Discover the essential duties of a sub-editor in the world of journalism and publishing. Learn how sub-editors collaborate with writers and editors to enhance written content.
Duties of the Sub-Editor In Newspaper And Journalism
Selection in of News
Selection of news in the office of the new spaper is done by the news editor or the related shift incharge, but it is the first and foremost duty of the sub-editor that he should know the work of selection of news. The reason is that if the shift incharge is not present, the sub-editor has to do this work News are received in the office of the newspaper by different means and they are great in number. Pages of the newspapers have limited space. Therefore news has to be selected carefully Only those news should be published which really are news. The sub-editor can only do this when he knows news values and other factors in the selection of news.
Grading the News
After the selection of news, the second stage is the division of news according to their importance The reason is that the newspaper has limited space and news are great in numbei and very lengthy. Sometimes two pieces of news are of same importance and their length is also the same So the news are fixed according to their importance To determine which news will be the main heading, one columned, two columned, box item, on the front page, on the back page or to go to inner pages is the duty of the subeditor
Policy of the Newspaper and Accuracy of News
It is the duty of sub-editor to check the accuracy of new s He should satisfy himself that the news which has reached him is correct. Sometimes there is difference between the news released to the press and the statistics given by the agency and the reporter Then the sub-editor should consult the agency concerned on telephone. He must also keep in mind the policy of the paper in this respect.
Objectivity
Newspapers receive news through press releases and reporters. Different societies and political parties give news according to their theories-elaborating their own point of view The reporter also belongs to this society. It is natural that he has his own likes and dislikes. Thus a certain amount of partiality may be present in the news given by him. It is the duty of the sub-editor that he should examine the news thoroughly and should not pay attention to personal opinions and comments He should describe the incident as they have actually happened and in an objective manner.
Free from Exaggeration and Propaganda
There is a possibility of exaggeration in the news along with mixing of personal opinion on the part of the reporter The sub-editor should delete the news with exaggeration l or example
even the residents of his mohalla (area) do not know him. In this way news come from political, official and semi official circles. Everybody wants to promote his ideas and views for his personal interest. It is the duty of the sub-editor that the news does not come in the category of publicity or propaganda
Accuracy of Statistics, Terminology and Names
Some of the news is from foreign sources. In these the statistics are given in millions and billions The terminology used in these news is difficult to understand for a layman. It is the duty of the sub-editor that he should give the easiest of terminology in Urdu. He also has to convert the amount of money given in a foreign currency to rupee He should also give attention to writing correct names persons and cities. If the city is not well know, then the name of the respective country should also be given with the dateline so that the readers may understand in which country the event has taken place.
Comprehensiveness of News and Correction of Language
A news can only be complete and comprehensive when all the facts given in it are systematically arranged. The sub-editor should keep in mind “5Ws” to make the news comprehensive so that it is complete in all respects and there is no drawback in it Then the sub-editor gives final touch to the news. Therefore it is his duty to cori^ct the language of the news before giving it a heading If there is difficult word, this should be replaced by easier ones.
The Order of a News
Everything is in a certain order. Similarly a news has also a proper order and it should he written accordingly. Firstly there should be the name of the city, the’source of the news plus date of the event, this is called dateline. After this there should be the intro of the news and after it the context. In context more important thing is given first and less important later on. If a news becomes extraordinarily lengthy it should be curtailed at the end. By it should not be so curtailed that it gives a sense of incompleteness This is also a duty of the sub-editor.
Monitoring
In the newspapers the news are also received through television and radio. This news is given with reference to the monitoiing desk it is also done by the sub editor He provides important news by listening to the radio and watching television It is his duty that he should listen to the radio or watch television attentively. He should note down the important points and hand these over to the shift incharge. He should know the frequency of different radio and television stations.
Sub Editor or Translator
Sometimes a sub editor has to step into the shoes of a translator. He should have command over Urdu and English for this purpose. He should not confuse the order of the context while translating a particular news. Unnecessary points should be deleted while editing. It is expected from a sub editor that he is capable of writing detailed news in brief words.
Final Shape of the News
Having written the news, it is the duty of the sub editor that ’ he should see if the news has been presented in proper paragraphs or not, because most of the reporters give the news without paragraphs. The sub editor arranges the paragraphs in accordance with the importance of the events. He makes a heading so that the reader is compelled to read the whole piece of news. The relevant symbols are also used at the time of compilation.
Preparation of Copy
The last duty of a sub editor is to prepare copy of the newspaper. He should know how to prepare a copy so that he may easily assemble the copy and send it to the press.