Role of

News Desk
JOUR 100
Intended Learning Outcomes
After completion of the module, students should
be able to:

1. explain the responsibilities of newspapers;

2. describe the different key newsroom positions;
and
3. discuss the procedures done inside the
newsroom.
Table of
Contents Responsbilities of
01 newspapers

02 Key Newsroom
Positions

Newsroom
03 Procedure
As journalism students, you
all have come across a
newspaper and even read
one. However, not all of us
have had a chance of asking
ourselves what is the role of
the newspaper in our
society.

In explaining the responsibilities of a

newspaper, let us remember A-E-I-O.
A-E-I-O

Advice the Entertain the Inform the Offer

audience readers public practical
solutions
Advice the audience
Newspapers also offer guidance
and opinion to help shape
people’s stand on a certain
subject or matter. They have the
features to shape their readers’
opinion as well as present a new
angle of view on particular topics
such as politics, sports, and/or
other matters touching on the
reader’s general occurrences.
Entertain the readers
Newspapers also offer a
diversion and entertainment.
They divert the readers from
the main issues in the
society and offer readers a
break from, the seriousness
of life.
Inform the
public
Newspapers play the
role of informing the
readers about what is
happening in local
areas, national as well
as internationally.
Offer practical
solutions
Newspapers also have a practical
function, that is to assist readers
with their everyday lives. They
publish current affairs such as
weather forecasts, cinema
schedule; some even publish
TV networks’ series of shows
for that day.
What is a
newsroom???
A newsroom is defined
as “an office at a
television or radio or a
newspaper where news
is gathered and reports
are prepared for
broadcasting or
publishing.”
(ourcommunity.com)
 Who is in the
newsroom?
The number of people in the newsroom
varies on the media outlet. For an
instance, smaller media outlets would
only be composed of a couple journalists
and photographers and the editor.
Meanwhile in larger media outlets,
such as metropolitan newspapers, the
newsroom is much bigger, with larger
staff of people.
The publisher is the The editor-in-chief
one-in-charge for is responsible for
all of the operations the editorial.
of the newspaper,
from the business
side as well as the
editorial .
How the
newsroom works
Each newsroom has
differences - they can
either be slight or
significant.
Stories come into the newsroom - this
can occur in a number of ways, some
of which are:
• Through tip-offs from contacts, or press releases
• Through coverage of newsworthy events, activities and
occasions.
• From story leads followed-up by journalists.
• From issues or stories the editors, producers or
chiefs-of-staff themselves want covered.
• From calls by journalists chasing up new angles on
current stories.
As this pool of stories develops, journalists are
either assigned stories by editors or, in some
smaller media organisations, cover the stories
themselves.
● This is done either by attending the event or through
phone or face-to-face interviews or the use of press
releases.

● At times they may use archival material, such as old

photographs, footage or sound, which is stored in
written archives or on computer.
At this time photographers, camera operators,
sound and lighting technicians come into play.
• In larger print media organizations, the visuals for stories
can be organized through the photographic editor.

• Often TV camera crews are assigned jobs through the

editor or chief-of-staff after they have looked at the pool
of stories.

• In smaller organizations like suburban newspapers,

journalists and photographers often liaise directly to
organize photo opportunities and book photos.
At this time photographers, camera operators,
sound and lighting technicians come into play.
• Sometimes photographers and camera
operators get sent out to do their job on
site, while journalists stay in the office to
follow up the story or conduct interviews
on the phone.

• Any graphics needed to accompany a

story is organized and the work allocated
to graphic designers.
 Once photographers or camera operators
return with their visuals the newsroom can
become a frantic place, as items are put
together and the stories are completed
before deadline.
• With electronic media, raw visual footage or audio ends up in
the editing suite, where it is reviewed and the most relevant
or newsworthy grabs are used to put together the story. Any
overdubbing or re-recording also occurs at this stage.
• For print media, photographs are loaded into a computer and
saved.
 Once photographers or camera operators
return with their visuals the newsroom can
become a frantic place, as items are put
together and the stories are completed
before deadline.
• At this stage any other graphic information needed is
completed or almost completed and ready for use.
• Meanwhile, the journalist spends time finishing their story
before it is saved and sent to sub-editors.
 Once photographers or camera operators
return with their visuals the newsroom can
become a frantic place, as items are put
together and the stories are completed
before deadline.
• At this time, particularly in larger newsrooms,
editors, producers and chiefs-of-staff often
meet again to review the story list and see if
there are any new stories to include (or others
to discard) and re-order them in priority for
presentation in the newspaper or bulletin.
 When stories or news items are completed, they
are usually checked to ensure they are
factually correct, make sense and adhere to
any legal requirements.
• Copy or check sub-editors (copy subs or check subs) will go
through stories, particularly in newspapers, and often make
changes to improve readability and ensure they are not
libellous. Stories receive headings and photo captions are
checked.
• Lay-out sub-editors then draw the story, photograph and
graphic elements together and lay them out through a
computer on the page.
 When stories or news items are completed, they
are usually checked to ensure they are
factually correct, make sense and adhere to
any legal requirements.
• In visual or broadcast media, production
staff are responsible for ensuring tapes for
completed stories are ready to be played in
the right order as the bulletin progresses.
• Competition for space or air-time can be
fierce, with stories often missing the cut, or
being cut-down, due to space or time
restrictions.
Even at this late
stage things can • Some stories might be cut
change if a big back or even left out of the
news story newspaper or news bulletin
occurs. to accommodate any "late
breaking news".
• Those stories may then
appear in a truncated form,
or could be cut completely
and never appear at all.
Thank you!
Do you have any questions?

angelamitzi.ramos@cvsu.edu.ph

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Resources
● Lyons, D. (n.d.). The CMO’s Guide to
Brand Journalism. Volume 1.
http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/file
-562750272-
pdf/Brand_Journalism_Guide_for_
CMOs.pdf
● https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/
marketing/marketing_article.jsp?art
icleid=1607