Beginners' Guide To Journalism & Mass Communication E-Book

Barun Roy

• Herausgeber: V&S Publishers
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 241

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Effective guide to write well, influence people and remain in news

Leseprobe

BEGINNERS’GUIDE TO

JOURNALISM &

MASS COMMUNICATION

Barun Roy

Published by:

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© Copyright: ISBN 978-935-05721-9-1

DISCLAIMER

While every attempt has been made to provide accurate and timely information in this book, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, unintended omissions or commissions detected therein. The author and publisher make no representation or warranty with respect to the comprehensiveness or completeness of the contents provided.

All matters included have been simplified under professional guidance for general information only without any warranty for applicability on an individual. Any mention of an organization or a website in the book by way of citation or as a source of additional information doesn't imply the endorsement of the content either by the author or the publisher. It is possible that websites cited may have changed or removed between the time of editing and publishing the book.

Results from using the expert opinion in this book will be totally dependent on individual circumstances and factors beyond the control of the author and the publisher.

It makes sense to elicit advice from well informed sources before implementing the ideas given in the book. The reader assumes full responsibility for the consequences arising out from reading this book. For proper guidance, it is advisable to read the book under the watchful eyes of parents/guardian. The purchaser of this book assumes all responsibility for the use of given materials and information. The copyright of the entire content of this book rests with the author/publisher. Any infringement/ transmission of the cover design, text or illustrations, in any form, by any means, by any entity will invite legal action and be responsible for consequences thereon.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my parents…Without whose love and blessings, nothing wouldhave been possible

Preface

(To the first edition)

This book welcomes you to the exciting world of print journalism. The aim of this book is to help you gain a better understanding of the whole communication process and to demonstrate how to use words to convey ideas and expressions as well as facts effectively.

Once you have gone through this book, I am sure you will have a better understanding of your daily newspaper, and recognise it as a guardian to your country’s freedom and a protector of your right to be fully informed.

You will acquire new insights into the phenomenon of mass communication and its effect on human beings. Because of your personal experience with other mass media, you will be better prepared to consider how these media can affect the lives of the people around the world, both, in a positive and a negative manner.

Autumn, 2000

— Barun RoyRockville, Darjeeling

Preface

(To the fourth edition)

Since the first, second and third editions were published, Beginners’ Guide to Journalism has become popular as an effective introduction to Journalism. Enthusiasts throughout the country have commented favourably on its clear instructions and step-by-step approach to news writing and editing skills. It is not a surprise thence that a need for the fourth edition of the book was felt by both, the readers and the publishers. In these eight years since the book was first published, Journalism has, as a subject of study and career, flourished immensely. This edition thus intends to deal with the new aspects of Mass Communication.

Being the latest and updated version, this edition has infused marked improvements in all compartments to facilitate greater understanding and grasp on the subject and effectively contribute to the field of Journalism. The entire text has been revised and updated without essentially disturbing the main contents of the book. All sections essentially contain many more of the professional journalistic details, examples and terms than did the first, second and third editions.

The section on grammar- expanded and illustrated with clear, brief sample sentences - will provide helpful guidance to all readers in an area that many writers find difficult and confusing. The glossary has been upgraded and new terms have been added. Important issues like libel, makeup problems and modem techniques of editing have also been deliberated in detail. New sections on Radio and TV Journalism have been added to do justice to the completeness of the book. Further, Online or Internet Journalism and Blogging have been discussed in detail.

New examples of fine writing, superior photography, and outstanding page makeup from recent issues of some of the best newspapers in the world, including The Times of India, De Standaard, Morgunbladid, La Nación, Hindustan Times, Ole, Kathimerine, Bahrain Tribune, National Post, The Vancouver Sun, Toronto Star, China Daily, etc. further enhance this edition.

All said and done, I thank the readers for accepting Beginners’ Guide to Journalism with such whole-heartedness and hope that they will also receive this fourth edition with same enthusiasm.

Rest and all is the will of our Lord.

Spring, 2008

— Barun RoyClarke Road, Darjeeling

CONTENTS

1. News, Views and You

2. Different Kinds of Newspapers

3. Different Kinds of Periodicals

4. Films, Television and Radio as Instruments of Mass Communication

5. Radio in India

6. Television in India

7. Internet as an Instrument of Mass Communication

8. Introduction to Blogging

9. Introduction to Freelance Journalism

10. Freedom of the Press

11. News Gathering

12. The News Lead

13. Putting the Story Together

14. Writing in Newspaper Style

15. Covering News

16. Colourful News Features

17. Describing a Personality

18. The Art of Making Columns

19. Planning an Editorial Page

20. Editorials - Voice of the Newspaper

21. Presenting Sports Action

22. Copyreading and Proofreading for Accuracy

23. Headlining a Story

24. Planning Interesting Pages

25. Pictures forthe Paper

26. Advertising

27. Frequently Asked Questions

28. Journalism as a Career

29. Glossary

30. Important Newspapers from Around the World

31. Bibliography

News, Views and You

Mass Communication

In today’s world, you are surrounded by ideas and information. They reach you in many ways and are intended to inform you, entertain you, or influence your thinking. Mass Communication is the name given to this process.

Word formation: Mass + Communication

Mass

The term ‘Mass’ simply implies great volume, range or number of people.

Communication

The communication process, however, implies numerous things. To begin with, any kind of communication, whether it be written or oral, or one that does not involve use of words, signs, signals, pictorials, body language, etc, must have a ‘sender’ and a ‘receiver’. For a message to get through fully, there must also be a communicative spirit between the sender and the receiver in addition to the words or actions used to convey the message.

Thus, for Mass Communication to be achieved, the following parameters must exist:

Interest implies a definite interaction between the sender of the information/idea and the group of receivers. Without this very important aspect of mass communication, no message or information is relayed to the group of receivers and consequently mass communication is said to have failed. Generating and maintaining interest amongst the group of recipients - categorised differently as audiences, readers, surfers, etc. is one of the most important pursuits of a student of mass communication.

How do we communicate?

Before the invention of language, our forefathers communicated with each other using gestures and through the medium of different sounds (drums etc.). Later, language brought them together and they started communicating verbally. Authors and poets wrote prose and poems and singers composed songs. They experimented with different sounds emanating from different objects and invented music. With the advent of industrial age, humanity was thrust into an era of technology and it became possible to relay spoken words, sounds, visuals - static or moving - amongst others.

The communication process today, thus, could involve written words or texts, drawings including diagrams, charts, artistic pictures, photographs, spoken words and sounds (audio), moving pictures (video) and animation.

THE CATCHChances of Miscommunication

As mass communication implies ideas or information being transmitted to a group of recipients, there always remain chances of miscommunication. Miscommunication results when the message sent through a medium is received by a group of receivers in a distorted form. Miscommunication can also result from the incomplete relay of the message to the receiver. Further, the receiver himself or herself may interpret the message wrongly resulting in a miscommunication.

In the World Peace campaign logo given here, a simple spelling error has resulted in a critical miscommunication.

How to avoid Miscommunication

The sender of the message who could also effectively be a writer must use words, diagrams or photos that convey his idea/message accurately.

Similarly, while writing articles or news items, the same writer must recognise that he can be influenced by his own feelings, his attitude towards his topic, and his past experiences. The writer must also recognise that when he applies words, he is using symbols that carry different shades of meaning. Therefore, he must employ language that is pertinent and effective in transmitting the true meaning of his message.

But this also implies that the writer’s message cannot be communicated effectively unless the reader understands exactly what the writer is thinking and feeling. The reader, like the writer, is affected by his own attitudes and experiences, and he may therefore have a tendency to misunderstand or misinterpret the writer’s ideas. Further, the reader may be unaware of his own misinterpretation of a message, or even of the reasons for his distortion of the real meaning of the message. Therefore, the writer must recognise his responsibility to write as clearly as possible.

However, communication can still exist to some degree even if the message is not conveyed under ideal conditions. Often mass communication depends on the assumption that at least some part of the message will generally be received, even if the receiver is paying little attention to it. For example, an advertisement with repetitive slogans, jingles, or concepts is based on this understanding.

Mass Communication achieves several purposes: to entertain, to inform and to influence attitudes, feelings or actions.

Instruments of Mass Communication

The simplest way of spreading news is by word of mouth. One person tells another what he has seen or heard. This was also man’s primal mode of communicating news, and this method is still in vogue to carry information about families, friends, or neighbourhood activities. Newsgathering methods developed and evolved to better levels gradually as the outlook of nations and governments changed, business and economies flourished and a far greater number of people started travelling from one part of the globe to another. Modern inventions such as printing press, ships, rail, road, airplane, telegraph, telephone, radio, television, Internet and satellite improved the speed with which news can be gathered and finally distributed. These inventions helped in transforming the world into a global village.

Television is today one of the most popular instruments of Mass Communication in India

Popular instruments of mass communication are radio, movies, pictures, books, newspapers, magazines, music and Internet.

Mass Media is also a term applied to the different instruments of mass communication.

News

News is one of the most important and desired commodities furnished by mass media. People want to know what is going on around them. News connects them to the world and makes them aware of events that are taking place. News also makes people feel that they are a part of a bigger network of a people or in simple words a bigger community.

News, however, has a very short life. There is nothing more worthless and stale than yesterday’s news. Hence, timing is one of the most crucial factors in news. News, if not delivered at an appropriate time, is simply not news.

Many of the instruments of mass communication considered in the following paragraphs are well fitted to accomplish this.

1. Live Broadcasts of Actual News Events: Live coverage of events as they occur places the viewer as an eyewitness to sports events, important speeches, political meetings, and other newsworthy happenings. Generally, these broadcasts are planned in advance. Radio broadcasts of actual events have the same speed of transmission and lack only the picture on the screen.

Rob Riggle reporting live for CBS from Iraq

2. News Reports: Both Radio and Television feature frequent reports of current happenings all over the world. These are collected by the same news services that furnish information to newspapers, and the television channels frequently show ‘Film clips’ of the events taken at the time of their occurrence. Thus, those who may have missed the ‘live’ broadcast of an important happening can see it when a portion of the earlier broadcast is repeated as part of regular news programme.

‘News at 8’is a famous news programme of KNBK Network in the United States

3. Documentaries: Motion pictures of current events are often prepared for television showing. These may not present news immediately after it happens. However, they often present background information and ‘in-depth’ coverage, not otherwise available.

‘TOP GEAR’is one of the critically acknowledged documentaries featured on BBC

4. News Magazines: News magazines summarise, discuss, or interpret news events. Usually published weekly, fortnightly or monthly, they carefully organise and analyse the news and present it to their readers.In general, magazines also appeal to groups of people having special interests. More than half the magazines printed in the world serve readers interested in a particular profession, occupation, or hobby. Successful magazines enjoy fantastic circulation. The Reader’s Digest has more than 25 million subscribers, while many other magazines distribute more than one million copies of each issue.

Time is one of the most respected and successful magazines in the world

5. Newspapers: Daily or weekly newspapers furnish a written account of events which have just happened or are about to happen. Freshness of news is important to newspapers. They report the facts about an event with as much detail as can be collected in a short time.Although newspapers reach their readers more slowly than Radio or TV, they have not suffered adversely from the competition. Rather, a brief broadcast seems to generate the curiosity in listeners to read a more comprehensive report. Newspapers further have the advantage of being available whenever the reader wishes to pick them up. They also allow the reader to select the news stories that interest him and read them at will and devote time to them according to his leisure or preferences.Consequently, newspapers remain the most important tool amongst the various news distributing media. Unlike other major instruments for spreading news, they combine speed and permanence.

News Broadcasts

Although a comparatively new entrant in the communication scene, television has reached an impressive position among the mass media. Newspapers, magazines, and books have changed character as a result, although in most cases they have not severely suffered from the competition.

Reading news for Television

News Broadcasts owe their standards to newspaper traditions established over many years1.

To begin with, it is important to distinguish between newscasts, the ‘news pages’ of the air, commentaries and the ‘editorial pages’. National or international items for a newscast are provided either by their own reporting staff or by press agencies, while local news is covered and supplied by the reporting staff. Special editorial staff then prepare the news for broadcasting. News broadcasts have substantially the same privileges and practically the same limitations as newspapers. Hence, they should be listened to with this in mind.

A commentator expresses his personal opinions about news just as a newspaper columnist does. He is presumably an expert, familiar with his field. Ideally, his comments are designed to ignite your thinking and cognitive powers.

On the other hand, electronic media rarely editorialise themselves in the sense of giving the opinions of the stations (channels). The major reason behind this position is the fact that stations need to be licensed by the government to avoid conflicts in the use of the airwaves. While the government has tried to encourage stations to present editorial opinion, they have been reluctant to do so primarily because of government control of their other activities, such as the regulation of the proportion of advertising to a certain ratio of the total programme time, the ‘equal time’ requirements for political broadcasts, and review of licence renewal.

1 In fact, most of the news channels today in India and abroad are actually owned and managed by publishers who had earlier been or are still deeply rooted in Print Journalism. Aaj Tak owned by the India Today Group, MSNBC, Warner News, Sun Network, Star Groups owned by Rupert Murdoch and so on are a few examples. Even some TV channels, like the National Geographic run by the National Geographic Society is nothing but an electronic offshoot of the famous magazine with the same name i.e. National Geographic Magazine.

Different Kinds of Newspapers

In the previous chapter, I had deliberated upon the different instruments of mass communication. Newspapers are one of the most important and earliest instruments of mass communication. Newspapers have informed and entertained its readers since the times of Julius Caesar.

The main purpose of a newspaper is to inform its readers about current events, happenings of all kinds within the recent past or lend a peep into the events of the near future. Most newspapers also print advertisements in addition to diverse reading materials (comic strips, lifestyle, puzzles, human interest stories, etc.) that are not news but can be entertaining or informative.

There are many different kinds of newspapers, the most important of which are:

Daily Newspapers: They attempt to cover all kinds of news, i.e. news from different parts of the world as well as the important happenings in their own cities, communities, business, sports, society, and entertainment news. Generally, the front page of the daily is devoted to important events that have taken place during past 24 hours or that are to take place in the near future.

Almost every metropolis or large city in India publishes its own edition of daily newspapers. Dailies from major cities are widely distributed, often throughout states. They bring reports of every prominent happening as well as local news to their readers.

Weekly Newspapers: Covering local news is the main purpose of weekly newspapers published in small towns, suburbs, or community areas within cities. They specialise in the one news element that daily newspapers do not cover: detailed, personal news about people and events in their communities.

Special Newspapers: Organised groups such as engineers’ society (e.g. Aeronautical Society of India, Institute of Engineers, Computer Society of India, etc.), labour unions, and large industries publish these for their members.

Many of these papers are published regularly and contain the information that concerns a limited group or a special situation.

School Newspapers: Like weekly newspapers, school, college or university papers serve the interest of their local communities - the ‘community’ in this case being the school/college/university itself. They may be published monthly, every two or three weeks, weekly, or even daily. They include news of past and present school events, articles about students and teachers, and frequently carry advertisements of interest to their readers. However, the practice of publishing school newspapers is not very popular in India, and college and university newspapers are also published in small numbers.

How does a Newspaper serve the community?

The newspaper tries to keep its readers well informed about local, national and international affairs so that they may be ‘kept posted’ on current events, think intelligently, and form their own opinions about these matters. If we study newspapers from the point of view of what they are trying to do, we can discover three general areas of activity.

First, the newspaper presents news reports, as complete as possible in view of the limited time available for their preparation. Then comes expert opinions of correspondents, news analysts, and columnists concerning the news events. Finally, the newspaper states its opinion in the editorials. The influence of a widely read newspaper’s editorials may be quite great, for people come to depend on these comments, especially when they do not have all the facts with them upon which to base their own decisions.

Secondly, the newspaper attempts to furnish up-to-date information about products, services, and activities which will make life better, more interesting, and more worthwhile for its readers. Many newspaper items serve this function. They include news about municipal projects on civic amenities, where to travel, and latest developments in science or medicine, as well as information and advertisements concerning material things that will make life more comfortable.

Finally, a newspaper carries some items solely for the purpose of entertaining its readers. News of unusual or humorous events, comic strips and cartoons, stories, puzzles, some daily columns, and similar items are both entertaining and relaxing.

Different Kinds of Periodicals

Any printed material published between frequent and equal intervals or after stipulated period can be categorised as a periodical. Newspapers as such are arguably periodicals being published either daily or weekly. News Magazines are periodicals published weekly, fortnightly or monthly. However, periodicals as instruments of mass communication have now been more or less said to include all those publications that are published weekly, fortnightly or monthly, thus effectively excluding newspapers published daily.

Periodicals, unlike newspapers, do not deal with news reports on ‘as it happens and when it happens’ basis. Instead, they deal with in-depth analysis of what happened and what can happen in the future. Now, this in-depth analysis of issues at hand can be in reference to any interest - society, education, entertainment, career, technology, sports, etc.

Based on the periodicity of the publication and the subject, there are:

News Magazines: As discussed in the first chapter, news magazines summarise, discuss, or interpret news events. Usually published weekly, fortnightly or monthly, they carefully organise and analyse the news and explain it to their readers.

Literary Magazines and Journals: Literary journals publish news about authors, poets, books and publishing houses. They also publish short stories, poems, and literary criticism and discuss different issues concerning literature and litterateurs. A literary journal may not be for everyone but cater to those interested in literature.

Technology Journals and Periodicals: Our nation today boasts of some of the best technology journals and periodicals published in the world. Technology journals and periodicals, as the name suggests, deal with news, views and insights from and of technology, industry and scientific community in the nation. Digit, PC Quest, Chip are today some of the best IT-related Journals not just in India but in Asia as a whole.

Religious, Spiritual and Linguistic Journals: Religious and spiritual journals published monthly have recently become immensely popular in India. These periodicals, dedicated towards propagating the virtues of a religion, are basically targeted towards the members of the said religion. Similarly, linguistic journals of linguistic minorities in India, such as the Lepchas, Rais, Limbus, Nagas, Totos, etc. have also come into publication. While these linguistic journals may or may not have commercial objectivity, they work diligently towards the preservation of their language, script, literature, culture and traditions as a whole. These are community-driven enterprises and hence a community affair.

Our Daily Bread, is an example of a Christian Journal propagating the virtues of Christianity amongst Christians while Aachuley, is a respected linguistic journal of the Lepcha people.

Film Journals: Our country produces the largest number of movies in the world. As the largest producer of movies, our country is also home to the largest number of movie stars. Movie Magazines dedicated to bringing news and gossips of the film industry and the film stars are thus published regularly and in almost every language spoken throughout the nation.

Music Journals: The music industry in our nation is at par with the movie industry and as our movies are essentially musical melodramas, musicians, singers and music directors are always sought after. Our nation with her diverse culture and tradition also has deep-rooted music traditions that are as diverse as the people themselves. The close cultural ties with the Western world have further brought about an increase in the interest-factor generated in Western music. The result, a potpourri of musical traditions and interests has come into existence and therefore specialised music magazines are being published to cater to these interest groups that are popular not just among the young generation, but the music buffs from all age groups.

The most popular music magazines in the nation are Rock Street Journal and Record.

Journals dedicated to Women, Teens and the Youth

Certain journals devoted to the interests and issues of different sections of the people are published regularly in the nation. These journals specifically dedicate themselves to issues related to women, and carry information, articles and interest-stories entirely on issues concerning women. While feminism may or may not be the editorial policy of these periodicals, girls, housewives or elder women is their targeted readership. Femina and Cosmopolitan amongst others are some of the most popular magazines dedicated towards women in the nation.

Based on the same philosophy, numerous magazines devoted towards highlighting the issues of the teenagers in the nation are published regularly in different cities. Some of the famed teens magazines are Teens, Teenager and Wisdom.

Apart from these periodicals, there are a number of other periodicals such as sports magazines, health magazines, hobby journals (interior decoration, gardening), neighbourhood journals, etc., which are published at regular intervals.

Television serials broadcast on the television channels are also modern forms of periodicals. These may entirely be entertainment oriented but they still come in the realm of mass communication. So do news reports broadcast through radio and television at regular intervals. The World This Week hosted by Prannoy Roy on Doordarshan was a famous television news periodical.

Films, Television and Radio as Instruments of Mass Communication

Film is not only a form of entertainment but also a powerful medium of mass communication. It is extensively used in publicity, public relations and advertising. A Mass Communication student, therefore, must study this medium as one of his or her tools to see how it can be applied. Hearing and seeing are the two important senses that have been bestowed upon us. Our capacity to retain any message enhances considerably when we hear and see it simultaneously. Thus, films are a powerful medium and can cast a momentous impact, for they enable the ideas to be seen and heard by the people at the same time.

Advantages of Visual media

Ideas communicated through the films are retained longer than those received through other media of communication.

Films can transcend the barriers of illiteracy; even uneducated people can understand its theme.

Films are useful in motivating the people and help nation-building activities.

Films last long and some films have permanent value. With the help of a film, one can turn around the clock and peep into history and the past events.

Films provide a universal language and contribute to fostering a sense of oneness in a multilingual country. For instance, Bollywood has contributed more towards unifying India through movies than any other industry or Government agencies, for that matter.

In short, like any other medium of communication, film serves the journalistic trinity of purposes: to inform, to influence and to entertain.

Types of Films

Films are of different types:

Feature Films: These are the usual full-length commercial films being shown in the cinema houses.

Documentary Films: The Government, Public Sector Undertakings or private individuals produce these films for educating people.

Children’s Films: They contain the themes that are of interest to children. The Children’s Film Society of India produces such films. Interestingly, feature and animated children films have now become a popular genre in the Indian Film Industry.

P. R. Films: Commercial enterprises and other institutions produce these films. The main objective behind making Public Relations Films is to educate and inform the public about their organisations.

Advertising Films: Commercial firms produce these films to sell their products and services.

Instructional Films: They are intended for educating students in certain technical subjects and they are useful in educational institutions.

Radio as a Medium of Mass Communication

Of all the instruments of mass communication, radio is one that carries the message around the world in the shortest possible time. It transcends all other media in speed. Radio, therefore, has been described as one of the most powerful social instruments of informing, educating and entertaining people. As a tool of Public Relations, its potency for opinion formation is strikingly singular. Most of the nationwide or statewide