers, I was left dumbstruck. I had caught a glaring error. And I was all set to shoot off a stinker via the comments section.

Thank goodness I decided to read on before I made a fool of myself.

Why, you ask? Check out the clever and instructive "Times Insider" post by Eric Nagourney here: "The Copy Desk: The End of the Gauntlet (or Is It ‘Gantlet’?)".

• "Times Insider" has some incredibly illuminating posts on what happens behind the scenes at the newspaper. Read, for example, "Newlyweds on the Run: A Challenge in Reporting" in the STORY BEHIND THE STORY section and "How the Sports Narrative Works" in the SO TELL ME A STORY section. (You will need to register — it's free.)

• And since we are on the subject of copy-editing, or subbing, read this post by Commits alumnus DEBMALYA DUTTA: "What it means to be a newspaper sub". 

• ALSO READ: "Editor Bill Keller on how The New York Times chooses Page 1 stories"

What is an 'editorial'? How is an 'appraisal' different from a 'review'? What does 'op-ed column' mean?

Trust The New York Times, one of the world's great newspapers, to come to the rescue of readers who want to know how to distinguish the different sections in a newspaper. Check out its readers' guide here.

• ALSO READ: "What our newspapers can learn from The New York Times" and "If you want to understand what journalism should be..."

A fascinating two-man debate on the future of news

In the blue corner: Bill Keller (pictured below), a former executive editor of The New York Times who is now an Op-Ed columnist for the newspaper.

In the red corner: Glenn Greenwald, who broke what is probably the year’s biggest international news story, Edward Snowden’s revelations of the vast surveillance apparatus constructed by America's National Security Agency.

If you are a journalist, or you aspire to become one; if you are a media student; or, if you are just what is now known as a "consumer" of news, you will want to clue yourself in: "Is Glenn Greenwald the Future of News?"

• ADDITIONAL READING: "Editor Bill Keller on how The New York Times chooses Page 1 stories".

If you want to understand what journalism should be...

...and if you want to know what journalism can be, read this great book — by a great writer — about one of the world's great newspapers:

Follow it up with this terrific piece in Vanity Fair: "A New Kingdom: Gay Talese Sounds Off on The New York Times — Past, Present, and Future".

Here's an appetiser — an excerpt from Gay Talese's response to the first question he is asked in the Vanity Fair interview:

GAY TALESE

Journalism is for the young. Young people who go into journalism as a calling are entering, I think, the most worthwhile profession that is possible, and the reason I say that is that there is no profession or industry or calling that tries very hard to tell the truth and to sell the truth and to make the truth make money. The truth is hard, first of all, to get. And harder still to communicate. And more hard to make money on!

• You will also want to read the new book that again puts journalism and The New York Times front and centre: Page One: Inside The New York Times and the Future of Journalism (edited by David Folkenflik), and follow that up by watching the documentary on which the book is based.

• Afterwards, visit the official Gay Talese website here and learn more about the work of this legendary journalist and novelist.

• ADDITIONAL READING:

"Journalism: The best job in the world", by Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Editor Bill Keller on how The New York Times chooses Page 1 stories, from a brilliant series in the Times, "Talk to the Newsroom"

The amazing books that made me fall in love with journalism all over again 

• UPDATE (April 23, 2014): Amazon has just delivered Honor Thy Father, Gay Talese's bestseller about one of America's most notorious Mafia families. According to one critic, no other book has done more to acquaint readers with the secrets, structure, wars, power plays, family lives, and fascinating, frightening personalities of the Mafia. Honor Thy Father will be placed in the Commits library... soon.

How did the Op-Ed Page get its name? What is its purpose? And how are the Op-Ed articles different from the editorials?

Trust the New York Times, one of the world's great newspapers, to have all the answers, and more.

We learn from a column in the paper written by Ed Shipley, who was then the Op-Ed Page editor, that the inaugural Op-Ed Page appeared on September 21, 1970, and that it was named for its geography — opposite the editorial page — not because opinions would be expressed in its columns.

A page of clashing opinions, however, was the aim from the beginning. According to an editorial introducing the page, Op-Ed was created to provide a forum for writers with ''no institutional connection with The Times'' — writers whose views would ''very frequently be completely divergent from our own.'' 

Media students and aspiring journalists will discover some fascinating stuff about the newspaper production process if they read Shipley's column here: "And Now a Word from Op-Ed".

ANGELA JOLIE'S OP-ED COLUMN FROM THE MAY 14, 2013, ISSUE.

There's more. Some 18 months after he published the essay discussed above, Shipley wrote one more column, this time answering readers' questions about the editing process. (The earlier column, as noted, focused on the submission and selection process.) This is just as fascinating to read as the previous piece. Read it here: "What We Talk About When We Talk About Editing".

• ALSO READ: How does the New York Times editorial board work? How are topics chosen for the editorials? What is the process by which the paper's editorial writers craft their editorials? Is it by committee? Do the reporters have any input? Who decides the final draft? Read the answer to all these questions in Editorial Page editor Andrew Rosenthal's Q&A column here (scroll down to "How the Editorial Board Works" on Page 5).

• ADDITIONAL READING: 

DNA does a U-turn and brings back the Edit Page

Why subs, or copy editors, are the lifeblood of a news organisation

What we can learn about editing from the Reader's Digest