What it means to work on the desk at a television news channel

Commits alumnus DIPANKAR PAUL (Class of 2009), who worked on the Times Now news desk in Mumbai, gives television news aspirants an insight into the responsibilities of the subs: 

The sub has mainly one broad role in a TV news channel: Writing news so that the anchor can read and the viewer can understand.

That said, there are numerous other responsibilities that lead up to the anchor reading the news out aloud on air.

DIPANKAR PAUL WORKING THE NIGHT SHIFT AT TIMES NOW.

BREAKING NEWS

During a 'newsbreak', a sub is usually required to operate the ticker. The ticker is a place where the viewer sees the latest news — in real time.

More often than not, in such a breaking news situation, information comes in via text messages, or off the screen of another channel. And both are prime sources for mistakes. The text message may have a typo (for example, while a reporter may have intended to say "1 killed", he may inadvertently type 11, or 12), so it's a great idea to call the reporter and verify. And taking news off another channel is OK only if you can verify with either your reporter, or if at least another channel puts out the same news.

However, that said, in the (highly competitive) world of TV news, where time is of the essence, mistakes do get made. The only thing to do then is to put your hand up, make the correction, and move on. Just ensure it never happens again.

SOUND BITES

A substantial part of a sub's day goes in listening to press conferences, and other bites (collected by reporters on the field). Most bites are lengthy and rambling; some are full of propaganda, especially if there's a political party involved.

The trick is to listen to the entire bite, and then select which part you think is most effective in adding value to the news at hand. At the beginning of a career, the sub is not expected to make calls on selecting sound bites. The senior editors will usually decide which parts of a press conference or a bite will go on air. However, as experience grows, that responsibility falls entirely on the sub. In fact, the sub is the unseen face of a TV news channel. (More on this later.)

CUTTING A BITE. COMMITSCION AAKASH VERMA (CLASS OF 2004) IS ON THE LEFT.

GRAPHICS

Today, all TV news screens are an explosion of graphics. There are 'top bands', 'story slugs', 'infosupers', full-frame graphics, 'stamps', and a plethora of other variations of text on screen, all of which serve one purpose: Informing the viewer.

A lot of importance is laid on graphics because the general assumption is that people watch news with their TV on 'mute'. So, all information that would otherwise be in the script is pasted on the screen.

WRITING THE NEWS
I call this the most important, and the most neglected, duty of the sub. A sub spends so much time on selecting the perfect bite, getting it cut and published, and on creating graphics that there is little time (or so the perception is) to think through a script and write.

But at the end of the day, all frills aside, the job is all about processing the news and presenting it to the viewer. Language must be crisp, precise, devoid of ALL subjectivity. A sub must remember that there aren't a lot of words to play with (a story is usually not longer than three minutes; the bites, PTCs, and graphics will take up close to two minutes, leaving 60 seconds or 200 words to actually write).

FINAL TOUCHES AS A NIGHT SHIFT GETS OVER WITH THE FIRST BULLETIN OF THE DAY.

It is important to know that a TV news script is not the same as a newspaper article. There is absolutely no scope for 'flowery' language. Viewers don't sit with a dictionary when watching the news. The prose must be conversational; it must never be preachy, and never look to incite the viewer: Present the facts as they are; let the bites do the talking.

Most TV channels, though, are likely to have a defined stance (pro-government, or whatever), and this can seep through into the scripts being aired; the subs' challenge, therefore, is to keep their integrity intact.

DIPANKAR PAUL (SEATED, EXTREME LEFT), ALONG WITH OTHER ALUMNI, WAS AT COMMITS EARLIER THIS YEAR TO JUDGE THE SECOND SEMESTER TELEVISION NEWS BULLETINS.

• Also read: "An excellent example of an interview-based local feature".

• Further reading: What it means to be a TV news reporter-1; What it means to be a TV news reporter-2; and What it takes to be a TV news anchor.

• Want to know how to have a successful internship at a TV news channel? Read this post. 

Is this an example of carrying political correctness too far?

I just happened to be reading the October 2 issue of the Hindu's Literary Review yesterday. The cover story is dedicated to the newspaper's literary prize for the best fiction of the year and, in addition to the shortlist of seven novels, the front page provides a summary of the methodology of selection and the judges' opinions of the submissions for the prize.

Here is the sentence that had me gagging:

Each judge also had his or her own criteria of selection — wit and wisdom of craftspersonship, spontaneity, novelty, irony, poignancy, elegance, relevance etc — so that the final shortlist contains a variety of highly accomplished but dissimilar books.

For one thing, "etc." should be treated like a non-essential clause and so there should be a comma after "relevance". Second, when a writer (this short piece does not have a byline) uses "etc." in this fashion, it points to a lack of imagination.

But that is not what had me gagging.

It was the use of the word "craftspersonship".

Craftspersonship? Since when has "craftsmanship" been deemed derogatory to women? Aren't we carrying political correctness too far?

Looking for a good book to read?

Feel free to browse my library.

And if you're wondering why it is important to read books, check out this Reading Room post: WHY YOU MUST READ.

• Also read: Coming soon to a newsstand near you, a literary magazine edited by a Commits alumna.

Controversial remarks on Karan Thapar's show by new Press Council chief

I caught the fag end of Karan Thapar's interview with the new chairman of the Press Council of India on CNN-IBN on Sunday and I was dumbfounded at what I was hearing. It seemed to me that Justice Markandey Katju did not have a very high opinion of the media; he appeared to be particularly incensed with television news channels.

So I was glad to read in today's Times of India that the Editors' Guild of India has been very critical of his remarks on Devil's Advocate.

Here is the Editors' Guild press statement in full (reproduced from ToI):

EDITORS' GUILD SLAMS KATJU’S COMMENTS

Editors' Guild press statement in response to remarks by Press Council of India chairman Justice Markandey Katju:

The Editors' Guild of India deplores the ill-considered, sweeping and uninformed comments on the media and on media professionals by the new chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju. Mr Katju has been making negative statements on the media ever since he assumed office, but his comments in an interview to Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN, broadcast over the weekend, touched a new low.

The Guild notes that Mr Katju thinks the media divides people on religious lines and is anti-people. He objects to TV channels that focus on cricket and other subjects that he disapproves of. He believes that journalists have not studied economics, politics, literature or philosophy, and he has a poor opinion of the media and media people (some of whom, as it happens, are members of the Press Council that Mr Katju chairs).

The Guild notes that Mr Katju, after expressing such sweeping negative sentiments, has asked the government for draconian powers to impose fines on the media, to withdraw advertisements and to suspend the licence to publish or broadcast. The Guild strongly opposes such powers being given to the Council, especially a Council led by someone who it would seem wants to invoke “fear” in the media.

The Guild wishes to draw attention to the fact that its attempt to engage in dialogue with Mr Katju has been rendered futile by Mr Katju, who however continues to express his tendentious and offensive views. The Guild wishes to remind Mr Katju that the Indian media is as diverse as it is vigorous, and that while it has drawbacks and shortcomings, on the whole it contributes to the strength of the Indian system.

Press freedom is a bulwark for the Indian people against the onslaught of people in authority, and the Guild will firmly oppose the assumption of any draconian powers by a Press Council that was created with an altogether different purpose. Further, as the very name of the Council suggests, only the print media comes within the Council’s ambit. The issues and drivers of the electronic media are such that they call for separate regulation. Therefore the Guild firmly believes that the Press Council should have its brief limited to the print media, as it is at the present.

UPDATE (November 3): Today's ToI carries this report on broadcast editors also criticising the new Press Council chairman: 

BROADCAST EDITORS CRITICIZE KATJU

New Delhi: After the Editors’ Guild of India, the Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) on Thursday criticized Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju for making “irresponsible and negative comments” about the media. It said such statements from the PCI chief were “extremely disappointing”.

Taking strong exception to Katju’s remark that “media professionals are of low intellectual calibre with poor knowledge of economics, history, politics, literature and philosophy,” the BEA said it “shows scant knowledge” of the great journalists the country has produced.

It said that in a democracy, criticism was welcome against institutions by individuals and representatives of institutions as that gives a fillip to self-corrective process. TNN

FURTHER READING:

• Mint editorial — "Educating Justice Katju".
• Asian Age column — "Much of what Justice Katju says is not new".
• The Economic Times on Sunday column — "Journos of the country, learn philosophy".

UPDATE (September 5, 2012): "The Hindu’s readers reveal Katju’s infinite bluff" (from Outlook editor Krishna Prasad's blog)

Reading the newspapers every day pays off big-time!

A Commits student has won Rs. 6 lakh on a Bengali TV quiz show.

And what is the connection with reading the daily newspapers? Here is the self-explanatory e-mail I received yesterday from First Year student Agnihotra Roy:

I wanted to inform you, no, thank you. I had taken part in a quiz contest in Kolkata on Star Jalsa, the Bengali TV channel. The show is called Koti Takar Baaji ("Bet Worth 1 Crore") and it is hosted by one of the big-shot actors of the Bengal film industry.

AGNIHOTRA ROY

It's a really tricky quiz show. You have to be extremely fast and be prepared to take risks. I got through to the final round... and I won a whopping Rs. 6 lakh!

Reading the newspapers every day paid off in a big way!

I also want to mention here that at a very critical stage I got a question from Pratibha Ma'am's quiz monthly quiz at Commits, and that helped me a lot. This was the question: Which is the largest living being on earth? Thanks to Pratibha Ma'am, who had asked the same question at our last quiz, I was able to answer the question: The Great Barrier Reef.

I had to answer eight questions in all. I knew the answers to the first seven but I had no clue about the 8th one, which was the trickiest question of all: In Greco-Roman language, what was Amman known as in ancient times? The options were Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Miami. I must say I had my share of luck here. I placed my money on Philadelphia because what came to my mind was Delphus, which is a Greco-Roman word. It happened to be the right answer!

The last Sunday of October was, thus, a super Sunday for me. I am now looking forward to the telecast, which, I was told, will happen in the last week of this month.

Congratulations, Agnihotra!

Agnihotra, who, like his classmates, is on an NGO internship break from college, has been making a special effort, like his classmates, to read the daily newspapers.

THE "MAGIC BOX" EFFECT

I call this the "Magic Box" effect. In my journalism class every day, one student, whose name is picked out of a bowl (the "Magic Box"), has to discuss in detail at least three stories she or he has read in that day's papers. This is a compulsory exercise which owes its origin to the fact that most young people today find reading the newspapers every day a chore (and a bore) and find reasons to give it a miss.

I tell our students that reading the newspaper is vital for two main reasons:

1. It will help them to learn about the world around them on a daily basis. So newspapers should be read in order to absorb information.

2. Journalistic writing, at the basic level, is functional writing. So reading newspapers closely and studying the writing style will help them to become better writers. Whether you like it or not, people (especially employers, bosses, colleagues at work) will judge you on the basis of how well you speak and how well you write, no matter which media career you choose.

During their time at Commits, our students, who all hope to become successful media professionals one day, do seem to realise the value of the "Magic Box" exercise. It is our hope that this daily habit at Commits of reading the newspaper will become a lifelong one.

• ALSO READ:

If you don't read, you can't write.

How the lack of a reading habit can be a serious handicap.

From a newspaper article to a monthly newsletter and, now, a bimonthly magazine devoted to books and reading

Two years ago, Rohita Rambabu (Class of 2011), who was then the Books Editor of the Commits newspaper, had written an informative piece on the Just Books library chain. I had become a member of Just Books earlier that year and I was keen on encouraging young people, who formed the bulk of the readership of Your Opinion, to read books by joining the fast-expanding library. (I thought of this article as "reader service".)

Not long afterwards, the founder of Just Books, R. Sundar Rajan, read Rohita's feature and he asked her to help publish a regular newsletter (see inaugural issue pictured above) for the library. Rohita and her classmate Swaha Sircar collaborated on the project initially, but then Swaha began working full-time so Rohita handled the production tasks independently, under the supervision of Sapana Rawat of Just Books.

ROHITA RAMBABU

"I have grown so much with Just Books," Rohita wrote in an e-mail recently. "It is amazing how an article you suggested that I do turned into such a big opportunity.

"With my Just Books salary, I was able to pay off the loan I had taken from my parents for the Master's course at Commits.

"I have now been with Just Books for almost two years, and they treat me on par with a professional (though I know I am at a very junior level with lots to learn before I am good)."

NILOFER D'SOUZA

Some four months ago, another Commitscion had occasion to write about Just Books.

Nilofer D'Souza (Class of 2009), who is a Bangalore-based features writer with Forbes India, contributed a well-written and comprehensive article to the magazine on the technology used successfully by Just Books to "bring libraries back to the people".

NILOFER D'SOUZA'S ARTICLE IN FORBES INDIA.

And now, soon to hit the stands, comes a full-fledged magazine for book-lovers, backed by the company that launched Just Books, with Sapana Rawat as the editor-in-chief, and Commitscion Padmini Nandy Mazumder (Class of 2011) as the editor.

Padmini, who was a co-editor of the college newspaper (like Nilofer before her) and who gave up her job with CNN-IBN in New Delhi and came back to Bangalore when she was offered this assignment, is a voracious reader and passionate book-lover. She writes in her "letter from the editor" in the prototype issue of the magazine that reading defines who we are. She continues:

Reading can give a fresh perspective to a situation. Books transport us to another world. Books let you leave your humdrum existence behind. Stalk a devious murderer with Hercule Poirot, walk the corridors of Hogwarts, romp in the mud with Scout Finch, fall in love with Mr. Darcy, conspire with dependable Jeeves to get poor Bertie Wooster out of a sticky situation... Love, laughter, tears, horror, fantasy, mystery: you can experience it all in one afternoon with a good book.

I could not have put it better myself, Padmini!

THE COVER OF THE PROTOTYPE ISSUE OF INK.

Here Padmini explains why she loves what she does:

Imagine getting paid for doing something you love. Most are not so lucky. I happen to be one of the fortunate few.

After dabbling in a number of career choices (marketing, corporate communications, journalism) and a lot of soul-searching, the opportunity of my dreams knocked on my door right at the moment when I seemed to be losing myself all over again. An opportunity to head a literary magazine.

I love books. Let me reiterate: I LOVE BOOKS. Lock me up in a room full of books and throw away the key and I will bless you for it. So, you can imagine my glee when Sapana Rawat (my boss) called to tell me that she and R. Sundar Rajan (CEO of Strata) had chosen me as the new editor of a brand new literary magazine.  

PADMINI NANDY MAZUMDER

I would be making all major editorial decisions with Sapana and I would have a free reign on the topics we chose to cover.

I was beside myself!

It was a dream job for the likes of me. I'd be talking about books, meeting authors, attending literary fests, telling people about books, and, consequently, create more bibliophiles.

These three months at Strata have been all that I hoped for and more. I have met industry stalwarts, authors, publishers, attended a publishing conference, rubbed shoulders with the who's who of publishing, found out more about the books and authors that I love so much, and brought out a magazine which is exactly what I think is the need of the hour. In the process, I discovered that I am darn good at it too!

The opportunity to do what you love and what you are good at comes across rarely. When it does, grab it with both hands and don't let go!

The magazine should be available to the general public soon. Having had a chance to go through the prototype, I can tell you that Ink is going to be the answer to many a book-lover's prayers. (Ace Commits photographer Pratidhani Tamang from the Class of 2012 has contributed many pictures, including the cover image above.)

Incidentally, another Commitscion, also a co-editor of the college newspaper, Varun Chhabria (Class of 2012), will be helping to produce the Just Books newsletter from January. All the best, Varun!

• UPDATE (June 19, 2012): Books&More, which is the current avatar of Ink, is now on the web, thanks to the efforts of Varun Chhabria, the associate editor of the magazine. Check out the latest issue here.  

COVER OF THE APRIL-MAY 2012 ISSUE OF BOOKS&MORE.

An interesting journalistic question posed by Commitscion David Tusing

David's Profile · David's Wall

• David Tusing

   

  My journalist friends, what's your stance on posing for pictures with celebrities/famous personalities you're interviewing? Yay or nay?

   

   ·  ·  · 10 hours ago · 

  • 
    
  • • 

      David Tusing Mr Ramesh Prabhu, I'd really like your input on this.

      10 hours ago · 
    • 

      Eduan Maggo Nay, in principle. But we all have our weaknesses. So if it doesn't compromise your journalistic integrity, why not. *e

      10 hours ago · 
    • 

      David Tusing Hmmm.

      10 hours ago · 
    • 

      Aimee Greaves If you do, certainly don't publish them!

      3 hours ago ·  ·  1 person
    • 

      Mark as Spam

      Morven Philp I always like a good 'in action' interview shot. That way it's you and said celeb together, and everyone on Facebook can see what you look like when you're working!

      3 hours ago · 
    • 

      David Tusing Ahh I have done 'in action' photos. Is that you and your friend Maradona?

      2 hours ago · 
    • 

      Ramesh Prabhu Nay, for sure.
      
      Journalists should not be in awe of the people they interview (in fact, journalists should not be in awe of anyone -- it will influence the way the story is reported); nor should they give the impression that they are part of the "aw, shucks" crowd forever trying to click pictures of themselves with celebrities.

      2 hours ago ·  ·  3 people
    • 

      Allaam Ousman Personally not interested in posing with celebrities unless I achieve my dream of meeting 'The Greatest'

      about an hour ago · 
    • 

      Morven Philp Haha, yeah that's me and Diego, would just like to point out that I was NOT interviewing him at the time!

      about an hour ago · 
    • 

      Amelia Naidoo Nay. It can sometimes look unprofessional. How will people perceive your article (not to mention your credibility as a journalist) when pictures show you fawning all over the celebrity? But this is Dubai and the articles are almost never negative so snap away!

      36 minutes ago · 
    • 

      David Tusing Thanks for the perspectives. Not to be in awe - that's how I've been taught and always believed. But I think Facebook and Twitter have thrown interesting things into the mix.

      30 minutes ago · 

• Commits alumnus David Tusing (Class of 2005), who is based in Dubai, is the deputy editor of the Gulf News Tabloid. He had posted this question on Facebook yesterday.

Join the debate. What do you think?