Tuesday, 17 April 2018

Characteristics of News are Accuracy, Balance, Concise, Clear & Current 


Just as cotton can be used in making heavy clothes and high explosives to the raw material of human activity can be used for rendering poems, writing short stories or friends or the news. A journalist here to decide as to what use he is going to make of the raw material available. A newscaster, news reporter  can use his material for sociological expositions, propaganda and highlight even the human activities. The factual materials from which news stories are made are extremely delicate. They find immediate response from the readers, audience and viewers. News conforms to set news style and pattern which has been developed over a period of years


Accuracy of News

The accuracy of news is in fact taken for granted by the news consumers. Though it is very difficult to be accurate in news. Readers should have a feeling that whatever they are being presented is the overcome of an honest and dedicated effort of the writer. The readers should never be given an opportunity to say that they never believed what appeared in the papers. All facts given in the news item should be accepted by readers without questions. What factual accuracy really means is that every statement in news items every name and date and age, quotation every definite word or expression or sentence must be precise and presentation of the true facts. Accuracy means correctness not merely in general impression but also in details, hastily accuracy is to a newspaper what virtue is to a lady.

News should be Balanced

News is to be balanced though it is not an easy task to write news which is balanced in every respects, a severe effort must be made by a reporter to render the account of any event in the best possible manners. The reporter has to write all the specific facts correctly, fairly and accurately and objectively. He has to put all the facts together in a manner that his report conveys the correct and factual impression. He has to give a fair picture of the event as it takes place. In order to be fair both to the audience and about the gentleman about whom news is given it is necessary that the news is balanced in content and meaning. News should be balanced in the matter of emphasis and complements. As a reporter he must constantly strive to give each fact its proper emphasis and to put it in proper relation to every other fact and to give those facts the relative importance to the meaning of the story as a whole. A reporter has to narrate every last circumstance of the story in pause taking details. A reporter has to select and arrange facts in a manner so as to give a balanced view of the whole situation.

Objectives

 News is a factual report of an event as it occurred. It is not the event as a prejudiced eye might see it or as the reporter might wish it to be or have thought it to be on those concerned in the event might like to present it. Facts must be reported impartially as they occurred. Objectivity in the news is one of the most important principles of modern journalism. It means that the news covers to the consumer intimated without any personal bias or any outside influence that would make it appear anything but what it is. News is unavoidable. News should be presented without a shade. A reporter should not look at events through glosses either raised colored or smote. News is to be presented in full light of impartial .and scrupulously honest observation. Objectivity is essential because only pure news can give the consumer confidence since people form their opinions on the basis of news items it is all the more necessary that it should be objective in all manners.

News should be Concise and Clear

News must follow the news form developed over a period of many years. It must be unite, concise, clear and simple. A story that is diffused, disorganized and ambiguous in meaning does not have the characteristic quality of news. It should be well-paced, unified and abuse all written so clearly that the meaning of the story is also absolutely plain.

Current (Elements of Time in News)

The definition of news remains incomplete if element of time is not given major consideration. Time is the essence of the news. Emphasis is on the time element of news story, this is necessary because of the changes which may occur in the transitory period. Things are always changing and the news consumers want the most recent information on subjects of concerns or interest to them. In the present circumstances the news development might undergo a rapid change. The events occurring in the morning may completely outdate or upset east might facts. Most news are labelled "todays" or at the most distant, last night. The news media are specific about time. They tell the readers that the news is not only recent but truly the last word on the subject. The news media has developed great speed in news media has developed great speed in news handling in order to able to report events while they are still new. The reader is interested in current and new things. A newsman wins consumers and readers by rendering.
 
How to Be a Good Copy Editor: Start With Love


At the end of the day, good copy editors love content, and they’re excited about putting out good material.

 Without this foundational passion, it’s tough to get anywhere in the business.
While many things make copy editors critical pieces of the content system, it’s their love for the craft that truly sets them apart.

By honing, tweaking, finessing, and smoothing content in all industries and specialties, copy editors play a critical role in delivering informative, exciting, relevant content to audiences everywhere.
Why Good Copy Editors Matter
If nobody was out there enforcing comma standards, the world as we know it would fall to shambles.
Alright, while it may not be as dramatic as all of that, copy editors have an incredibly important job: they make sure that the copy that gets to major publications, blogs, and platforms in hundreds of industries is readable, relevant, and informational.
They act as quality control for thousands of pieces of content each year.
Imagine if the New York Times, the Washington Post, or CNN refused to hire copy editors. High-brow journalism as we know it would change, and it would be exceedingly difficult to control the quality of content in any publication.
With this in mind, it’s clear that copy editors do an important job every single day. Now, let’s explore the traits that separate a great copy editor from a so-so one.

How to be a Good Copy Editor: 5 Must-Have Traits
While copy editors work in varying industries and specialties, each great copy editor shares the following characteristics:
1. Passion for the industry and the content within it

You can’t be a copy editor without a real, authentic passion for the sector within which you work.
If an editor doesn’t eat, breathe, and sleep copy, excelling at the job will be difficult, and low-quality content will begin to seep in around the edges.
This is evident in the way Mary Norris, the copy editor for The New Yorker talks about her position is a recent essay in the magazine itself:
“Then I was allowed to work on the copydesk. It changed the way I read prose—I was paid to find mistakes, and it was a long time before I could once again read for pleasure. I spontaneously copy-edited everything I laid eyes on. I had a paperback edition of Faulkner’s ‘The Hamlet’ that was so riddled with typos that it almost ruined Flem Snopes for me.”
Good copy editors do what they do almost compulsively, and they do it because they love the quality of well-written, error-free content.
Without this deep-seated passion, it’s tough to integrate fully into the position.

2. Some type of formal training

While a copy editor doesn’t necessarily need an English or Journalism degree, they do need some level of formal training in grammar, spelling, writing, SEO, newspaper methods, reporting, computer science, graphical programs, and more.
While much of this can be learned on the job, a copy editor’s job would be trial by fire without at least a passing level of prior knowledge in these areas.
Since a copy editor’s job is to ensure published content fulfills the purpose it’s meant to achieve, be that driving sales or informing readers, a broad knowledge of all things writing is essential.
3. Creativity and a healthy willingness to think outside the box

Sometimes a copy editor is given a piece that’s too long. Sometimes, a 500-word article doesn’t get to the heart of the topic. Sometimes, a piece needs to be cut, but there’s no right place to do it.
In these situations, being able to develop creative solutions is critical. While copy editors are, first, professionals, they’re also artists who must know how to execute surgical maneuvers on pieces of content every now and again.
Creativity is as important to editors as it is to writers, and the best copy editors out there will understand how to integrate creativity with professionalism to create outstanding content that leaves its mark on readers.
4. Ability to see the connections between things

If a piece is related to another issue that’s recently come up in pop culture or current events, a copy editor must be able to locate the connection.
If an article might perform better in a separate section of a publication, a copy editor must be able to bridge the gap mentally and ensure that the content winds up where it will make the most impact.
In other words, it’s critical for copy editors to have a keen sense of connections. In addition to allowing the editor to make smart content decisions, this also helps boost the editor’s efficiency and ensure that each piece of content published falls into the greater web of things just as it should.

5. Flexibility and a willingness to bend

Copy editors work with dozens of moving parts on a daily basis.
Between the writers, the publishers, and the design team, there are dozens of opinions, challenges, and conflicts to be navigated, and any copy editor who will become successful in the business must be flexible and willing to adapt.
Since each publication, writer, and editor has different expectations, guidelines, and concerns, copy editors must be fluid enough to navigate the different crags and outcroppings of the industry gracefully. Without these traits, the job is simply too stressful, and few people can hack it.
This is yet another reason why great copy editors are so very rare, and so very, very skilled.

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