UNIT 1 FUNDAMENTALS OF GOOD

WRITING - WRITING THE NEWS

STORY, LEAD, STRUCTURE, ETC.
Structure
I 1 .O Introduction I
1.1 Habits to Acquire to be a Good Writer
1.2 Qualities of Good Writing
1.3 News Story Revisited
1.4 Tlie Inverted Pyraniid
1.5 Good Feature and Magazine Writing
1.G Techniques for Good Writing
1.7 The Accuracy and Attribution
1.8 Getting Ideas and Sources of Information
1.9 Revise and Rewrite
1.10 LetUsSumUp
1.1 1 Check Your Progress : Modd Answers

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Tliis is thc third block in Coi~rscI11 on Reporting Writing and Editing. 1n tlie previous
Block, we liave discusscd thc various types of reporting in specialised areas like court. Iegis-
laturc. science and technology. sports and development.
In this unit, we shall be disci~ssingsolnc A~ndamentalaspects afgood writing ... how one can
schicve the goal o i nlastering the art of writing for the press.
In the nest unit of this block, we shall be discussing variorls aspccts of featnre writing.

1.1 HABITS TO ACQUIRE TO BE A GOOD WRITER

"A good wrile-up is il sti~dvin ellbrtlessness. It must flow frcely. 11 must bc knowledgcablc
~ ~ t prctcntious. entcrlaining without being vulgar and informati\.e.withou! being
\vil t ~ o being
ncwsy". says eniine~ltjour~r;~list M.V.Kamnath. This sums up what a good \jfri1c-up is, be it an
article. essay. rcportagc or wh~tcverfonn of writing it may be. What Kaniath says is the
cssellcc of his carecr spent in the profession ofwriting. But you. who aspirc to bc writcrs and
acllicve grcat hcights, ccrtairily cin not gct to it u~ilcssyo11praclicc writing, or gct to know thc
basics of what this art is.
Remember. to be a good writcr. you must be ;r good reader ;IS well. WIUI to read. may be an
importall1qucslion. Tlic suggestion givcn to a novice is, start reading and you will know what
to rend lntcrcsls of cach i~ldivid~~al vary. There is hardly a person who does llot read. Perhaps
yo11 arc not even aware that you are a regular reader. Do vou 1101 relid the newspaper cvery
~nonling'? Do you no1 flip thror~gl~ tlic pages of sotnc magazines that you in;~ybe subscribing
to or sccing on Lhc 1:lble o i s o ~ ~ ~ c f r i cyou
n d siire visiting ? So you know that willy ~iillyyo11arc
a rcedcr. WIICI~ you wed to do is to channelisc this habit of yours into a lllorc conslmclivc
pllth.
Visit any libraw. Go to thc shclves at the first instal~ccand thcn gradually to the catalogues to
selcct tile books yo11 want to read. Initially you. call start with some classics. Why not
Shakcsueare. ifvon want to settle down as a writer in English ? Sllakesacare still is fredi and
Writing for the Press robust. His style remains inimitable. You must be wondering what you should read in him. Just
read him and at the end you will find that there has been a sea change in your approach and
imagination.Ifyou do not want to read Shakespeare, start with any book, and initially, I would
suggest that you read any writer. When you begin,the book may not be worth reading, but once
you start and get into the habit, you would know gradually what more to read. Never be fobbed
by the high sounding names of writers that some of your fkiends may be reading. Do not get
into the inferiority complex syndrome. Just knowing the names of big writers alone, does not
take you where you want to reach.
Your aim should be learning and for that you can start virtually anywhere. It can be a nice fairy
tale like the Aesop's Fables or the abridged version of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels or
simply whatever you can lay your hands on. A writer, howsoever bad, has certainly gone through
the ordeals which you are yet to set sail on. If you are a discerning reader, in fact, you will
learn the crux of what bad writing is. Once you know the bottom line, you will learn your first
lesson - not to write in a bad manner. Your curiosity to better your skills automatically
comes to you.
This is true not only for English, but also if.you want to take up writing as a profession in any
other language. Remember, the basics remain the same. The language may differ but the basic
concepts never change. A good book or write-up remains so whatever language it may be
written in. Else, why should people look for translations of Omar Khayyam or the Odyssey or
the Mahabharata?As you read any of these classics, you are struck with the simple and attrac-
tive style. If you have noticed it, you have learnt the very first lesson in good writing -that
you have to write in a simple manner and na&te events or present the arguments in the sim-
plest manner so as to make it acceptable to an editor or sub-editor, who is likely to be the first
reader of your write-up.
So far what I have told you is just to attract you to the writing table. Remembcr writing needs
patience, hard-work and an understanding of what your reader needs. Of course, this is a step
that we would discuss in the subsequent sections. Let us first understand that whatever else
writing is -fun, exciting, rewarding -it is not easy. But still writers say, "There is nothing
to it. All you do is sit down and just go on writing".
This is simply said than done.
Activity 1
At this juncture of the Unit, it would be a good idea for you to take stock of things
about you. Face it ... what kind of habits do you have on reading and writing.
I What to you read daily I? : .............................
I

How much time do you devote to each of these'?

What do you write on

- daily ? .............;.....................................................................
- regularly ? ...................................................................................
- occasionally ? ...................................................................................

I How much time do you devote on each of them ?

 Fundanentnls of Good
Writing - Writing the News
Story, Lead, Structure, etc.

E. .......................................................:. ...........................................................................
Do you generally write :
250 words .........................................................................................
500 words
1000 words
more than 1000 words : ........................................................................................
in one sitting ?
Do you revise your write-up ?
[ ]Yes. [ 1 No.
If yes, how many drafts do you make till you reach a somewhat satisfying level ?
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If no, why not ?

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List down some steps about how you can improve your writing.

1.2 QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITING

P

Good writing, particularly for the mass media, is clear; concise, to-the-point. It trans-
mits information, ideas and feelings to the reader clearly but ~ t h o uoverstatement.
t It
is writing that outlines pictures of ideas which the reader fills in with his or her own
imagination.
It uses the minimum number of words to make its point. It isprecise. As well-witten
piece uses words for their exact meaning. It does not throw words around carelessly or
without cause.
Good writing is modest. It does not draw attention to itself. Good writing does not try
to show oEthe intelligence, or lack of it, of the writer. It lets the content speak for
itself and it allows readers to receive message directIy. Remember, people who like to
read enjoy the ideas and information they get from reading.
And for this you have to know the tools of the trade : know your subject and learn to write it
down and then learn to rewrite. Wait till you come to these subjects one by one. I will explain
Writing for the Press to you the basics of all these but it would be you who would have to take up the cudgel and get
in to the act -that is writing. Here, I have a small suggestion. After you have finished this
lesson, read Henry Fowler's Modem English Usage.
Check Your Progms 1
Note : i) Answer.the following questions.
ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.
1) What are the three most important habits that one must acquire t'o become a
good writer'?
.. ............
1

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2) Mention some qualities of a good write-up.
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1.3 NEWS STORY REVISITED

Most of you would be expressing your creativity through the mass media. We are taking up
this subject once again, to tell you how news stoj forms the basis of all &ting.
The ability to write well requires that the writer should have a thorough knowledge and under-
standing of the news event. In addition, you must understand the basic structure of the news
story and the conventions or customs of news writing just not in order to complete the pro-
cess of news writing but also to lead you to the path of creative writing. You must have read in
the previous units of this course about basics of journalism. Here, we will recollect this very
briefly so that you canunderstand how the same principles canbe applied to virtually any kind
of writing and not just for a mere news report.
The focus of this chapter is on writing a story, the cliche used for any matter to be published
by a newspaper or magazine, as if it would appear on the pages of a newspaper. Any student of
mass media has to learn this form, even if he never plans to work for a newspaper. We are
stressing on this as we believe that mastering the news story is the first step on the road to
mastering the mass media.
Are you feeling a bit confused7 Let IIS explain to you what news in reality is. We are not taking
up news as somethingthat atappears in a newspaper or television. Can you think of another word
for news? Think for a while and may be you could? get close to it. It is simple "information".
Yes, it is as simple as that. If you are reading a newspaper or watching a news bulletin, you are
- doing this so as to enrich yourself with some information.
A newsman, as a journalist is often called, looks for information in conversation, not only
with top people but even with commoners while travelling in a bus or train, or in company
news-letters or employees' magazines or any other such innocuous document, not necessar-
ily the bulky files m k e d 'secret' or 'confidential'. At times, even, advertisements can be a
vital source of information.
To be a good writer, particularly for the mass media - and if you are discerning you would
notice that even books of eminent writers canbe included in this category -you have to have
two importipt tools. First, is to gather information and then in the second stage it is necessary
for you to know how to transform this*infomation in an appropriate form.
 Once you know what this form is, you have virtually overcolne the v c n first requirement to Fundarnc~ltills or coed
becoming a writer. A news story requires simple, straight forward pros, clcar thinking and a w''ting - the Nclvs
Stoly, Lead, Structure, etc.
complete understanding of the subject on the part of the writer as well as conciseness and

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precision in the use of the language. All forms of writing for the mass media rcquire adher-
ence to this rule.
We would like to tell you about some of the criteria that editors insist upon for selecting a
story. The criteria briefly can be named as - irr~pacjr,timeliness, prominence, pvoximity,
conflict bizarre or unusual and currency.

I
Impact is the consequence a story has on the people. Some events may not have many people
behind it but its impact can S e c t the psyche of a large number of people. The budget or any
tax proposal, atfects almost all persons in the country, and so; if you can select any particular
aspect to write on, it will generally be accepted for its impact valuc. For exiample, if you can
write about how the income-tax rate is irrational for thc salaried class, in comparison to the
scheme that is in force for the shop-keepers, it is likely to be accepted by most editors for the
logic that you would use for it.

\ Timeliness is an important factor for any event. If you had some ninterial about arms dropping
in some other land and could relate it to Purulia arms dropping, it would have been a worth-
1 while exercise soon after the incident had been reported.
I
Prominence is a factor that largely revolves around prominent people. Even their trivial ac-
tions are read with great interest. It may relate to tlie Prime Minister, a top official, Lady
Diana or Madhuri Dikshit and M.F. Hussain.
Proximity is how close the event has taken place. Any event at home, your town, state or
nation is more catchy than a happening taking place 1,000 miles away. That is why when five
persons die in a road accident near your town, it gets front page treatment, but 1,000 persons
dying in South Africa in a train disaster get dunlped in some corner of thc paper.
Conflict is always read. It is not just two nations being at it. If people are fighting in Congress,
it is news. If they are exchanging'fistc~asin Guiarat Bharativa Janata Party, it is news. If
Janata Dal leader R.K.Hegde disagrees with the appointment of LaIoo Prasad Yadav, it is
news. Conflict is one of the journalists' favourite news values because it generally ensures
, that there is an interesting story to write. In fact, there can be many such stories if you can talk
to different people.
In fact, if there is a fighting between two groups of traders or any olher influential people in
you neighbourhood, it can make a good copy for your local paper or magazine. That is why
journalists who go out on election tour scan small newspapers to get the lead to a juicy story.
Bizarre or unusual incidents always attract readers. This is an old fact of journalism. 'If a dog
bites a man, it is not news, but if a man bites a dog, it is news'. Normal haspitalisation is not
news, but when recently a newlywed Arab Sheikih reached hospital due to exahustion after a
marathon honeymoon, newspapers all aver the world gave it a prominent display.
Currency has a somewhat similar appeal like timeliness. These are ongoing events but having
a continuity. Take the issues of reservation, for instance, or the recent court judgments on
hawala or Hindutva, or take any ecological event or discussion. Issues that have the value of
currency come and go, but there are always several such issues being discussed by the peaple.
In the late 1960s food shortage and long queues at fair price shops was such an issue. In early
1970s, it was the green revolution, family programmes during emergency, aforestation and
failing ecology in 1980s and the hawala now-adays are some such issues.
Ilidividually or collectively all these can give you opportunities to write a good story. You,
however, should know how lo structure the story so that the most important and interesting
information gets to the reader in the most efficient manner.
You must recall the 5 Ws and 1 H - the six basic questions of a . :ader. These are Who,
What, When, Where, Why and How. I hope you @ow these but incase you cannot recall
them, 1would briefly again tell you that:
Who - denotes the people related to the story.
What - is the major action or went of the story.
Writing for the Press When - the readers should have a clear idea of when the story or the event takes
place.
Where - the location of the event should be clearly written. Nobody can assume
the place of occurrence nor can you leave it to the reader's imagination.
Why and How- the reader deserves an explanation about events. If a story is about some-
thing bizarre or unusual. the writer must offer some explanation, so that
the questions that are raised in the minds of readers are answered.

1.4 THE INVERTED PYRAMID

Once you have gone through the stage of information gathering, you have to decide on the
structure of the story. A proper structure is necessary to bet information to the reader and
allow the reader to move through your piece easily. This is the most crucial aspect, though it
may look very simple, for your story. As I have told you earlier, it is on the basis of this crucial
factor that an editor or sub-editor - the first reader in the literal sense - will be accepting
your piece from among a number of competing pieces.
The most common structure for writing your story would be the same inverted pyramid, which
you were told to use to write a report. In this structure, the first paragraph, also called 'intro'
or introduction, gives the most important information of the story.
The second and third paragraphs follow up on the information by expanding on the lead and
adding information that is of lesser importance.
As the story continues, more information is added, but it is of lesser importance and serves to
support the information given at the beginning of the story or 'intro'.

The inverted pyramid structure allows the readers to get as much information as possible, in
the shortest possible time. The better the inversion, the better the interest of the reader would
be, to proceed through the story. 111 a novel or fiction, very often what happens is that near the
end of the story the most important or interesting thing is presented to the reader. However an
inverted pyramid structure is somewhat similar to the 'flash back' style in a movie. By show-
ing a shot of the event that happens at the end, the clnematrographer keeps the viewer glued to
his seat to tell him hour that particular scene (read event) took place. This is exactly what an
inverted pyramid does. Readers are not accustomed to wading through a lot of less important
or less interesting information to get to the end of the story. So a news story is any piece for
- a mass medium which begins at theend and then goes on to the beginning. In short. that is what
an invertetd pyramld is.
Points to Remember
While you write, you must remember a good write-up uses short scntences and short para-
graphs. To collvcy your points more forcefully the usage of simple words are morc useful.
Bctter use more common words than wl~atare known as bombastic words. 1 reinember when
in the beginning of mny career, I used the word 'counterparl', iny editor M. Chelapathi Rau
asked mc, "Why have you written so long a word ?" And he suggested that it is better to tell
what a counterpart is, than use suchvague words that tease the reader. He inay have to go back
to understand what you mean.
Paragraph lengths should be lim~tedto 100 words or so. or say about four to five lincs of a
printed column of a newspaper. The aim is to convey the inibr1n:rtion to the reader. Another
reason is that the w~dthof a coluliln of a newspaper is so nirow that a long paragraph is
difficultand daunting for a reader.
For both these styles, you should read My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi.
this is one of the few books th t elucidate how s~mplcstyle can be effective as well as attrac-
tive.
Write your stories in the third pcrson. A writer should not be seen In s t o and
~ he nlust not use
first person pronouns (unless they are part oTa direct quotation froni one of the story sources).
Similarly, avoid addressing the reader by second persoil pronoun 'you'..
 While writing, you also have to learn how not to pontificate. You must not give your personal Fundamentals of Good
opinions in your stories. Your job is to write what you see and hear. The reader is not usually Writhg - Writing the
I interested in how you feel about it. Your feeling is known as your bias. The more you put your Story, Lead, Structure, etc.
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feeling into it. the more the story would be considered to be biased. Such writings are not
1
considered good writing either by the journalist community or by the reader who wants un-
adulterated information. You should present the information and let the readers make up their
own minds about it.
Also practice, not to twist the facts. The more simple your presentation of information, the
better will be your copy. A lively copy is nothing but a vivid presentation of facts in the
I minimum possible words.
I Check Your Progress 2
Note : i) Answer the following questions.

ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of the Unit.
1) Mention four criteria that editors insist on when they weigh a news story. Ex-
plain very briefly the reasons for each.
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2) Why is the inverted pyramid structure such a common one for news stories ?
What are its advantages ?
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Activity 2
Rvo write-ups on the same subject are provided below. Find which one has biases and
which one has not. Also tell which one you like more and why -the A story or the B
story ?

Story A
Offensive against Rao put on hold

BJP finds itself in a jam

NEW DELHI, Jan 3 1 : The BIP has decided to continue with its "wait and watch policy on the
hawala issue, thereby staving off for the moment, the crisis threatening it as it fumbles along
in coming to terms with the CBI charges against its president Mr L K Advani.
After demanding the Prime Minister's resignation last night in the wake of the Supreme Court's
directive to the CBI, the party put its offensive against Mr. Narasimha Rao on hold today and
confined itself to demanding that the investigating agency "do its job honestly now."
The consensus seems to be to wait for the.outcome of the next hearing in the special court,
Writing for the P ~ ~ e s s slated for February 12, before planning tlie next move against the Prime Minister on the
hawala issue.
Tlie decision has also temporarily stopped the turmoil in the party that erupted following
reports that the CBI had collected damaging evidence against Mr Advani in the Jain hawala
case.
Although niurmurs of hscontent continue, the official line has prevailed - that until CBI
produces documents to back tlie charges in court, their will be no discussion on the matter.
Senior leaders in the party are keeping their fingers crossed on whether the CBI will find it
~mpossibleto link hawala money with Mr Advani's personal assets.
Yesterday, the BJP president had stated to a group of correspondents that all his assets were
listed in his income tax returns and they had never been questioned.
The fact tliat the CBI failed to produce anything at the hearing on January 29 has given the
party hope that nothing will come of the present speculation on Mr Advani's supposed wealth.
The leadership is also optimisitic that tlie Supreme Court's observations on the CBI's
handling of the hawala investigations will strengthentheir stand that the case against Mr Advani
is politically motivated. A scnior party leader pointed out that so far, the Court has not had a
chance to apply its mind to the validity of the chargesheet filed by the CBI.
Tlie BJP is hoping tliat should tlie CBI fail to come up with the promised addition evidence,
when the case does come up for hearing on February 12, the Court will throw out the charges
against Mr Adva~u.
Notwithstanding the optiiiiis~nin tlie party after the develop~iientsof the past two days, the
hawala issue, however, weights heavily on the collective consciousness of party.
Given tlie divisions that have appeared within the party over the past few days, the February 12
hearing will be crucial in deciding to what extent the BJP will identi@ itself with the case
against Mr Advani.
The surprisingly low-key briefing by tlie BJP today on tlie hawala issue seems to be the result
of the decision to await thc next move by the courts.
Should things go in their favour. the party will mount an all out offensive on the streets against
the Prime Minister. Till then, it will restrict itself to keeping up the pressure and abstain from
an head-on attack.
Today, the spokesperson. Mrs Sushma Swaraj, demanded tliat the CBI proceed against
Chandraswamiand Union ministers, Mr Satish Sharma and Mr R K Dha~van,who, she alleged,
were "conduits for bribes to tlie Prime Minister."
She observed that the Suprenle Court order ensurcs that even the Prime Minister was not
above the law and the CBI was under obligation to obey the law and not the Prime Minister
when it comes to charges of corruption against him.
She also took Information and Broadcasting Minister Mr P A Sangnia and Doordarshan to task
for blanking out the Prime Minister's name in yesterday's News Tonight programme on the
ha wala case.
"This is censorship," she declared, adding tlie Doordarshan officials should take note of the
Supreme Court order asking government agencies to function independently.

Story B
BJP plans to go on offensive against Rao
NEW DELHI, Jail. 31 The Bharatiya Janala Party, in a decidedly upbeat mood after the
Supreme Court's directive to the CBI yesterday to probe every accusation in the hawala case,
has tentatively planned to go on a major propaganda offensive against the Prime Minister and
the CBI in a fortnight's time.
The party is ostensibly waiting to cross the Feb. 15 "hurdle". That is the next date of hearing in
the designated court, when the CBI is slated to file additional documents with regard to the
chargesheets filed against BJP president L.K. Advani and nine other phticians. Fundamentals of' Good
Writing - Writing the News
"We are fairly certain that the CBI will not be able to come up with anything of consequence S t o l ~ Lei14
, Strllctul'e, etr.
against Mr Advani yet, we will prepare to wait until Feb. 15," senior vice-president S.S. Bhandari
said during an informal chat with a group of newsinen here today. He expressed the view that
the chargesheet itself is too weak to stand scrutiny. The Supreme Court's order ofyesterdav
has evidently given the BJP a talking point. Having levelled serious allegations against tllc
Prime Minister, the BJP has greeted the apex court's directive to the CR' do probe even.
accusation made in the case with a sense of vindication of its stand.
"The party, which has been irked by the CBI's disinformation campaign" against Mr Advani ,
has already begun to train its guns on the investigating agency. Party spokesperson Sushma
Swaraj gave enough indication of the BJP's unfolding strategy in this context.
"We hope the CBI will now do its job honestly and fearlessly and proceed against Godman
Chandraswamy, Mr Satish Sharma and Mr R.K. Dhawan," she said referring to S K. Jain's
purported statement that they had acted as "conduits" with regard to payments meant for the
Prime Minister.
The Supreme Court order, she said, also "ensures that even the Prime Minister is not above
the law and that the CBI is under obligation to obey the law and not the Prime Minister when
it comes to serious charges of corruption against him." She went on to say that with their
"biased track record," the CBI officers right from the director downwards "need to read this
order again and again to correct their approach in the investigation of cases."
DD 'CENSORSHIP' :The BJP spokesperson remarked that another man who needed to read
the SC order was Information and Broadcasting Minister P.A. Sangma, along with his band of
officials in Doordarshan, "We think his transmission tower is leaning towards Race Course
Road", she remarked and came up with an allegation of "censorship" during last night's trans-
mission of the "News Tonight" programme on the Metro channel.
When anchorperson Prannoy Roy referred to the Jain's statement on alleged payments to the
Prime Minister, the word Prime Minister was blanked out, Mrs Swaraj alleged. "Mr Praniloy
Roy teinporarily lost his voice the moment he was to utter the word Prime Minister," she
remarked.

1.5 GOOD FEATURE AND MAGAZINE WRITING

It is difficult to differentiate feature writing from news stories. Both have a great deal in
common. They differ only in emphasis. Our aim is not to tell you in great detail about this
method, as you have already learnt about it in a detailed lesson on this subject.
A feature is a departure from the way a news story is approached. A feature mostly contains
more details and description. It is also the way to breath life into a publication. It is a way of
l~umanisingthe news.
A feature or a magazine article need not necessarily follow the inverted pyramid structure.
But you can do this only when you have learnt about this most important aspect of writing. As
a feature or a magazine article writer you have greater freedom to choose the structure.
An article lead will grab the reader, but not necessarily with all the important facts. The reader
of an article will have to go through the whole story to understand the writer's goal. Signifi-
cant information appears all through the article and not just at the top. In fact, the most impor-
tant part of an article is its body or the middle section in which the central ideas are devel-
oped. An article is different from a feature. But some one who has mastered the art of news
and feature writing, normally comes out with a better written articles.
To imbibe the habits of good writing, it is necessary to note how intertwined all these forms
are and eventhen these have very different structural presentations.
A feature can be anecdotal, suspended interest feature or question and answer (interview), but
an article is the dissemination as well as the analysis of information. If you are still not sure
look for an article on the top of the editional page of a newspaper and for a feature sift the
weekly magazine pages.
Wviting for the P1.ess In fact there is a lot that is common in a feature and an article. A feature as I have told you, is
to put ideas in an interesting manner. As in an anecdotal feature, it can be started with an
anecdote or quote and then facts can be weaved in and out of one another throughout the story
- sustaining the reader's interests.
In the suspended interest feature, a special effect is produced. In either case, the style re-
quires the writer to lead readers through a series of ambiguous paragraphs while at the same
time keeping them puzzled and interested in solving the problem. The story is finally solved in
an unexpected way.
Similarly, there are a number of effective article leads that grab the reader and bring him or
her into the story. You can give an overview -the 5 Ws and 1 H -in a summary lead. The
catch point, like in a feature, may be a startling statement that arouses curiosity. Your expres-
sion can be unique, unusual paradoxical, novel with a strong, crisp style.
A fiction-like tone is characteristic of a narrative lead. You can use dialogues, personal expe-
rience and adventure writings, using strong incidents, examples and interesting events.
The question lead is another way to raise the curiosity of the reader. There may be a single
question or a number of them put to the reader in direct address.
A descriptive lead can also be used. The appeal has to be to the senses and the emotions.
Detailed facts canb'e used in the body but not in this kind of lead. The language used should be
the one that creates high impact. Quotes as well as direct address, or second person leads, can
also be used in articles where you want to personally speak to the reader. In the beginning of
this unit, we have discussed this style. Finally, an article may open with two or more of these
leads in combination. An entertaining article or feature may use humour, suspense, adventure,
romance or pathos to keep the reader's attention. Illustrations and photographers can make
the subject come alive for the reader. Your language has to be crisp, imaginative, clever,
colourful and if possible fast-paced.
Here, let me briefly tell you what makes a good magazine article.
a You have to choose a subject of compelling interest to the magazine's audi-
ence. If you know the market and the readers, selection of interesting topics will not be
difficult.
You should plan to use colourful or entertaining material examples, anecdotes and facts
to, what in journalistic jargon is called "spice it".
a You must establish a strong reader identity, so that your reader is involved with the
article or feature.
Your writing should be clear, absorbing and to the point.
a The article should contain a strong element of appeal. Some subjects have more appeal
than others. Once again, it would not be out of place to recall that the rules that are
good for news writing are also good for articles. They are proximity, prominence, time-
liness, conflict, bizarre and currency. Other elements are glamour, sex, success, human
interest and competition.

So far we have told you about various forms of writing. T h s is an essential requirement on
, your way to becoming a writer. We have also told you the basics for a good write-up. Now, we
are coming to the specifics. Writing is not simply an inherent talent that some of you may be
having and some other won't be. There are steps that all of us can take, to improve our writing
skills.
Writing is a process. We are only suggesting the rules, techniques and n o m s to you, but these
have to be mixed with your own individual style, thoughts and methods, and with the subject
and form of the writing. To produce a good write-up, you have to learn to combine all these.
Also remember, that writing is hard work. Most people give up writing as soon as they can.
because it is such hard work. It is physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. Good
writing does not happen all of a sudden. The writing process is often slow, at times tedious and
. .
I even fnlstrating. This is not to frighten you. We just want to tell you about a phenomenon that Fundamentmls of Good
most writers pass through so that when you come across such a situation, you do not give up wl'iti"fi-- Writingthe News
Stiny, Lead, Structul-e, etc.
writing. Remember, good writing does not happen all at once. It is the result of sweat and
blood - in a literal sense.
We are again giiiing you some suggestions for improving your writing. We want to apprise you
with its teclin~que.Ycs, it is a tcchnique. Not all of thcse suggestions fit every piece of writing
and should not be considered as set of rules. These can bc considercd a guideline for cnsming
that what your writing comes of standard.

I
Write Simply : We have been telling you repeatedly about this aspect. Simpllclty is
tlle best way to achieve clarity. Giftcd wrlters takc to this mcthod to com7eythem mes-
sage. A student, a beginner In the profession ofwriting, will also find it easy to write in

1
a simplc lnanner.
TJse Simple Words : Many people think big or complicated words will ui~~prcss the
rcadcr 111fact 11has thc opposite effect. "To writc clearly, not only the most expressive
but the plainest words sl~ouldbe chosen". Benjamin Frailklin oncc wrote. It is better to
write ease instead of facilitate, niany instead of numerous and use instead of utilise.
Use Simple Sentences : [t is casler to write five slmplc sentence than one complex or
compound sentence. So why not write simple scntenccs?Long winding sentences only
distract the reader.
Economise on Wortls : Mostly writers use too Inally words in their drafts. A careful
editor deletes these at thc time of editing. (This sentence ~tselfcan be written in sim-
pler way.) - "A carefiil editor edits this out". There is no substitute for simple. straight
forward prose. You should not try to use one word more than necessary. Be on the look
out for phrases. words and sentences that do not add substailtinllv to the content ofwhat
yo11are writing. You should also guard against those fancy phrases wldc11 draw attention
to the writing aild the writer - and take away the content. Do not boast while writing.
Do not use Jargon :Each group of people has a technical language of their own. This
is called jargon. You may be using certain abbreviations or names in your schools,
sports field or in an office. Scientists do so in their labs. Thesc are jargons. They are
understood only by the select group. As a writer, you should not use these. You should
rather explain the jargon if you have to use it. Your aim should be to makc your message
clear to tllc people w11o have no direct relationship to such groups. Your writings should
not cut people off from receiving your ideas by a language that they cannot understand.
Avoid using o\*crused words or phrases. Tllcse are called cliches. A write-up with cli-
ches is not considered good writing. Cliches are so ovenlscd that they become trite,
tiresolilc and bereft of any meaning. Some colun~nistshave a tendcncy to use such
cliches and that is why you call their writing boring.

Avoid Adjectives : Adjectives and adverbs are often superfluous You should build up
your sentenccs around nouns and verbs. Usage of adjectives often \veakcn your mes-
sage. We would suggest that you write two simple selltellces than use an adjective,
which more often is unnecessary if your descriptions are clear and vivid. You should
selcct good active vcrbs to enliven your copy. A good verb denotes action and a better
vcrb denotes action and description. So choose your verb carefully. 11 will reverberate
and rejuvenate your copy Remember, adverbs and adjectives modify (limit) and verbs
expand your thoughts and thus the writing.
Tie Together - Avoid Jolts : Qwte often you nl~ghthave heard that writing must be
well knit. Please do not wonder how to achieve this. You knit 1101 the words alone but
the thougl~tsas wcll. Readers should be able to rcad through a plcce of writing without
stops and surprises. While illtroducing a new ~ d e aor piece of information, do not do so
without tying ~t to other parts of a story. Springing up with sudden thoughts jolts a
reader, and llke a sudden jerk on a snlooth road, he is thrown off balance.
Connect ally new inforn~ationill a s t o v to i~lforniationalready introduced. You have to
develop a nlental discipline and read your copy with discerning eyes. Expect your reader
to condemn you for any folly you make in the copy. For areader, your name is immate-
rial. For him. you are either a good or bad writer.
Writing for the Press a Be Specific : Rrc.r11! IS the soill of wit. Just as you try to avoid someone who talks too
much, so do readers about writings, which have too many superfluous or high-sounding
words or pilings of phrases or long-winding sentences that have run out of thoughts.
Elimliate all that whlch you have said once. You have to have accuracy and clarity. But
never tv to sacrifice these for the sake of brevity. As I have told you earlier, if some
facts need explanation do not economise on sentences. Instead of one long sentence, it
is better to explain it in five sentences
To bc specific, get to the point, sometimes, it is certainly a difficult task. What I am
suggesting is to decide on the theme of the write-up and weave your story around it.
Oncc you have done it both writing and editing would be easier.
a Avoid Repetition and Redundencies : Both these traits show lack of discipline on
the part of the writer. Sometimes facts need to be repeated but that is not the case very
often.
a Cut out unnecessary words : I have told you earlier to avoid adjectives and adverbs.
As you write. such words oflen creep in. Be alert to weed these words out. Quite often
you wnte 'really', 'actually', 'very', 'in fact' and similar others. These words do not tell
much to the readers. Rather they tell nothing. So cut these out. This will also help you
in keeping your story trim and fit it into the limited space of a magazine or newspaper.
Check Your Progress 3
' Note : i) Answer the following questions.
ii) Compare vour answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.
1. Edit unnecessary words in the following sentences :
a) at the hour of noon ...........................................................
b) in the year 1990 ...........................................................
c) was engaged in studying ...........................................................
d) set a new rccord ............................................................
e) wiaring a happy smile on his face : ........................................................
f) red-coloured cloth ...........................................................
g) large crowd of people ...........................................................
h) tliroughout the entire day ...........................................................
i) returned back home ...........................................................
j) that is the very root cause of defeat : ..........................................................
2) Write at least fivc techniques which you should follow in order to be a good
writer.
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
I .-................................ I
.........................................................................................................
 Fundamentals of Good
1.7 THE ACCURACY AND ATTRIBUTION Writing- - Writing the News
Story, Lead, Structure, etr.
As a journalist your aim should be to achieve accuracy. You get many letters from your friends.
Most of then1 you just scan through and keep aside. The same is true about other writings as
ucll. You do not read the letters because mostlv they are ridden with cliches. Quite often
these are also not accurate descript~onsof happenings. Now you must have understood why
\\e arc stressing on ilccumcv
LVe have beell telllng you repeatedly how to have accuracy in the language, format, style and
usage in writing. Aclrieving is not just a matter of the technique of writing but a state of mind
that you must foster. You should not be satisfied with false information, half-baked informa-
tion or about something you may have doubts about.
Make sme that dates and identifications are correct, numbers in a story add up properly and
locations are correct. Do not consider that your reader is a fool. He may not write a word in
your praise but he would not mind writing long letters to point out the silliest mistake you
inay commit. If you are not accurate. vou will lose credibility - that is you will not enjoy the
trust of the readers. Once you lose credibility as a writer, you lose your market.
Spell names correctly : Nothing repulses one as the misspelling of his name. That is why all
editors insist that the names are spelt correctly - the way the person concerned himself
spells it. Recentlx a CPI (M) MP, Mr. Biplab Das Gupta shot letters to newspapers protesting
against the misspelling of his name. Some were making Dasgupta as one word, some were
writing Biplab and so forth. He insisted that his name be spelt the way he had been writing. Do
not hurt either your reader or the quoted person by not spelling hislher name correctly.
But in some cases there is real confusion. Libyan leader Gaddafi's name is spelt in 200 differ-
ent way the world over. In such cases, the best way is to adhere to the style that the paper or
magazine you are writing for uses For checking other names, if possible go back to the per-
son conccrned. If helshe 1s not awnailable, try to get in touch with hisher secretary. If that too
docs not work, refer to a telephone directory which usually uses the correct spellings based
on thc information supplied by the person concerned.
Attribute correctly :Misquoting or quoting out of context are very common. While at times,
it is an alibi for a source to back out after the story has come out in print, in many cases the
writers themselves are to be blamed. While tallung to a source keep your ears open. Try to
understand what helshe wants to say. In case of doubt, repeat the question. Do not think that
the source would get annoyed. Even if helshe does, it is better to annoy one person than a host
of readers and editors on whom your credibility rests.
Quotes can be direct and indirect. Your effort should be to retain the words used by the source.
However, if hislher grammar is faulty, you should correct that so that it is not ridiculed by
others. Unless you are writing a satire or humorous piece, you should not use wrong grammar.
In an indirect quotation or paraphrase, you have the liberty to express the views of the source
in different words. The caution, however, is that it should not change the meaning.
Attribution is important. By revealing where you have got your informationfrom, you tell the
reader whether it is reliable or not. In short, you leave the assessment of the reliability of the
information to the reader. This also saves you from the embarrassment of some information
which may be misleading. Readers finally would blame the source - a department, ministry
or official - and not you for presenting incorrect information.
As attribution builds up credibility, although too much of it can get in the way of the story by
affecting its flow, and too little of it can confuse the reader. You have to maintain a balance
between the two.
Do not get bored of using the word 'said'. There is no other word that can do the job in such a
natural way. It is a modest word and never calls attention to itself.
There are words like explain, point out, add, revealed or disclosed, relate, exclaim and assert
that can be alternately used. But be very careful. Each of these words has a separate connota-
tion. Do not replace these for the sake ofbringing in an artificial variety in your copy. It can
mar your copy and not make it. There are two other words - state and declare. These are
formal words and used for formal speeches or announcements. Even on such occasion "said
can be used in a better way than any other word.
Writing f'or the Piws
Attribution brings accuracy. You should remember that accuracy is the building which is con-
structed up on the small information you supply to it, like a bricklayer. Quotes enliven a copy
but they have to be woven into it.
Another key for accuracy is to cross check your facts. This means you approach different
sources to ensure that your facts are correct. The more people you talk to, or more records
you check, it is more likely that you w l l understand the facts better and convey them more
succinctly.

Check Your Progress 4

-Note : i) Answer the following questions.

'

ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.
1) Why is strong emphasis laid on accuracy ?
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
2) How do quotes in a copy enliven and make it more accurate ?
..........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
I t'

1.8 GETTING IDEAS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION

A journalist is known as a person with ideas. If you want to be a good writer, you have to have
ideas as well as be able to evolve new ideas to weave into your stories. You will notice that any
report of feature or article is written on a new idea. You must also have come across the term
'exclusive stories'. Such stories are exclusive as the ideas and at times information these have
are new or off the beaten track.
How can you get new ideas ? One way certainly is, as I have told you earlier, to read a lot.
There is one problem you may face. As a beginner, you may be tempted to steal the entire idea
in a book or an article. If you do that it would be foolish. Either you would be caught for
plagiarism or your idea may appear to be too common for an editor to accept. When I said
read, read betyeen the lines. There may be many paragraphs, which may have some idea, which
can be developed into an independent story.
Most writers spend a lot of time looking for ideas. They meet people, call sources, visit
places, laboratories and similar other places, to know about ideas. For writing a piece you
have to have enoughback up information. Not all information may find a place in the write-up,
but the more you have it easier it should be for you to write the story.
You have to develop what journalists calls news sense. In going through newspapers, you can
spot stories that can be developed into a g o d article or a feature. For example, if you see the
story on the slump in rupee rates against dollar, you have an opportunity to develop it in many
ways. You can write how a similar situation was tackled by other countries, say by Japan or
Germany. You can also write after researching whether or not it is a pan of an international
conspiracy to weaken the Indian economy and so forth. For the magazine writers, as you may
like to develop yourself into newspapers offer what is going on in the world in quick surface
form, providing the leads to stories that can be researched into fuller stories.
Magazines, particularly .those with a small circulation or sometimes house journals theni-
selves, are the sources of articles. Ideas cannot be copy-righted, only the way they are written
18 is copyrighted. Sometimes letters-to-the-editor are also srurce of good articles. a
 You must have a clear idea of what you are writing about, Ifyou do not understand thoroughly Fundamentals of Good
what you are writing, your readers will not understand what you have written. If you are writing - Writi'lg the
Story, Lead, Structulr, ctc.
about something you do not understand, stop writing and find out what you need to know. That
is to say once again that ideas need a firm base of information to build upon.
[1 Where does the information in a news story, article or feature come from? A writer has three
basic sources - people, records (stored information or files of a department or institution)
I and personal observation.
I Mosthnformation would come from personal sources. As a writer, you will have to spend
t most of your non-writing time talking to people, either personally or on the phone. If you are
taking to writing, develop friendship with a new person every day. He may not give you a story
i the same day but on some subsequent meetings he may come out with some brilliant ideas.
You will find that most people who have information are willing to share it with you. Some-
times not an oficial b;t his secretary can be a better source. At times, even peons, reception-
ists and telephone operators can give you more information. But to protect such sources
always'try to have a talk with the official concerned. This would also help you cross check the
1 facts. The rules of quoting a source also vary. You may not identie a source who has informa-
i tion but is not in an authoritative position. Quoting himher may do more harm. Besides,
people want information from authorised person like an official, head of the department or
similar other persons. While they may be taking this sketchily, you can build up the story on
information that you have got on the routine leg work.
The second major source is your personal observation. Whenever possible, you should at-
tend the events you may be writing on. Though you may not always write on these subjects, but
the important back up can provide you material for back up on some other day. Sometimes,
your observation during, say a public meeting, can bring out very offbeat copy, a humorous
piece or an illuminating article.
The stored sources are yet another area. The records of a government department or even of
some individual can prove to be important sources. One of the best such examples is the
Bofors scandal. Much of it has come out of records - files. The 'Hawala' episode, you may
have noticed, is also coming out of many papers sorted at different places.
In most cases, you should do well to quote the records though you may not reveal who has
supplied it to you. Most of these records again can be accessed by you through your personal
contacts that you might be building up. Such records can be found in scientific reports, gov-
ernment bulletins, trade Journals, current books, speeches, museums, company records and
papers of some famous persons and even old press releases. Information from more than one
of these sources call brighten your copy.
You nlust be careful with your sources, cross check them, give credit and attribution where it
is due and tell the truth. The more information you build up the more it would help you and
your readers to understand fully.
7

I :; Check Your Progress 5

'
I
i
Note : i) Answer the following questions.
ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.
1) Apart from secretaries, who else can you think of as important and credible
sources of information ?

2 ) Why is it necessary for a journalist to have information from more than one 1
source ?
Writing for the Press

REVISE AND REWRITE

For the most part, we all read rewritten writing when we read anything in print. Very few
writers, or only those with enough practice, can express effectively in a first draft. One of i ~ y
editors advises to write down at the first flash of a thought (idea) Yes, that is a good uay of
starting a write-up. However, your first outburst of thoughts need not necessarily have been
expressed in the best possible manner. The first thoughts are like building up a structure
without the external and interior finishings. Like any building structure, you also have to learn
the art of 'polishing' your write-up. All write-ups in print may be readable, but some are a real
delight. This comes when you give the necessary polishing to it. !

How do you polish your write-up'? In your initial days, you should give it to a friend to read.
He/she is likely to come out with a-criticism. Listen to him/her. Make changes where ncces-
saw. Remember, that is only good when you are a beginner. But from the beginning VOLI have
to develop the habit of re-reading your copy. Most writers prefer to write and then dump their
writings on the editor's table. This is a wrong praclice. Many silly mistakes do creep in when
you write. You can correct this at the stage of revision.
What do you do after you have gone through the first revision ? Leave your write-up say for a
day or half a day. Read it again. You are likely to come up with some discrepancies. Correct
these again.

Rewriting in fact passes through many phases. During the coursc of rewriting, you can add
more information, delete superfluous items and go on changing or improving upon the lan-
&wageto make it more effective. You should constantly ask yourself whether or not you have
made the writing clearer, more precise and more readable. At the stage of rervriting you Irave
to be extremely critical. Rereading your article may not be fun, but good writers reread and
rewrite.
While rewriting, and also while writing, you must recall what the basic tools or writing are.
You must know the rules of grammar and spellings. .While revising, check carefully the spell-
ings and the grammar in your sentences. Check again if the thoughts are inter-twined or not.
Remove jolts and jerks. This can be done by simply adding or removing some expressions or
sentences or even words. A sinall change can do wonders to your copy. A rewritten introduc-
tion can niake a11 the difference.
If on the revising you find that there is something you do not understand, hold back your copy
Get back to your sources for additional information to bring in all the necessary clarity. You
have already done well by having detected a mistake, this is the time when you can correct it
and g v e the necessary brightness the copy requires.
But finally, all these stages come when you have completed your writing. And 1would like to
repeat what I had told you in the beginning and that is that you begin the whole process of
writing by starting writing. The most fundamental approach to beconling a writer is to begin
writing. It is hard work. Rewriting is still harder. But when you do it and follow the basic
instfictions given in this unit, you can emerge as a good writer. Do not get into the phobia Illat
writing is difficult, it is but to surmount the phobia, that you have to write.
To give it a better look, you have to rewrite. There is one golden rule. Do not spend too illueh
time in rewriting. Yoy may miss the deadline or timeliness and your effort will go waste. So
whatever you do, do it relatively fast. A delayed writing though good, may miss the bus of
getting printed. So while writing, always remember that the editor has a time set to print and
you have to meet it. As a writer at no stage can you be lethargic.
 Fundamentals of Good
1.10 LET US SUMUP Writing - Writing the News
Story, Lead, Structure, etc.

In this unit we have discussed various aspects on how to become a good writer.
1f one wants to become a good writer. than hefshe has to read a lot regularly and practice
nriting regularly. One has to collect information about the subject hefshe intends to write.
Thc information collected thus will provide clarity to the writing.

Good writing should be clear, concise, simple and to the point. Good writing never beats
around the bush, never uses uncommon words and uses a minimum number of words to ex-
press the maximum amounl of thoughts.

Practicing news writing disciplincs a writer. Thc live Ws and one H help a journalist bring
brcvity and clarity in wr~ting.It has been found that a lot of good writers have gone through the
rigors of journ a 1'ism.

The in~crtedpyramid practiced in writing ncws items creates a style in the writers to build up
a momcntuin which coinpels a reader to read a news item from beginning till the end A writer
ultimately has to dcvclop his own style. For this hclshe has to work hard relentlessly. Writing
is an easy job. It is as hard as any other intellcctual work.
We Inav summarily put herc all the techniques of good writing wc have mentioned in the unit.
They are :

Writc simply

Use sin~plewords

Use si~nplesentences
Econoiuisc on words

Do not use jargon

Avoid adjectives

Avoid jolfs --bring lucidity in your writing

Be spccific
Avoid repetition

Use quotation to bring autheilticity.

A writer has to be accurate with regard to facts aitd figures. Accuracy builds the credibility of
a writer and the paper for which helshc writes. Credibility is something which a paper must
cultivate paiifi~llvover a long period of time. And it must be sdcguarded constantly. One way
of building thc credibility is by bring about a balance in the w r i t ~ i ~concerned.
g The writers
-many a times resort to quoting various sourccs to bring in credibility to their write-up. But
one must not clutter any write-up with too many quotations.

A person who aspires to be a wrlter has to rewrite and revise hisfher write-up again and again
till hefshe is satisfied and feels that it is of an acceptable standard.
$

1.11 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS : MODEL ANSWERS

Check Your Progress 1

. I) Reading

Writing
Rewriting

2 ) The qualities of a good write-up are the following : .

Clear
-- -
Writing for the Press
Focussed
Written in a simple language
To the point
Modest in approach
Check Your Progress 2
1) Impact : It is the influence or consequence a story may have on
its readers. The editors may like to foresee which items
may have greater impact on a large number of readers.
Greater the impact, greater is the news value.
Timeliness : A news story must have newness and freshness.
Known information does not attract the reader's atten-
tion.
Conflict : Conflict has a consequence on political, economical and
social aspects of society. Conflict has great attraction,
and it always catches the attention of the people.
Prominence : People are always interested to know about anything on
their leaders, heros, captains etc. Therefore, inforrna-
tion on all the prominent people would have a definite
news value.
2) lnverted pyramid structure gives the conclusion and summary of an incident in
the very first paragraph. Then, in the subsequent paragraphs, it expands and pro-
vides detailed accounts. Readers by nature'would like to know first what really
happened -and then the details of it. The pyramid structure helps a news paper
to use the the structure in a creative manner so that it can reach the readers.
The advantages of a pyramid structure are the following

i) It saves time of the reader, if he is not interested in the whole story.

ii) It satisfies the basic information need of the reader.
iii) It creates a desire among the readers to move deeper into the story and read
it.
Check Your Progress 3
1) a) at noon

c) was studying
d) set a record
e) was happy
f) red cloth
g) large crowd
h) throughout the day
i) returned home
j) the root cause of defeat
2) i) to write simply
ii) to use simple sentences
iii) to avoid adjectives and adverbs unless they are required
 Fu~damentrlsof Gvod
iv) not to use technical words /jargons Writing -- Writing the Pews
Stom, Lead, Stwuctuxe, e-c.
[ V) to use simple words
I Check Your Progress 4
I
I

I
' 1) Disseminating information among thc general public is a major responsibility
taken up by the press. Correct and accurate information help in creating a more
advanced, educated and a rational society. On the part of the newspaper, accurate
information disseminated by it. helps in building its credibility. This credibility
is the most precious elenlent in a newspaper. Once a newspaper looses its cred-
ibility, it looses everything. Hence. strong emphasis is laid on accuracy.
2) Quotes are of great help to the journalist to be accurate and factual. The quotes
feed the readers wit11 the actual words orthe speakers or the persons concerned.
Quotations arouses interest. But too many quotations may clutter the whole news
iteniand create confusion. Hence, there sl~ouldbe a proper balance.

Check Your Progress 5

1) A journalist may cultivate various different sources to get information for his/
her news stories and features. Threc basic sources are : people, records and
personal observations. Among the sources falling under the category of 'people'
-secretaries of important officials and persons form a very important sources.
The peons, clerks, receptionists, drivers, senrants or attendants may be culti-
vated for information.
2) It is required for a journalist to have information from more than one source
because it helps the journalists to cross check the facts and also find new ele-
ments in a news stow.
 FEATURE WRITING
Structure
2.0 Introduction

2.1 Objectives

2.2 Thc Main Con~ponentsof a Feature

2.2.1 Thc Lead
2.2.1.1 News Summary Lcad
2.2.1.2 Short Sentencc Lcad
2.2.1.3 Quotation Lead
2.2.1.4 Question Lcad
2.2.1.5 Contrast Lead
2.2.1.6 Picture Lead
2.2.1.7 Humorous Lead
2.2.2 The Body
2.2.3 The Conclusion

2.3 Different Types of Featurcs

Human lntercst Features
Personal Narrativcs
Meeting Unusual People
Travel Sketches
Historical Subjects
Interpretative Features
Autobiographical Huinan Docunlcnts
Science Features
Practical Guidance Features
Miscellaneous
2.4 Technique of Feature Writing

2.6 Key Words

2.7 Check Your Progress : Modcl Answers

2.0 INTRODUCTION
This is the second unit in this block. The first unit has acquainted you with the fundanlentals of
good writing. The subsequent units will deal with opinion and editorial writing, and freelancc
and magazine writing.

The second unit deals with feature writing. Until independence in 1947. Indian newspapers.
being preoccupied with political affairs with particular emphasis on the struggle for freedom.
devoted little space to features. Even today, political coverage remains their staple diet, with
a curious obsession with speeches of political leaders not only in the central and state legis-
latures but also at public functions, rallies and press conferences.
Even so, niore and more editors have begun to pay attention to features wluclz give individual-
ity and character to a newspaper and offer a greater variety of reading material to the sub-
scriber.

If news is the lifeblood of a newspaper, editorials are its heart and features its soul. Features
usually play up the human interest angle.
2.1 OBJECTIVES
This unit is aimed at helping you to appreciate the importance of features in the contents of a
newspaper and acquaint you with the technique of feature writing. At the end of your study of
the unit, you should be able to :

describc the essential ingredients that gc~to m a ~ ae features;

distinguish between different types of Itatures;
write a good feature: and
evaluate a feature and point out the strong and weak aspects of it.

Besides the qualit~esrequired of a good reporter (news sense, 'leg work, fidelity to truth,
knowledge of current affairs and an ability to ferret out the facts and present them in a logical
and attractive manner), the feature writer should have an excellent command over the lan-
guage in whlch he wntcs. A feature needs a style. The choice of words should be such as to
~mpart'colour' to the story, evoke a mood or a feeling or give a vivid picture of a person,
placc or thing. So if you have the qualities mentioned above, you can hope to be a good feature
4
writer. This unit is designed to help you in this task.

Activity 1
b
I
At this point, it would be a good idea to involve ourselves in an activity. At the begin-
ning of this unit, we have mentioned that the newspapers are still obsessed with po-
litical news and their interpretntjons. But slowly, features on topics other than politi-
cal in naturc, arc increasingly appearing in our ne\j.spapers. Acquaint yourself with
this slow c11:lngc.

1 Takc tlrc 1 : ~ tscvcn editions of the newspaper (one) you subscribe to

1 List down the hoad~ngr/titloaof tho fmturo articles published in these editions

Categories thcsc under different themes (political, economical, environmental,

women issucs etc.)
' See what a variety of features arc being published by the newspapers for the
readers.

MAIN COMPONENTS OF A FEATURE

A feature resembles a news story in some respects but differs from it in some others. Like a
news story, a feature deals with facts. But it differs from a news story in that it may be longer
than its news value justifies and it need not follow the standard form of news presentation. A
news story has two main conlponents - the lead and the body. A feature also has a third
component - the conclusion. The lead should consist of a summary of the subject matter.
The body should elaborate on it and the conclusion should sum it up or draw a moral from it.
The feature writer has far greater flexibility than a news reparter.

I Check Your Progress 1

Note : i) Answer the following questions in the space provided below.

ii) Compare your answer with the ones given at the end of this unit.
1) Why do you think that the features express the soul of a newspaper?
..........................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
I
I
3 ) Stiltc ~ l l c t h e tllc
a)
r Collowing statements are true or false:

Even durlng pre-indepxdence time, features used to be a main component

I
of the newspapers.

1 b) A feature alwavs has a condusion.

I
I ( ) True ( ,)False
i
i c) Features do not deal with facts.
I
( ) Truc ( ) Falsc

2.2.1 The Lead

A feature writer has great lat~tudeul selecting his Icad. The choice is indeed limitless. The
lead may be any one of the following types or a combination of two or more of them.
2.2.1.1 News Summary Lead
This is similar to the Icad in a news story and should ideally embody the five Ws - Who.
What, Where. Whcn md Why.
Example : I~VLirrr I ~ L(,'ongnr.s,s
J Ilirrkirrg i,'o~nnrittee:r ~nec~ting
In New llelhi on M o n h y
wsultud in a rlradlock orcr the ~nambershrpissue behjccn f l ~ econservatives and the lib-
erals, the party president an iris own decided to seek the nhrce of the Supeme Cc~urton
the matte): flc. t h u . ~brought to an end the brtter'
acrlnznrtv between the rival factions that
had threatened to cause a splrt rn the par&.
2.2.1.2 Short Sentence Lead
This consists of a single stnking sentence.
Eramples : I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.
My father was a versatile man.
Charlie Chaplin b genius was in comedy.
Choice o f e n bmeds, lye, when order breeds habit.
Art is born of humiliation.
Life is an abnormal business.
Time goes by.
2.2.1.3 Quotation Lead
The sayings of a renowned person, poet or leader may be taken as a lead.
&ample ; To be or not to be.
A joke is an epitaph on an emotion.
Adversity inttvduces a man to himsel,S
Necessity is the mother of invention.
East is East and West is West.
2.2.1.4 Question Lead Feature Writing

Sometimes a qiiestion may provide a feature with an attractive lead.

Examples : Flotv mtrch is a wzfe +worth:)

'4 ren P had laws the worst sur-r o f tdvl*ann,v'

Does Ilfe iimilate art?

Is the eartli real!,: rorrrirU
2.2.1.5 Contrast Lead
Conflict and contrast many a tunes provide a ic:~!!~rc with lcad which may bring forth the
controversial nature of the fcaturc.

Example : The econonric .vituatron iciol;r,ii qwiti. rosv a y e w nga. ;Ti~c(clv I / j l l s us with
gloom (717d ,fi>rrhodir!,c.

2.2.1.6 Picture ld~itd

This gives a \ itld dcscr~ptionof the sctti~lgof the f c a i ~ i ror~ el o k c ~a mood rxi ke!~ng.
Example : 1 3 the
~ ~ tirnr. !ci"o,cv~ti
!/I(,/&)~ttici.Ji.on~
,!,,ioiigo!iu into !~fi:l!.~!i tt:r.npe~orur*e
is:!

was ,\-w loit; !ha/ j,ori :.vouid havc vcquirril to ,yet dov017 on y c i r l l * hands and
lii7ees to see it. I had nr~t.tho~ight I / pus::ihic: n!!vll:i?er.c. on t h li!lirrhi!ed
~ oilrth
to hc, ,so C O ~ ( / .

Example : 111c(,(ilnak,s likc~heair!rfill hricl~~l'ith(7 v ~ i i 0 1 ~ hcr

r hLjn/l !4:h('i!vieit'ed.fi.om
$Face. Zhis i . h~o i ~Soviet co.~ino17tru:Ii. 1,: bi>!irtiisaw !r~riin/to/!? liis .vpccrcraft
ivhilc orhitii?g the enrtl.1.

2.2.1.7 Humorolis Lead

A humourous lend sets f h c tone oii'n leatllr:. ~ : c r f , - ' ~fo;
~ tl:c rtader

Exumplc : Long ( I . x - ~ : ; . ; c I ~ c ~h0.s

P Itrtlgli! 1~7r/i!irr in l;l(rirri1c!r nohni'$j 40e.v to the theatre
1,inle.v.v1 1 OY~ ~h?eha.^ h~'(>ii~hiii.\..

/ ' Activity 2 -
I 3-011Lave now Icarl?cl !iiat a Seilttire can IIP\C titTcrcnt I ~ ~ of lead expressing thev
C S

I1 tlie~ne.4 crisp aliii iicll \ v s i f ? ~ i !cad

attracts tlie rudcrr.
i ol. '1 lcnlure. V a a ) tnncs. the lead
i:cls :hc liiP:r

1 In Act!. I!? - 1. xotr llllvc cat~ern<cd\o-i~c.irntr:l-c:q 11nde1.diffcrcnt fhenlcs. In t h ~ s

nctn lty. !ou nlnb cnnccntratc: on the Icad of ~llcccfeature<. Catcgorlse these leads
undei varlclis types :IS discus~cd?n :hc JSilS section :md sub-scctions Reason '
1 , olil 7 s to w ! ~ )Ion find some leads more ;rttractlve than others
I
/ _ I _ - - - - I

2.2.2 T h e Bodv
Fcatuue writl~igis ?lotvery d~ffercn:from any other expository or narrative writing. The body
l v smoot5lj ; n Ihc samc nav as a news story. A feature
of a feature I S clevclopcd l o ~ ~ c a l311d
should co~lformto the ! ~ a s ~pni~ciplcs
c of good ulri!~ii~,
that ic;, 1111!t!; collerence, and readabil-
ity Although the featnrc writer may have ,i grc;itcr space at his disposal than a reporter, he
should present 111s materlal with bre\at>-and elegance, avoiding strperiluous words as well as
cliches and inainta~ilrnga high standard of writing. By exercising literary ingenuity, the fea-
lure writer can rnake even a simple and ordinary incident into a vital happening. The news
reporter informs but the feature writer informs. entertains and educates.

2.2.3 The Conclusion

A news report does ~!otneed a conclusion. but a feature often, though not always, does. The
conclusion may be a summlng up of the contents of a feature, or a climax as in a short stoq or
n aitback or :I ilasliback to the lcad.
Writing for the Press
Check Your Progress 2

Note : i) Answer the following questions in the space provided below.

ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this unit.
1) Whatisalead'?

..........................................................................................................................................
2) Explain the following in one sentence each.
News summary lead :

.........................................................................................................................................
Picture lead :

..........................................................................................................................................
Quotation lead :

-- - - -

2.3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF FEATURES

There is hardly a subject on which a feature cannot be written. A boy trying to cross a busy
street, a cat wanting to catch an elusive rat, a nurse at work ir, a hospital, a vegetable vendor in
your street, men and women practising unusual professions, personal accounts of travel, remi-
niscences of tlie past - in fact, any subject can be turned into a feature. A feature has no
specific length. It can be as short as four paragraphs or as long as 40 paragraphs. The list of
different types of features given below rrsst, therefore, be seen as a highly tentative one.

2.3.1 Human Interest Featvres

The human touch is perhaps the most vital qualiq in !he feature.
Exampl~ 4n ~ ~ i t i newn g lije will begin for three-year-old Indira from Andhra Pradesh
-..,.zen she flies to Beirut with her French foster mother, Miss Eliane Magnum,
a music~an,on Tuesday. Indira had been lej? in the care of a children k home
in Hyderabad by her unhnown mother without a stich on her bo6y or a name
to go b.y. But, unlike other unfortunate foundlings, she will escape a life of
want and druclgery. Fate has been kirid to her -
2.3.2 Personal Narratives
The stories of eminent men and woincn are worth tclling. Human interest in them survives
long after they are dead. Featurcs can be written on their l~feand work, thelr achiw-cmentsand
their unique contribution to the nation.
 Feature Writing
2.3.3 Meeting Unusual People
The world is full of exkaordmary persons whose life and wbrk can make good features.
An example was a feature on a German couple, Heribert and Maike Frank, whose chance
encounter with a craftsman in Mysore led them to quit their plum jobs and create a 'little
India' in their home town of Munchen.

C 2.3.4 Travel Sketches

Travel fascinates most people w e n though they may be prevented by lack of money or time
fiomvisiting as many places as they may want to. Travel features satisfy a basic human desire
to know more about the world we live in.
E'xample : After a three-hour drive along winding mountain roads, with deep valleys
on one side and huge menacing boulders jutting out of the rocks on the othe,:
we arrived at snow-covered Nathu La to be greeted by the thin fleeting cloud
of mist. The cloud passed by swiftly to reveal three Chinese climbing down
the slope on the other side of the barbed wire-fence put up by our troops to
demarcate the boundary.

2.3.5 Historical Features

These are about persons in history books or about historical places.
f i a m p l e : Mysore lives in its fabledpast. The history of the city takes ofl,fmm n,fort that
Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyac a feudatory of the Ptjavanagara enipire, build
in 1584. He called the settlement 'Mahisura Nagar', which meant capital
town. Another line of though! is that the city got its name from the legendary
demon, Mahisha, vanquished by the goddess Chamundeswari, who now pre-
sides over Mysore from the top of a hill...

2.3.6 Interpretative Features

These are intended to inform and instruct the reader about the background and significance of
political, economic, social and religious issues.

2.3.7 Autobiographical Human Documents

Features in t h s category relate to personal cxperiences of intimate personal matters.
Most of us have read 'My Experiment with Truth'. It is a wonderful account of the personal
experiences of Mahatma Gandhi.

2.3.8 Science Features

Features to popularise science by explaining a scientific developiiient in simple language for
the lay reader fall into this group.

2.3.9 Practical Guidance Features

These are designed to tell the readcr how to make, repair or collect things. Short of do-it-
yourself articles.

2.3.10 Miscellaneous
The list of subjects that lend themselves to feature treatment is endless, ranging from mun-
dane activities like cooking and gardening to unusual trades and professions, from fashions
and good grooming to bird-watching and mountaineering.
Unusual Professions
A series on unusual or dying professions including the puppeteer fallen on bad days, the leech
doctor who may well claim to be a precursor of the modern surgeon, the street juggler arld so
on.
I
Ambassador of Songs From Japan
An example of my features : A handsome young Japanese wearing a striped cotton coat, dark
Writing for the press trousers and a big garland ofjasmine entered the lobby of a New Delhi hotel. At the reception
counter he freed his right hand in which he carried a musical instrument, sniffed at the flowers
and remarked with obvious delight: "vety nice,very nice."
'Your Delhi is a beautifid City', he said to me as he settled down a few minutes later in his
fifth floor room.
Russian Poet
A feature about a poetry reading by the well-known Russian writer, Evageny Evtushenko dur-
ing a visit to Delhi began: A tall, wiry man enters a smallish room crowded with potits, nwel-
ists, critics and journalists. He has a thin crop of light brown hair and his handsome face is lit
with a pleasant smile. He is cheerful, well groomed and dressed in a neat warm suit. He can be
mistaken for a film star, but he is a poet, one of Russia's brilliant youtig poets.
Before reciting his poems, ~vtushenko'tellsthe audience how an accident made him realise a
.dreamhe has cherished since childhood -the dream of visiting India.
Visiting an Iranian City under Iraqi Occupation during the War
A despatch sent to .... Times of India" from Baghdad during the early phase of the Iran-Iraq
war: From Basra we crossed the concrete bridge over the Shatt-Al-Arab waterway and trav-
-
elled for about 30 kilometers on an ill maintained road to reach the former Iranian town of
Khoramshahr. In Persian, Khoramshahr means 'joyous city'. It has certainly brought muchjoy
to its Iraqi conquerers but not to its original inhabitants who have had to flee the town. M ~ n y
of them obviously left in a hum. The dinner still rotting on a table in a deserted house, women's
dresses hanging inthe wadrobe, curtain swaying in the wind, baby dolls lying scattered in the
rubble, bric-a-brac once lovingly collected and albums of photographs of a family from child-
hood through marriage to middle age provide evidence of the tragic flight. Two cats, looking
lean and hungry; sit sadly by a bucketful of stale bread, perhaps waiting for their mistress. A
solitary dog stands sentinel at a workshop for its master to return. The war has played havoc
with the city and most of its houses have been rendered unfit for human habitation.
Zoo story -
l k o coy, gentle brides arrived in New Delhi from Tokyo by air on Tuesday to bring cheer and
joy to a couple of lonely bridegrooms in the zoo. The bridegrooms -two male Sika Deer
-came from Japan someyears ago and, though they had been provided with local mates, they
were not quite happy with them.
Encounter in the Wild West
This was the title of the piece the author J.D. Singh, sent from Los Angeles during his travels
through the United States. For reasons of space it has been condensed from the origmal.
From the Yellowstone National park where I spent three delightful days, the bus brought us to
Livington in the mid-western state of Montana. My train was to leave in the afternoon, so I
decided to pass the time window shopping.
But there was not much window shopping one could do in Livington, a small town of less than
10,000 souls. In half an hour I had the run of the entire shopping centre and'when I chanced
upon a bar sign I involuntarilypushed the door and went in.
-
The bar was a good sized hall but it was dark and dingy even at noon Four pairs of eyes turned
on me as I entered. On the bar sat rough-hewn characters, with unshaven chins and &led
shirts, looking as if they have just come back from a John Wayne film set.
My first instinct was to rn away. But 1 summoned up the courage and went to the bar and
ordered a beer.
'Which one?' the old bat maid asked, 'Hamm'. I replied, "twenty-f~veCents'," she said.
I gave her a dollar bill and she mtumed the change. The men's eyes were still fixed on me, and
they did not look very friendly. silence was killing me.
I turned to the man on my left and pointing to his giant Nnbler of beer remarked: 'I won't be
able to drink that much.'
The mall laughed and said : 'Oh, you can. I have had three already'. Feature Writing

The ice was now broken and the three characters moved, towards me and were graduallyjoined
in by half a dozen others. It soon turned into an animated, friendly group in a lively conversa-
tion on subjects ranging from snakecharmers to Hollywood movies.
After having consumed several more bottles of beer, I turned to the barmaid and asked: 'How
much do I owe you?' 'YOUowe me nothing', she said. 'The beer has been paid for by your
friends'.
I was deeply touched, but more was to come. As I got up to go, the whole tipsy crowd insisted
on giving me a lift to the railway station. I said I would walk, but they would not listen and put
me into a limousine which was soon racing thrpugh the town's paved streets ina zig-zag man-
ner, with its occupants lustily singing : 'For he's a Jolly Good Fellow!'

, Activity 3

I an1 sure, it must have been interesting reading this unit so far. We all have very
rewarding experiences, come across people who are lovely, some not so lovely ...
etc.
Now, you may try to write a short feature on any topic/subject/ineidentwhich is very
close to your heart.
Take a piece of paper and write the points you would like to elaborate on. You
inay restrict your feature to six paragraphs.
Do not try to clutter your feature with too many ideas. Choose the most impor-
tant or l m l y ones.
After having decided on the points, take a new piece of paper and start writing.
After writing the piece, keep it for a day or two. Later rewrite and revise your
feature. Who knows it may become a publishable one.

2.4 TECHNIQUE OF FEATURE WRITfNG

There are no rigid or inflexible rules about feature writing except that the feature writer must
know how to collect the necessary information and present it in an attractive and readable
manner. Hdshe should be more reflective than a news reporter, use hislher imagination. He/
she must not, however, confuse feature writing with fiction writing. A feature is based on
solid facts and only in the manner in wluch it iS presented does the writer exercise hidher
imagination.
The feature writer may take recourse to humour where necessary but in doing so hdshe must
i~otcross the boundary of good taste and decency. Indeed taste is the operative word when it
comes to light writing.
ll'e tnight remember Thackeray :F advice :

Ah, ye knights of the pen;

May honour be your shield and
truth tip your lances!
Be gentle to all people.
Be modest to women.
Be tender to children.
And as for the ogm humbug,
Out sword and at him.
Writing for the Press
, Check Your Progress 2

Note : i) Answer the following questions in the space provided below.

ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this unit.
1) What is the difference between an 'autobiographical' feature and 'personal nar-
rative' feature?

2 j What are the main elements which are focussed on by a feature writer while
sharpening the techniques of feature writing?

2.5 LET US SUM UP

I
Feature articles have a special place in a newspaper. During pre-independencetime, features
wcre not given any importance. Later during the first few decades of our independences the
subject mater of features was mainly confined to politics. But, now, the newspaper present
features in greater number and on a variety of topics.
Thc main component of a feature are : i) lead. ii) body, and.iii) conclusion. The news is the life
blood of a newspaper, the editorials its heart and the features its soul. i
The lead is like an introduction to the topics .... usually written as a summary of the main
subject matter of the feature. The lead could be written in various ways. Some have been
i
esplained in this anit. We may recollect onli the types of lead we have discussed in this unit.
a News summary lead 1
a Short sentence lead
a Question lead
a Contrast lead
a Picture lead
a Humourous lead
'
Tlie feature can be of different types depending on the subject matter it discusses. They could
be any of the following :
a Human interest
a Personal narratives
a Unusual encounter
a Travel
a Historical
a Interpretative
a Autobiographical
a Science
a Guidance and
 Feature Writing

To write a feature, the autllor must be true to the facts. Hdshe must weave the facts with
imagination. Use lucid style and narrate the whole thing in simple language. Writing, rewrit-
ing and revising form the wav to arrive at an acceptable feature.

2.6 KEY WORDS

Angle : aspect of a feature or new story
Exclusive : a story published by only one newspaper.
Five W's : Who, Where, What, When and Why.
Lead : introduction to a feature
Leg work : going out to collect material for the feature
L
It (*

1 2.7 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS :MODEL ANSWERS

.
6 Check Your Progress 1
1) The features published in a newspaper focus on the main interest and concern of
a newspaper. Most of the newspapers publish the same news items with minor
,
!

variations. But, the character and humane side of a newspaper are found in a
feature. And hence, the features are called the soul of the newspapers.
2) A feature writer must have

e the ability to collect, categorise and analyse facts;

a strong command on the language; and
a lucid style of presenting hislher thoughts and feelings.
3) a) False
b) True
C) False
Check Your Progress 2
1) A lead is a summary of the main points of a feature. In short it gives the essence
of what would be discussed in detail in a feature.
2) News Summary Lead : Is a lead which summarises like that of a news lead giving
information regarding 5Ws and one H.
Picture Lead : Is a lead which gives a vivid description of a place or incident or
the background of a feature as if the reader is viewing a picture.
Quotation Lead : Is a lead which through a quotation from an eminent poet or an
author or a leader may very well summarise the main content of the feature.
Check Your Progress 3
1) An 'autobiographical' feature is the personal experiences enumerated by tlie per-
I
son himself where as a 'personal narrative' feature is a feature written by an
author on some aspects of another person.
2) the writer should search facts;
ernploy imagination;
narrate the facts in lucid language: and

i' the language should bc sjmplz. -1

Structure
3.1 Objectives
3.2 Introduction
3.3 Quality People Read Edit Page
3.4 Importance of Editorials
3.5 Editorial Page
3.6 Should Editorials always be Adversarial
3.7 Nehru on Editorial Freedom

3.8 Definitions and Characteristics of Editorials

'Qpes of Editorials

3.9 Policy, Style and Guidelines

3.10 Letters to the Editor
3.11 DXferencc between Editorial and Others Newspaper Writing
3.12 Let Us Sum lJp
3.13 Suggested Reading

3.14 Check Your Progress : Model Answers

3.1 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit you will be able to :
describe hdamentals of opinion and editorial writing;
discuss the skills and judgement needed for writing and selection of opinion pieces:
distinguish between news and views cqntents of newspapers;
select topics for editorials; and
distinguish between Importance of editorials and other articles on tlze editorial page.

3.2 INTRODUCTION
This is Unit 111in our block on Writing t o ~the. Press. In t t prcvioi~s
~ Lln~t,LC. Ur~itTI, wc
discussed the skills of feature writing. In thc nest Un~t,I.C.I!nlt IV. we will deal with !i::~ture
and magazine writing.
- - - . .--- 7
Activity 1 !
It would be a good idea for you to get in\:olvcd 111 a t t ~cll\-i!\ at !!>is point of thc I J i : i l . i

You must be reading the editorial almost c~+c-yCi:y.;\!:!ny a tllrcs a.e re;~donly nne 'II
?dition and read jts editorrals on various suhjcct. Scldo!?; do we coninare edit.crinls
on a particular subject publ;shcJ by rival nclv:cp:lpcr<. Lrt 11.. dv that. 1I
( C . I C B L ~~ i i ~c d l t ~ n * ~1 :
Take two newspapers having editorials 01, illc S:IIIIF[ I I C ~ ~ IAt
I sl-orlldhave the same theme
 Opinion and
! ilualvse : I I I ~compare the thrust of the two editorials I Editorial Writing

'Tllc following perfornla may be of help to you:

Parameter Editorial A Editorial B

Title
/ Main points
I
Length
Languagc
I
Style

3.3 QUALITY PEOPLE READ EDIT PAGE

As you know, licwspapers are an inlportant source of opinion making. This is done through
every aspect of newspaper ariting. Though newspapers have separate pagcs for news and views,
opinions are at times interwoven with news items as explanations, backgrounds and interpre-
tative paragraphs. This is so. particillarly il: respect of rnajor developments and when the sub-
ject is not one with which thc reader is expected to be familiar. Similarly, editorials or leader
picces contain essential background to support their arguments. Oilly a small section of read-
crs or vou can say q~l:ilit! pcople turn to the edit page. These quality people are often better
:iw:Irc of iinp~;:t;,ntnews than ordinary oncs. Therefore, sometimes it is :~ssun.:zdthat readers
ol'cditori.~!pagcs a;.,: ~ener;~lly
ilwarr: of what has appeared in the news p a p to i~pprcciatethe
arg:n:~t.ntsand con,lusions.
The "ed~tpage" of a nenspapcr 1s e~sentnal:~ all oplrl~onpage. It is e picstlglolts part of the
newy>,ll:sr nhich often gcth thc cl~rcclalrc~llror:of tl!c cd~iorIt rcllr :t, thc pi)L~cyof the
ncivsp:q,cr and n~nkcsa mqor ~onlribt:l~c~:to tllc SI~;APII:.~'01 ~ t :sI I I ,c~ I
At a typical ~nectir~g
of ~ht:t.d.in~.iaI~iritcrsin the nlorning, ll~t:ed:loi irol~ld;rsk I ,;iIn:"What
sh;~llwe write on'?" 'I'lie cholcc: or Suhli-i:i\ I ; I cd~roriai
~ ;ol::mcut is rna\ll\ i-roln the major
dcvelopn~entssTthc dn\. Th..: icaders expect rh; nc;\ ;p;ip;:r t : ~di: it:. di~:! :IS opiir:;r,i inaker on
major issues.
Dally newspaper nlastly colnmcnt on pol~~icai and cconomrc dcvclopments. both domestic
and international. Sports, crime and ally odd happening is grist to the editorial writer's will.
Bus~nessnewspapers, of which now there are quite a few in the country, naturally devote a
major portion of their editorials to economic and financial subjects and these tend to be
specialised. Weeklies and other magazines ensure that their comment do not become out-
dated until the next issue is out.

3.4 IMPORTANCE OF EDITORIALS

In his book 'The Press and America', Edwin E m e q says that in the 17th century thc papers in
the big U.S. citics often printed pamphlets concerned with political and social issues. These
pamphlets were offered to readers through the paper. By 1800, the day of the pamphlet had
very nearly passed, and the editorial had supplanted it. Joshep Pulitzer, the famous U.S. news-
paper man, used editorials for public purposes and his campaigns. Through news items and
editorials, of his paper World, Pulitzer inaugurated a series of public services. Christnlds
dinners for the poor, free ice for tenement dwellers in summer, a staff of 35 doctors to serve
the needy, to raise money for placing the Status of Liberty in New York. The World's edito-
rials were of boundless coverage and were free from all sorts of advertising domination.
In Britain quality dailies give enough importance to their editorials. In his book The Power of
the Press (1985 edition). Louis Hemen, former deputy editor of the Times, L.ondon, states
that the reputation of the Times was of course build up on its fine news service, but the
editorials took pride of the place. He says, "The dominance of news over opinion also led to
a dichotomy of editorial control. In Britain the editor remained responsible for the entire
contents of the paper and generally devoted a great deal of time to the editorials; in thc United
States the managing editor became responsible for news and the editorial page editor, the
Writing for the Press junior partner, for opinion.
t

In India, all reputed dailies have their editorial columns. The pre-occupation of newspapers
with political developments is a legacy of the days of our freedom struggle, but in course of
time, this has given way to a wider perspective embracing economic, social and international
developments. Since politics plays a major part in national life, its importance is reflected in
the newspaper editorial pages. Social issues steal the editorial highlight on benchmark occa-
sions such as the eruption of a caste or communal conflict or the occurrence of some henious
crime that shocks society. On such occasions, while presenting its views, the editor not only
expresses his concern and anguish over the development, but also suggests remedies to pre-
vent a recurrence of the problem.
On political issues, the line which each newspaper takes depends on its policy, outlook and
political prediction. Newspapers' political leanings are reflected in the comments which ;hey
offer.

3.5 THE EDITORIAL PAGE

By now, you would have known how important is the editorial page in a newspaper. In fact, all
newspapers with some standing pay extra attention to the editorial page. You must have no-
ticed that generally newspapers do not publish any advertisements on the editorial page. Most
often, the editorial pages, which are expected to mirror the policy of the newspaper, are given
a serious, sometimes even a dull look. Until a few years ago, e h t pages did not have any
photographs or graphics. But of late things are changing and some newspapers now carry a
photo on the edit page. On the edit page, generally, there are twolthree edits in the first two-
three columrls of the page, one main article in the centre of the page, one or two small article(s)
in colunlns 7-8 position. At the centre of the page is a light article, generally humorous, of
human interest or informative. Since it is in the middle of the editorial page, it is also known
as "n~iddle".Besides, letters to thc editor are also accommodated on the edit page. Some-
times, even a cartoon appears on this pagc.
If a newspaper has several editions such as Thc Times of India, the same editorials generally
appear on the same position at all centres. This is essential for the overall personality of a
newspaper. its image a i d for making an impact on a particular issue. However, it is not essen-
tial that in all editions of the same newspaper, everyone should carry the same editorials.
During Rajeildra Mathur's editorship, Nav Bharat Tiines regional editions were allowed to
have editorials different from its Delhi editions.
During the 1992 general elections, in Britain, the Scottish edition of The Sim, Britain's larg-
est selling tabloid daily, had a different editorial policy than that of the London edition.
On important occasions, newspapers in India some times give a f ~ o n page t position to the
editorial on that subject. However, if we cast a look at the U.S. papers did not give front page
editorials. The New York Herald Tribune did not give a front page editorial on November 25,
1963 when it gave to the nation the news of the assassination of President Kennedy. Similarly
The Washington Post did not give any front page editorial when President Richard Nixon
resigned. It must be noticed that Nixon resigned because of the Watergate Scandal, exposed
by The Washngton Post. Similarly The New York Times did not give any front page editorial,
when the U.S. Supreme Court pronounced the historic judgement in its favour allowing the
daily to publish Pentagon papers on the Vietnam war. The U.S. government asked the Supreme
Court to impose injunction against The New York Times and restrain it from publishing the
-etnarn war document.
Normally, newspapers do not carry photographs of the editor with the editorial. However, the
Business Today, which is a magazine of the India Today group, published the photo of its
proprietor-editor Aroon Purie alongwith his signed editorial in its issue of 7-2 1 January 1994.
One of the most reputed news magazine of Africa Weekly Review, published from Nairobi,
also carry the photo of the editor alongwith the editorial.
On rare occasions newspapers publish editorials with the signature of the editor.
 Check Your Progress 1 1 Opinion and
Editorial Writing

Notes : i) Write your answers in the space provided below.

I
ii) Wherever nccessaq. tick the right answer.
I
iii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.

1) What was the role of Pulitzer's editorials ?

..........................................................................................................................................

2) What is the status of edits in the British and the U.S. press ?

3 ) Is it absolutely essential that all editions of the same paper should carry the
same edits each day ?

1 4) What is meant bv the 'middle' ?

I

3.6 SHOULD EDITORIALS ALWAYS BE ADVERSARIAL

There is an unending debate on whether a newspaper should take a naturally adversarial role in
relation to the adiiiinistration or be content with offering constructive criticism as and when
the occasion demands it. On 14 January 1981 the late Prime Minister lndira Gandhi, inaugu-
rating the centenary celebrations of the Kesari founded by Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak said,
that in free India enough had been said and written about the thorny relations between the
government and the press. Neither a statesman nor an editor could have the last word. "What
~nterestsme more is the relationship between newspapers and the people. If editors and cor-
respondents write for the people rather than for those in politics, their own effectiveness will
increase and they will be able to serve the public better. The Lokmanya's message is valid as
ever : "to be fearless and frank."

The first Prime Minister, Jawdharlal Nehru, whose speeches and writings educated a whole
nation in the crucial days after independence. spoke of "freedom and licence" when he ad-
dressed the All-India Newspaper Editors Confercncc in Kc\\ Delhi on Dcccmber 3 . 1950.
Writing for the Press While upholdmg freedom of the press, Nehru asked the editors to remember that they had
their obligations. He said : "We should have freedom by all means but we should try to main-
tain a certain integrity of approach to pnblic activities."
Nehru said that the daily doze of thought, regularly given by newspapers affected the reader's
mind.
If a reader is told to do this or that, he might resist; but the slight daily dose, if it is right, can
improve his mind and, if it is wrong, can corrupt him.
In his speech at another AINEC meeting on September 17, 1952, Nehru presented his thoughts
on various aspects of the functioning of the press. He pointed out that newspapers funciion in
a difficult atmosphere: they had to say something quickly and they had not much time to think.
There was no reason why newspapers should not have some amount of leisured thinking and
wisdom -if not always - in the leading articles.
Interestingly, that was an occasion when Nehnl had a dig at newspapermen, delightfully corn-
paring them to politicians. He said: "To some extent, politicians and newspapermen or jour-
nalists have much in common. Both presume to talk too much, to write too much, to delivcr
homilies. Both, generally speaking, require no qualifications at all for their job. It does not
mean that no politician or newspaperman has any qualification". Nehru pointed out that for
any average profession - medicine, engineering or any other. n person had to go through a
long course of training. He must obtain his degrees and diplomas. only thcn was he allowed to
practice, but it was not so with politicians and newspapermen.
The moral is that ajournalist should be well trained to put substantial content in his writings
and take a balanced view of all developments. A distinct style adds to the effectiveness of the
writing.

3.8 DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF

EDITORIALS
A conventional editorial may be defined as a critical interpretation of significant, usually
contemporary, events so that the publication's typical rcadcr will bc infonlled, influenced or
entertained. The world 'critical' is used as evaluating and not exclusively as fault-finding. In
other words it usually is a considered statement of opinion.
An editorial may also be defined as a journalistic essay which either attempts (1) to inform or
explain, (2) to persuade or convince, or (3) to stimulate insight in an entertaining or humourous
manner. It has an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
The editorial articles are also called "leaders". News interpretation and background articles
are different from the editorials in that they do not seek to convey the editorial views on the
subject.
Lester Markel, a famous Sunday editor of the New York Times has said: "What you see is
news; what you know is background; what you feel is opinion."
According to Joseph Pulitzer, the famous editor, newspapers should be "both a daily teacher
and a daily tribune."
Newspaper also carry on their opinion pages from the contributions of columnists. The col-
umnists are like lawyers presenting a particular point of view. One colun~nistmight differ
completely with another on the same subject and interpret the same developinent differently.
Reading all shades of opinion on a major controversy would he helpful to the reader to arrive
at his own conclusions and judgement.
,, * .Check Your Progress 2
Notes : i) Write your answers in the space provided below.

I ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.
I 1
I
1
1) What were the views of Lokinanya Gangadhar Tilak on newspaper contents ?
 Opinion and
Editorial Writing

..........................................................................................................................................
2) What is tlle similarity between a politician and a newspapermail '?

......................................................................................

3) What can be the definition of editorial ?

..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
4) What is Pulitzer's view about the role of a newspaper ?

'Qpes of Editorials
Perhaps you would know that editorials arc not alwavs written by the editor of a newspaper1
magazine. The editor of a big paper has a band of writcrs known as editorial wnters, leader
writers, assistant editors. Some of then1 arc specialists such as on economics, international
aifairs (further sub-divided into global division -West Asia, Africa, Central Europe). disar-
mament, UN agencies, education, literaturc, law. science, media.
An editorial writers job is to study, and write the piece according to the style of their newspa-
pers. Journalism text books of which there are many, particularly from the United States.
which has a number of university journalism schools, classify editorials in different ways.
The classification could be according to the purpose of editorial, i.e. it may be informative,
argumentative, or enterhining. An editorial inay also be classified on the basis of its form of
con~position.i.e, it inay be narrative, descriptive or expository. It can also be classified on the
basis of its appcal to readers emotion or intellect. An editorial may also be classified on the
basis of its contents whicli may be political, social, economic, historical, scientific, etc.,
grouped under local. national, regional and internatioi~alheads.
Tnterpretativc and explanatory editorials seck to expand the dimension of the news reports.
Both type of editorials as well as reporters have to kcep in view the requirements of a busy
reader as well as of thc well-read person with a critical mind. The general length of an edito-
rial in most Indian ilewspapers is bctween 300 to 400 words. The reader may not have the time
or patience to read longer pieces unless it is of gripping interest.
Most newspapers carry. atleast according to their style, one, two and some, three editorials
daily. The total length of tlic cditorial input for the day usually does not exceed 1,200 words,
becanse they have to fit in tlie traditional space allotted for them every day.
An illformative cditorial about a major foreign development, for instance, would also provide
tlic bnckgroimd to understand the development and explain to the reader what it means for the
rest of the world. Tlie historic background is useful in appreciating the significance of the
development. An editorial on "po\ver stniggle in Afghanistan" in the Natioml Herald on April
28, 1992, written on tlic confuscd situation after the exit of President Najibullah. noted "It is
not only tlie variom M11.iahidee11factions and the elements in the army which are attempting
to forin a loose coalition tliat arc finding the going tough in creating some sort of an orderly
set up to fill the vacuum. Thc backcrs of tlie main actors in the drama have ceased to count.
Tlie S.~vietUnion which sent troops into the country docs not exist. The United States which
fi~~lnelledarills and monetary aid into Mujaliideen hands mainly through Pakistan is as help-
Writilig fol-the Press less as others to control thc use of the weapons gifted. The United Nations has hopeful peacc
plan, but no nlealis to inipleinelit it. as the UN Secretary-General, Dr. Boutros Ghall. found
during his visit to the region. The UN like others has to learn to deal with the situation as it
develops without much of a controlling voice."

This part of the editorial has put together various elements of the confusing situation only
€om published reports. Yet it offers its own coinnlents. The editorial noted that in this situa-
tion "It is for the Afghans themselves to work out the arrailgeinents for an orderlv transition
to stability and peace7'.T1iefirst imperative. however, is peace". The editor's conclusion re-
flected the goveriiment of India's policy on the issue which had wide iiatioilal support.
The argumentative editorial tries to convince the reader about its point of view. To influence
and mould public opinion has been one of the major objectives of editorial writers. Logic,
techniques of propaganda, blowing one's tnunpet, refuting the opponents view and playing on
the eiiiotions of the people are among the weapons in the arinoury of editorial writers.
Some of the editorials merely "take note" of a development, for example, an earthquake or an
aircrash in a distant country that has caused the loss of a large number of lives. The editor has
no particular opinion to offer, except to sympathise with the victims. A train accident or an
aircrash in one's own country on the other hand would involve an analysis of the factors that
caused the mishap, finding out whether any one was at fault and a criticisill of the authorities
responsible for running the service.
Then there are editorials that amuse and entertain. Thc light pieces are usually published as
the third edit by major English newspapers. Humour on the editorial pages adds to their appeal
for the reader. whose interests are not confined to politics and economics. The fickle weather,
iiinoceiit faux pass committed by those in authority, any unusual incident, literary controver-
sies - subjects offering themselves for non-serious treatment are many.
The following example of a third edit (portions of which are reproduced) shows how tlie
langiiage is different from the grave, pontiiicating style of scrious editorials. It was published
by The Times of India on April 22. 1991 at the hcight of the griiillv fought general election.
Odds and Ends

.4ccor.ding to French proverb, (here are two pleasures in gmzhlir~g:ujinnirig and losing. To
which tnight he added the cynical rider that the $rst pleasur*e is the preserve flf those who
set the odds and ilze second is resewed for those rash enozrgh to accept them. Pleasure-
s e e b r s ?f both kinds are in evidence as the poll .vralces drai~:clo.vei; with the contenders
linking up at the starting line, champing at the hit with irrrpatience. Wit11politics having
become the sport of kingmakers, Botr~hayhookies - who correctlv predicted the '89 win-
ners - are having a $eld da-y. The ctrrrent ,fbvourite seems to he the Cor?gress, tipped to
canter with 240 seats. Though the odds are likely to change closer to the event, the book-
ies are oflering two and a half titnes the wagered anzount if the Congress romps home wit11
more than 250 . Those who put their saffron shirt on the B.JP stand to double their mor7e.y
fl l/?e rat11 rolls in with rnore than 125 seats. Eve17 r~ronqj~
is being o f i r e d on the .JD pip-
ping the cornpetition at the post irr more than 75 constiti.rencies, and for real plurigers,
there is a 20-1 bonanza should JDF) bag trlore t l ~ m50 seats ...

The editorial mLakesa reference to the gambler being a "great optimist" and notes in eonclu-
sion that in the current context "it's head you lose and tails they win, the gambler's only hope
being that the coin stands on edge -which it may well do, despite all odds and ends."
It always helps if the editorial writer has in-depth kilowledge about the subjects of general
interest. A good knowledge about our history, culture, languages, religions, literature, social
trends. fashion, film. music, sports, politics etc. can make one's editorial estrenielp good.

3.9 POLICY, STYLE AND GUIDELINES

While the editorial represent the policy of the newspaper, the selection of articles of opiilion
from writers outside does not depend on endorsement of their views by tlie newspaper con-
cerned. The edit page articles are meant to broaden the horizoil of news and opinion coverage.
The same role 1s played by letlers lo tlie editor. The articles are generally of 1,200 to 1,800
words. Some of thein combine in the~llselvesthe presentation of facts as well as opinion.
 Opinion and
Some articles are useful as backgrounders. Editorial Writing
The cartoon is also a sort of opinion piece. While the cartoonist cannot violate editorial
policy, he enjoys a wide latitude in depicting big personalities as ordinary men and punching
the baloon of lofty statements.

Activity 2

Cartoons from a very important element in a newspaper. What may be said in a thou-
sand words and still may remain unclear ..... could be said in a small cartoon with a
real punch.
Collect a weeks edition of the Times of India.
Collect a weeks editions of another newspaper say The Hindustan Tlmes or The
Statesman or The Hindu etc.
Put out the cartoons of the Times and paste them on a sheet of paper. Do the
same with the cartoons of the other newspaper
Write the message of each cartoon in a sentence or two
compare and contrast the themes of cartoons of The Times with that of the other
newspaper you have chosen..
In selecting news as well as opinion pieces, certain standards have to be maintained. The
elementaty principle is that they should not be defamatory or offend good taste, the annual
reports of the Press Council of India, which gives details of the complaints against authorities
and the press, contains guidelines which would be helpful both to the reporter and the leader
writer.
When dealing with communal and regions matters, the press is expected to exercise due care
and caution so that unhealthy and communal passions are not roused.
The conlplaint of defamation cannot stand agalnst bonafide reporting of the proceedings of
Parliament or that of a law court, of course if they are not sitting in camera.
In some of the cases dealt with by the Press Council, it has laid down the following principles;
Sensational headlines with incorrect innuendos lend an unethical character to publications:
An editor is expected to verify facts before publishing any article likely to damage the repu-
tation of a person, institution or organization.
Editorials should not use irresponsible, filthy or scLnilous comments.
Any comment against the administration or any person must be based on information, the
accuracy of which has been carefully checked and verified from authentic sources. Even after
such verification, the comments should be couched in decent, dignified and restrained lan-
guage.,
Editorials conceived in bad taste bordering on scurrility and with a motive.to denigrate, can-
not be said to by good ones.
It is gross impropriety for a newspaper to publish a fabricated or concocted story, and also an
editorial on it.
Contradiction pertaining to defamatory articles containing personal allegations should be
published promptly with due prominence. .

3.10 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to,the editor are published usually in the opinion columns. Though an editor cannot be
expectej to publish all letters representing various points of view 0n.a controversial matter,
he is eipected to make an honest endeavour to select and publish a balanced gist of these
letters on the issue.
Writing for the Press Though an editor enjoys wide discretion in the matter of selection of letters, readers enjoying
certain locus stand on an issue should be allowed to air their views.
If in the opinion of an editor, an article or news items submitted for publication could be
liable to legal proceedings or any future complications, its publication would rest on the
discretion of the editor since it is he who is answerable for anything published in the paper.
The editorial is a journalistic essay, its title should aim to inform the reader about the subject
of the editorial and arouse his interest. The simplest form of editorial structure is to state the
subject and to comment on it. In writing an editorial, a pattern may be employed:

(1) the statement of the subject;

(2) the expansion of the subject by means of comnment; and

(3) an application or conclusion drawn from the comment.

3.11 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDITORIAL AND OTHER

NEWSPAPER WRITINGS
About the distinction between the various types of wrlting in newspaper it should be said that
the news story is an essay which conlbincs the elements of exposition and narration, which
normally does not contain opinions. Special feature artlcle is an essay which combines the
same two elements of style, but is longer, contains little or no opinion, and is a looser and
freer form of composition. The editorial, however, is a con~pactessay of exposition or argu-
mentation. An editorial is normally of not more than 300-400 words. It contains virtually no
elements of narration, and represents the opinion of the institution, i.e. the newspaper, rather
than that of the individual writer.

1 Check Your Progress 3

\

Notes : i) Write your answers in the space provided below.

ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.
1) What are the classification of editorials? Name them.
(a) ............................................................................................................................
(b) ............................................................................................................................
(c ) ............................................................................................................................

(d) .......................................................................................................................

2) What are the weapons in the armoury of an argumentative editorial writer ?

..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
3) What is the role of articles, columns and letters to the editor?
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................

3.12 LET US SUM UP

The Editorials and articles are read by quality people. An editorial is a voice ofthe newspaper.
It differs from other articles whlch are opinions of individual writers. Articles, columns.
 Opinion and
letters to the editor and cartoons are the ways by whtch a newspaper provides different opin- Editorial Writing
ions on a particular topic. An editorial may be informative, argumentative or entertaining. Big
newspapers have a team of experts for edit writing. The general length of an editorial in most
Indian newspapers in between 300 to 400 words, whereas other articles are longer in size and
are generally of 1,200 to 1,800 words. Letters to the editors are usually published on edit
page of daily newspapers. Though no editor can be expected to publish all letters, he is ex-
pected to make an honest endeavour to select and publish a balanced gist of these letters on a
particular issue. An editor has a discretionary right to publish or not to publish any letter or
article in hls paper.

3.13 SUGGESTED READING

I) The profes.siona1 Journalist by John Holenberg (19..) Henery Holt & Co. New York.

2) The Press and America by Edwin Emery.

\

- \

3.14 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS : MODEL ANSWERS

-
Check Your Progress 1 I

1) Pulitzer used his editorials for public and his campaigns which included Christ-
mas dinner for the poor, free ice for tenements dwellers in summer and raising
money for placing the statue of Liberty in New York.
2) In Britain the editor of quality newspapers like The Times, The Guardian, etc.,
remains responsible for the entire contents of the paper and devotes a great deal
of time to the editorials. On the other hand in the United States the editorial
page editor, the junior partner of the editor, is largely responsible for newspaper
opinion.

4) "Middle" is a small and ff ght article printed in the middle of the editorial page.
I Check Your Progress 2
I
1) The contents should be frank and fearless.
2) The profession of both of them do not need any minimum educational qualifica-
tion.
3) An editorial is a considered opinion of the newspaper on any specific matter.
Indian papers usually carry editorials of 300 to 400 words.
4) A newspaper should be both a daily teacher and daily tribune.

Check Your Progress 3

I 1) a) Informative, argumentative or entertaining editorials 1
b) Political, social, economic, historical and scientific editorials

I C) Local, regional, national and international editorials

I
I d) Interpretative and explanatory editorials.
2) Logic, techniques of propaganda, blowing one's trumpet, refuting and opponent's
I
views and playing on emotions of the people are among the weapons in the
armoury of an argumentative editorial writer.
3) While an edit is the voice of the newspaper, other articles, columns and letters. I
to the editors are meant to broaden the horizon of news and opinion coverage.
I ,*
UNIT 4 FREELANCE AND MAGAZINE
WRITING
Structure
4.1 Objectives
4.2 Introduction
4.3 Overview and Scope of Freelance Writers
4.4 How Freelance Writing Works ?
4.5 Who call be a Freelance Writer '?
4.5.1 Freelancers reccive rejections
4.5.2 Freelancing as a side business
4.6 What to Write ?
4.6.1 Article
4.6.2 Features
4.6.3 Review / Analyses
4.7 Freelancing of Another Kind
4.8 How to be a Successful Freelmcer : Some Tips
4.9 Magazine Writing
4.10 Magazine Types

4.11 Freelancing for Magazines

4.12 Ideas for Magazine Articles
4.12.1 Ideas for College Campus
4.12.2 Search ideas from newspaper columns

4.13 Cultivate Keen Observation Faculty

4.13.1 Article Ideas from PR Persons
4.13.2 Article Ideas from Editors
4.14 How to Build an Article ?

4.15 Style for Magazine Articles

4.16 The Future for Freelancing

4.17 Let Us SumUp

4.18 Check Your Progress : Model Answers

4.1 OBJECTIVES
After going through this Unit, you will be able to :
distinguish between a freelancejournalist and a regular/staff journalist;
describe the qualities of a successful freelance journalist;
discuss the characteristics of newspaper and magazine writing and the types of maga-
zines;
distinguish between fiction writing and freelance journalism; and
 Freelance and
INTRODUCTION Magazine Writing

This is the last Unit in this Block. We shall discuss the various aspects of Freelance and
Magazine writing.
In the previous Unit, we discussed various aspects of opinion and editorial writing. You must
have noticed by now that publication requires various types of writers with specialisation in
distinct fields.
In the next block, we shall shift our attention to electronic media. We shall discuss what
qualities are required for a journalist to write for television and radio. We shall start with
'Radio News' in the first unit.

4.3 OVERVIEW AND SCOPE OF FREELANCE WRITERS

If you have been regularly reading newspapers and magazines, you must have noticed that
several persons write articles, reviews, features, on all kinds of topics. Some of them write in
several newspapers, and periodicals. day in and day out. though they are not on the regular
payrolls of these newspapers and magazines. They are known as 'Freelance Writers'. They
practice freelance journalism. Generally speaking, freelance journalists are not attached to
any newspaper or magazines. Most magazines and periodicals depend a lot on these freelancer,
for making these publications interesting and for meeting the reading needs of all kinds of
readers.
Newspapers have to employ reporters and sub-editors because they have to bring out their
issue every day. As periodicals and magxzines come out according to their respective period-
icity - daily, wcekly, fortnightly or monthly - many of them do not need many full time
journalists. Therefore, they depend upon freclancers to a very large measure.
Freelancers quite frequently keep in touch with these magazines, and do assignments as per
their needs. With a view of meeting their needs, freelancers have to con~pletethese assign-
ments as per the schedules of the publication. The origin of freelancing is believed to go back
to the 16th century when freelancers were associated with military life. A lancer or the per-
son who wielded swords was free and his allegiance was linuted to a particular assignment for
which he was hircd. From the 16th to 18th centuries several such freelancers came to India
from Europe to train the armies of Tipu Sultan, the Marathas and the Newabs of Bengal. They
even fought for their armies but never went to the camps of the opponent or betrayed the
teinporary masters. Their masters kept a watchful eye on them but never found them lacking.
They were found thoroughly dependable. That is what a freelance writer has to be.
Increased Scope for Freelancers
Magazine journalism now-a-day is not much different from newspaperjournalism. Both delve
in facts. The television is also making a difference to it. Television news is forcing newspa-
pers into a new culture of dealing with the items more thoroughly. Newspapers closely re-
semble magazines.
The onslaught of television has also spurred in the scope for freelance writing. The magazines
and newspapers are now keener on giving more graphic details. They are in need of more
absorbing contents. This also enlarges opportunities for any freelancer. A real good writer
can even get a chancc to write scripts for various television programmes. For a freelance
writer the scopc is vast, provided helshe is able to cash in on it.
However, before you try to Jump into writing you would have to know what to write and how to
present it. For a cook, it is not enough to put the ingredients together and boil them. He also
has to plan as to what to cook and how to cater to different tastes and how to make the dishes
palatable. Accordingly, he chooses the ingredients, spices, fragrance, and finally, elements
that givc the dish an attractive toppiilg making it have a mouth-watering look. For this, he has
to keenly watch the people who visit the restaurant. Similarly, to develop into a good writer.
that is, an acceptable contributor to periodicals, you will have to read various magazines and
ncwspapers and understand wllat kind of stuffthey use. You just cannot churn out anything that
yo11 likc but you should know wlmt your readers like. Occasionally, perhaps what you have
written witliout giving a thought may be accepted by an editor, but more often that is not thc
Writing fr~rthe Press
case. You may have more rejection slips than acceptances.
To avoid rejection, a proper planning, research and a list of users - name and addresses of
magazines and newspapers - is a must. As an unattached writer or a freelancer you cannot
depend only on one user. There must be alternatives. You h'ave to gradually build up contacts
with magazines and newspapers to be accepted as a freelancer.

At this point of the Unit, involve yourself in an activity. We hope, this activity will
help you to find out in concrete terms what we have been saying in the previous
paragraphs.
Take an issue of a magazine you subscribe to, or go to a nearby library and '&e a
copy oFa magazine with which you are familiar.
Scan through the articles / writings of the magazine, see what topics /themes
have been dealt with in the magazine.
Try to list what type of knowledge, skill, etc. were required for a writer to com-
plete the articles. Try to feel the effort which was needed from each of these
writers. Check also whether they were mostly freelancers or not.

I The following format may help you to complete the assignment.

Name of the Magazine Issue Date
I
Article Name Type of Article Efforts from the
(Politics/Environ/ Writer
Econ. etc.)

I I

4.4 HOW FREELANCE WRITING WORKS ?

We have found that a freelance writer is not attached to any newspaper, organisation; Nor is he
on the payroll. But how does a freelancer function? How is he considered credible by a news-
paper or a magazine editor'? This is what you will have to develop. The confidence in the editor
has to be instilled. Indeed, to develop into a credible and dependable freelance writer needs
not only skill but also some conviction. He cannot promise a write-up to one magazine or
newspaper and then sell it to the other higher bidder. Nor is he normally supposed to give his
articles or features for publication simultaneously to more than one publication. Only a syn-
dicated writer, (we shall explain to you what he is), can do this. =

.-
Check Your Progress 1

Note: i) Answer the following questions.

ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of the Unit.
1) State whether the following statements are true or false.

a) Freelancers are on the regular payroll of a newspaper.

True [ ] False [ ]

b) A Freelance Writer writes for more than one publication but helshe never
sends the same article to more than one publication.
True [ ] False [ ]
 Freelance and
c) A Freelancer would be ablc t.o do a good job if helshe knows hislher readers. Magazine Writing
True [ ] False [ ]

d) A Freelance Writer nlust gain confidence of the editor of various magazines

for which lielshe writes frcqnently.
True [ ] False [ ]

2) Why does a maga~incemploy relatively few journalists tllail a newspaper ?

4.5 WHO CAN BE A FREELANCE WRITER ?

Virtually anybody can be a freelance writer. Most freelance writers, as a matter of fact, have
other jobs. A typical freelancer gives onlv a part of his energy and wr~tingtalent to this type of
writing. Many leading novelists and short story or article writers who contribute to maga-
zines, or editorial pages of newspapers. are university teachers, housewives, staff members
of publications houses or book companies; lawyers, doctors etc. who are largely engaged in
some other occupations or profession othcr than writing.
Thus, you see in whatcver profession you are, you can develop yourself into an acceptable
freelance writer. Only you must havc t l ~ cgrit. dctermiiiation and tvillingness to work hard
besides possessing a good, but not ncccssarily liiglz profile language.
You must be thinking that if Kh~~sh\vaut
Singh. Aruil Shourie, S.Nihal Singh, Nikhil Chakravarthy,
Kuldip Nayar and others who write so prolifically can reach high pedestals of fame and can
livc on thc earnings from writing, why not others'? These writers have not reached that stage
overnight. All of them were associatcd with one or the othcr newspaper as a regular staff for
decades. Allnost all of them were cditors of national dailies and had opportunities to sharpen
their wills and earn fame while on the job. Tlic job also provided them opportunities to de-
velop wide contacts in the print world. As they lcavc the service, thcy found that a market was
ready to accept all that they produced. And this led Iliem to cash on freelance writing. But,
perhaps you do not know that occasionally even such writers have to keep the editors in good
humour so that their columns are not scrapped.
Does this tell on your nerves ? It may. But there is nothing to worry about. All frcclancers
have gone through it at some point of tiine. Ifyou want to see your name in print, you must not
loose hcart. All writers, be thcy on the staff, or freelancers, have seen their pieces being
rejected at one time or the other for various reasons A l l this does not mean-tIiXaawriter who
\pishes to contribute to publications cannot hope some day to reach thc point where he has to
do no othcr work But it is difficult to make wrlting a full-time occupation, especially in the
realm of fiction. For, the market for thc short poctry, story, novelette and novel is not as great
among magazines as it was some three decadcs ago. Today. there is more chance for the non-
fiction writcr - the author of articles on current subjects, humorous essays, and other fac-
rual rathcr than imagined material.

4.5.1 Freelancers Receive Rejections

A national magazinc. be it an ~ndependentone. or the Sunday section of a daily, receives
liundrcds of unsolicited articles, features or other writc-ups every day. The percentage of
acccpted material is v e q small. At the samc tiine any magazine editors' common complaint is
that thcy do not receive enough good stuff. So wherc do these writers fail ?
11 is a painful job for the editor to reject a picce. He just does not reject something because he
47
Writing for the Press does not likc the name of a person or the subject on which he has written. The reasons for over
90 per cent of rejections is just one - it has not been "cooked" well : Mere language does not
make a piecc good. There has to be some originality, specificity and exclusiveness, in the
piece that a writer sends for acceptaiice.
Quite often, people write on topics on which the writer does not know enough. They lift onc
para from here and thc other from there, to chum out a piece. Else, they try to rcwrite a piecc
tlfey have read sonlewhere and try to pass it as original. In yet another case, they choose good
topics, neither do they study it. not do appropriate research which is so necessary to make a
piece readable or absorbing.
There are some others who would write on any subject. Today, they may be writing on rural
economy, tomorrow on science and technology, and the day after on cinema or arts. Such
writers are not liked bv the editors. Chances arc, that occasionally one or two of their pieces
will get published because possibly the editor has a pressing deadline to meet or he had notli-
ing better on hand. Generally. pieccs by such writers are kept asidc, but thcy are not liked b:~
editors. You cannot bc jack or all tradcs.
Sometimes manuscript readers, that is, junior editors or sub-editors, reject a good piece too.
In some cases, if the senior editor is taken into confidence, it helps. But rcmeniber, it annoys
the junior who generally evaluates a copy. Later. it may pose problems for you.

( f
- -

Activity 2
- - - -- - - -

-
-I
It would be a good idea if you could visit an office of a liewspaper which publishes
Sunday Supplement or a magazine publishing house.
I Talk with the editor on how he/she gets the articles.
I
I' Find out what procedure (criteria) he follows to accept or reject an article.
Find out how many articles are rejected and determine why such articles are
1

rejected.
I
' 4.5.2 Freelancing as a Side Business
An ambitious freelance writer should consider his work as part-time or side business, i.e. in
addition to his other full-time jobs or profession. It has to remain an extra-curricular activity
while he devotes years to becoming an expert in a specialised area. Even after gaining a repu-
tation, he will find it necessary to retain permanent connections with institutions in the spe-
cial field, to provide a support for his creativity. Most freelancers depend upon their principal
vacation not only for their regular income, but also as a source of facts and ideas. No freelancer
can function in a vacuum. Anything he sees and does has possibilities for an article.
Ideas can be foundvery casually. You have to have an eye to identify it. In Lucknow, one day, a
visitor to the zoo came out with a novel piece to a local newspaper. Two deers had fought a
battle in their cage the previous night. The ostensible cause, according to zoo authorities, was
over the possession of a female of their species. He talked to the zoo officials, its doctors,
quickly read about the behaviour of deers and weaved the episode into an interesting piece.
The newspaper though rarely accepted stories from Freelancers liked the copy and published
it under the heading "Murder in zoo".
Yet another writer churned out a very readable piece on the cricket match that was played
between two groups of doctors and lawyers. He did not describe how it was played. He dwelt
on the aspects of the novice players and how they were more interested in activities other than
cricket, how the paraphernalia was complete with all the requirements of a test cricket includ-
ing the naming of the team down to the level of coaches and distribution of dressing rooms.
He also narrated how the players were interested in bowling dishes more than the ball and how
one of the coaches was "so keen a player that he had to seek the help of a local school boy to
be guided to the stadium". This was again an off-beat freelance writing and was accepted for
publication. In fact, there are stories all over. You only have to have an eye and a keen sense 01
observation and the ability to write. But, remember these kind of articles have a limited mar-
ket. So have all other write-ups. As we told you earlier, the best thing to write is in a subject
that you can competently deal with. As publications are conscious for catering to a variety of
readers, they need different kind of articles and features. This requires a different kind of
specialisation. It is not normalli available among the members of the staff of a newspaper I
 Freelance and
magazine. Moreover, stail'writers remain so preoccupied with routine beats that they do not Magazine Writing
get much time to specialise in each and every field. It is here that specialist writers of the
field are required to tackle the subjects. So, the best way to develop into a writer is to write on
subjects that are associated with your main business or profession.
a

1 ;.heck Your Progress 2 1

Note : i) Answer the following questions.

I ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of this Unit.
1) Mention four qualities which a freelance journalist must have to be successful.
I

2) Mention at least four reasons why an article written by a freelancer may be re-
jected by an editor.

WHAT TO WRITE ?
So far, you have been told that ideas for freelance writing can emanate from anywhere. Yet,
you must be wondering what exactly a freelancer can write about. Broadly, acceptable freelance
contributions can be divided into the following categories:
articles;
features: and
reviews1 analyses.
We will tell you how you can write on each of the genres of writing if you want to do
freelancing.

4.6.1 Article
An article is like an essay. But, it is not an essay as it is less prsonal and less limited in scope.
It is a written composition of variable length, intended to convey ideas and facts for the pur-
pose of informing, educating, enlightening, convincing, instructing or entertaining.
Do not get confiised by what is meant by variable length. Every publication has limitation of
space. At the same time, it has certain ideas about display. An article, and for that matter any
write-up, has to fit into this slot. You may again wonder about the ideal length. In fact, there is
nothing like an idcal length. However, periodicalsprefer a piece written within 1,000 to 1,200
- 1,500 words depending on the subject. In exceptional cases, where some periodicals want
the issue to be dealt with in detail, the length may exceed 5,000 words or more. However, in
such cases you must take the prior approval of the editor and discuss his exact requirements,
else, in all probability. your piece will be rejected.
There is no exact set of rule for how to begin an article. Generally, it can begin with a catchy
introduction to attract the reader, and then ideas and facts max be interestingly intenvined.
Articles can be written on umpteen subjects - plain facts that may be unknown, new ideas to
mould a project or schemes like the Narmada Sagar Project, economy, science and technol-
Writing for the Press ogy, lashion designing, rural, urban, semi-rural, semi-urban and rural-urban features etc.

4.6.2 Features
Features are often linked to current events. And, a writer assigned to do a news feature may bc
just reporting an event. Feah~rewriters are often captivated by their own graceful writing,
letting their skill overshadow the fact that they arc linked closely to the news. As a feature
writer, you have to learn to recognise that your proper positioiling is half way between news
story and the feature.
Good feature stories are always in great demand. Unusual hobbies like having a lion as a pet,
success stories, as it was in the case of Geet Sethi, who was brought into the limelight by a
sports feature writer, who was able to not only point out his victory but also how it almost
went unnoticed in the Indian media and how he returned to the Bombay airport almost unsung.
Inventions -recently one newspaper carried the breakthrough by Indian Institute of Technol-
o g scientists
~ in the sphere of developing cryogenic rocket technology: interviews, personal-
ity stories and human interest stories - all can be turned into good features.

There are many events which can neither be a feature nor an article. Does not such stuff find
a place in the print mediaa?Obviously, it does. Suppose there is an art exhibition. You go to see
it. Incidentally, you have also studied about that particular forni. It is an ideal opportunity for
you to write a critical piece evaluating the works on display. This is what an art review can be.
To make it more readable, you can compare it with thc contemporary or any previous forms.
You can infornl the reader about the school or group to which the artist belongs.
Similar evaluating or even descriptive pieces can be written about music, drama, ballet or
such other cultural performances. Such writing, can be termed review pieces.
There is yet another kind of review. This is associated with books. A large number of books
are published day in any day out. If you arc a keen reader, vou can get in touch with soma of the
book section editors of n~agazinesor llcwspapers and can get the books in which you havc
comparative specialisation. This is a real bonus for you. A book reviewer is not only paid a
good sum. but is also allowed to retain the book he has revicwed. While reviewing, you need
not summarise the books contents. It necds an expert evaluation and the reader has to be told
what kind of a book it is. You mnust avold writing whcthcr it is good or bad. You should write in
a way that the reader gets to know what kind of the product it is.
An analysis, as the word suggests. examines in detail an issue. This can be an evaluation of a
scientific work or of a building projcct. But remember, whatever it is, it must have sonielhing
novel in it. It can bc even a controvers~r.Any newspaper or magazine is unlikely to accept any
analysis. It will accept only if there 1s something new to add to what the newspaper / magazine
has already published about it. Stale nlatters do not sell and such stuff makes a periodical all
the more unreadable. An analysis should be argumentative and deal with the pros and cons of
an issue.

- Activity 3
It wonld be a good idea if you try writing a feature. Think about an exhibition or a
nlela you have visited recently. Or a filni or a drama you have watched recently. It
may not be possible for you to write a fill1 i'ledged article on the topic. But this unit
and this exercise, you nlay just writc thc points and build a structure for your article.
Your structure may resemble the stnlcturc wc present at thc beginning of each unit.
Try it.

4
4.7 FREELANCING OF ANOTHER KIND
There is yet another kind of freelancer. He is called "stringer", because he is attached to one
or more newspapers by the string of a fixed payment. Stringers are appointed by newspapers
at small places or townships. The cost of keeping a staff correspondent at such places is not
economical. So, a teacher, lawyer or any other professional with a good knowledge of the
town / city is appointed as a stringer. He files regular reports almost likc a slafT correspon-
dent. These are sent either by telex, fax or depending on the date and valuc of the story, by
ordinary mail also. Frccls~nccand
Mngazine Wliting
Work~ngns n stringer not only ensures you a rcgular income. but also helps you dcvelop
contacts. wllicli inay bc userul ckcn for vour profcssion.
occasion all!^, llic strliiger can also lilc reatures. nrticlcs, inten~icws,etc Thc iilorc llie stringer
call file, the highcr is his liiconie. A stringcr is ~lorn~ally paid on the basis of thc Icngtb of the
copy priiltcd in addillon to Ihc "retaincrship". Sonie publications, howcvcr, pay it on piecc-
~iicalat lixcd rates.
1f you provc lo be a good stringcr, in the course of time the ncws organisation call even take
you on the staff and you can become a ftill-time journalisl. Tlicre arc many journalists who
startcd as stringcrs, or part-time journalists as thcy are callcd and today have senior positions
ia thc news organizations.

4.8 HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL FREELANCER : SOME

TIPS
Though most periodicals and newspapcrs accept inanvscripts by mail, it has been observed
that those writers who establish a personal rapport with editors are more successful in seeing
thcir work in print. A good public relation is always helpfill. Human behaviour changcs the
niomcnt you present soniething in person. There is yet another reason for this. Often,
frcclnnccrs Icalrc many queries in their copy. A face to facc encounter helps editors solvc
'
tlicse. In thc course of time, if an editor likes your pieccs. he may also ask you to write on
topics or issue in which he is interested. So many kind of infornlation pour in the newspaper
offices and editor gets new ideas out of these. Once the editor is assurcd of competence he
inay slnrt depending on you.
1know of a teacher who in his leisure, studied films. He saw all new movies. Being a lllcmber
of the film society, he got many new ideas and stories, about movies. In rhc beginning, hc used
to nlsh with his rcviews to newspapers and magazines. In the course of timc, his work was
linked by some editors. Now, his colunln appears almost every wcek. Reccntlv, he was given
the best film journalist's awards.

So, you must have realised that besides being a good writer, you should have a good rapport
with your editors. This is all the more possible if you are living in a metropolis or large
ccntres of publication. But if you are living in a far off place, you need not lose hcart. You can
send your copy by mail. If it has been written in the style of a n~agaziileor newsplper, there
a fair chance that your copy will be accepted.
It is also prudent to send self-addressed stamped envelopes with your nlal~uscript.The re-
jcctcd manr~scriptwill come back to you. You can send it to some other publicatioi~who may
m e it. To be successful freelancer, you ought to have patience.

If you are writing In English, always send typewritten manuscripts. Ed~torsare aversc in ac-
cepting handwritten articles. I1 involves a lot of additional work, like getting the copy typed
and then editing it. It means loss of time. An editor, who has to work against deadlines, cannot
afford to lose time. For him, the easiest way out is to reject a handwritten copy. In case, you
are writing in a regional language, again, the same rule holds good. But as there are fewer
language typewriters. and editors are in need of good stuff, handwritten copy is also accepted.
However, write neatly and legibly and only on one side of the paper.
w
Check Your Progress 3
Note : i) Answer the following questions.

ii) Compare your answers with the ones given at the end of the Unit.
1) Who is a Stringer?
 .........................................................................................................................................
2 ) List fivc tips wliich a writer must practice to become a successh~lone.

4.9 MAGAZINE WRITING 1

For many ycars. thc newspaper was tlic sole membcr ofthe journalist~cfamily. As tlie printing
presses developed, books began to bc published. In thc carly days, magazines in India started
in different languages to provide opportunities to creative talents. The Modern Review was
onc such publication. The concept of a news magazine was dcveloped in India. The Illus-
tratecl Weekly of India, not only gave literaq inputs, but also published articles and features
about varied experiences and gave detailed coverages of news events. The Time magazine of
tlie USA, which the Link magazine in India tricd to follow, gave a new dimension to magazine
journalism. Thcsc magzinc not only gavc fealurcs, analysis, cult~ucand book rwicws, but
also comnlents on the political and economic developmcnts and many other area. The maga-
zinc atteinpted to pro\,ide a complete picture with comments on the events of the week that
had gone by.
India Today, one or tlic most popular news magazines, in the country at present imitatcd the
pattern of Time magatinc again. This has evolved into a news capsule. Of late, inore ieaturc
and a varied fare arc being offered in two other publications - The Sunday Observer and
Tlic Sunclay Mail. All these magazines largely use contributions of their st<a.ffwritcrs. But on
sonie subjects, thcy hire outside-writers. The Frontline, a fortnightly and news magazine
published by The Hindu group of Madras and The Week by the Malayala Manurama are
also good magazines. Sunclay brooght out by the Ananda Bazar Patrika group in the 1970s
gave a new dimension to magazine journalisn~in the country. Though tlie exact number of
magazincs published are difficult to ascertain,.the few at tlie top can be counted on the finger
tips. In addition, thcre ;Ire also several specialised magazincs stich as Filmfarc / Scrcen on
cinema, TV and Vitlco world on television Journalism, Sl~orhvorldand Sportstar on sports
activities, India Auto on automobiles, Business India, Business Today and Business World
on economic and financial affairs. Besides thcre are other magazines for women, children,
computers etc. Also, almost all newspapers have turned thcir Sunday section into beautiful
colour magazines.
The term "magazine" was used as part of the name of a publication in 1731, when it went into
the title of the Gentleman's Magazines of London. The application was suitable, for the word
comes from the French "magazine", which means storehouse. The early magazines in England
were storage places for sketches, verse, essays and miscellancous writings on variety of sub-
jects.
In earlier years, the term had to do with contents and not with the format. Thus a publication
with a newspaper format with a widc variety of content was considcred a magazine. Thc maga-
zine, as opposed to the newspaper, made no effort to print up thc minute news, but tried to
present fiction, travel articlcs and other materials for entcrtainme~it- almost what today's
Sunday sectio~isof newspapers contain. In those days, these were printed in tabloid size. As
the pages used to go astray, binding and stitching came to be used.
There are general appeal magazines such as the Reader's Digest and its multi-language mul-
tiplc-million editions with worldwide circulation. These are, however, becoming exceptions
in India. The niortality rate of magazines in India has been rather high though new ones are
also coil~ingup with dexterous regularity. The decline in circulation is attributed to the boom
in television programmes, lack of t i ~ to
e read and, the sunday multi-colour supplement of
 Freelance and
Ll~edaily newspaper. So, the trend is to bring out more and more specidised periodicals. Still, Magazine Writing
the variety is not as wide as it is found in the US and Europe.

4.10 MAGAZINE TYPES

1) Consumer or general intercst: India Today, Frontline, The Week and Sunday in India,
Reader's Digest, Newsweek and Time in the US.
2) Specialised : Business journals mentioned above, Technical journals, Indian Histori-
cal Quarterly, Indian Archaeology, Science Reporter, Farm Review. Indian Architec-
ture, Marg (on arts).
3) There are also magazines for elites -Gentleman, Debonair, Society, Women, Femina,
Women's Era, Sawy, body & beauty Care, Fashion, Dress Designing; and also on be-
havioral aspects -wildlife and exploration like National Geographic of the US.

4.11 FREELANCING FOR MAGAZINES

If you want to do freelancing for magazines, the following tips can be helpful :
1) Cl~oosea subject, and do a lot of reading on it from a variety of sources -journals,
magazines, reference books.
2) Draw outlines from your notes aAer your rtadings fran several!sources.
3) Write a lead, build around reorganised ideas and decide whether an anecdote would be
fitting to precede the lead.
4) In one sitting, try to write 1,000 to 1,500 words non-stop. Your writing must have depth
and background. Try to develop only one idea at a time. Other ideas can emerge into
another article or a separate feature.
5) Be selective. Don't try to put in all the knowledge you have acquired into one piece.
Don't make it a dumping ground. Spice it selectively. Omit less important or not so
rclevant details. Too many facts or figures make it an uninteresting reading, and a loaded
write-up.
6) After completii~gthe article forget about it for a day or two. Then, again re-read it like
a dispassion~~e and critical reader. In all likelihood, you would be able to make out
where your piece is jarring, disjointed and has other flaws. Now re-do it. This retouched
and rewritten piece is likely to be flawless product. Now, send it to the publication for
which you have written. Always type your manuscript in double space on one side of
the paper.

4.12 IDEAS FOR MAGAZINE ARTICLES

It is not easy to develop ideas for magazine writing though we have told you earlier that ideas
can be had anywhere. Only the most imaginative and probably the experienced person can
generate ideas simply by setting his mind to the task. A newcomer to the field certainly finds
it difficult to do that. Then, what would you do1?Should you wait for the situatbns to develop
so that ideas can crop up 7 If you do that, possibly you will never come up with an idea. While
it is true that if you develop a knack for generating article-ideas, it would help you, there is
also a way to consider how many different methods can be used to generate it. Here are some
for beginners.
4.12.1 Ideas for College Campus I

The college or the university campus can be an excellent source of ideas and information for
articles. College or university students union or teachers' m i a t i o n elections or senate
meetings always generate heat and interest in the local community,If you are alert, you will
be able to spot so many interesting or intriguing episodes. A systematic and simple descrip-
tion can make an enjoyable piece. Groupism among teachers in favour of or against the head
Writing for the Press of the institution, or a tip off about some new appointments can also make a good story. Even
as simple a thing as announcement or shifting of examination dates spiced with the reason
behind it can be of interest to your local paper. An Allahabad paper specialised in giving this
sort of news and became very popular with the students community. There were some stu-
dents of the university who used to feed it with various developments that look place on the
campus. Gradually, they learnt how to get into making news. A few of them were later ab-
sorbed by the newspaper. Where is such a paper? It may just around you. Move out and find it.

4.12.2 Search Ideas from Newspaper Columns

Anyone who wants to become a fieelancer should read his daily newspaper carefully. There
are a number of small news events which can be developed into articles of features. Some ten .
years ago, a small item appeared in a small town paper. It was about the discovery of a grave in
Faizabad on which an image of a key was inscribed. A local fieelancer followed it, researched
upon it and came out with a 1,000 word feature giving a background of the graveyard, linking
its history to the Nawabs of Oudh and to a missing bunch of keys of the famous Bahu Begum,
which according to legend, had been thrown into the well inside the Bara Irnambara in Lucknow.
The Sunday magazine of Thc Times of India liked the piece so much that it frontpaged it with
a beautiful calligraphic headline and photographs.
Ifthe journalist had not had the knack,that innocuous piece of news would have, just been lost
into oblivion. The writer must read and analyse magazines to get a feel what kind of articles it
published. Read as many newspapers as possible for ideas. You must see more than the facts.
You should also be able to see their implications.
Company journals or house magazines are sometimes heavy with facts that can be used prof-
itably by freelancers. University magazines and research journals which are also rich sources
of material, are usually available free to a writer and can be obtained regularly through the
mail.
Similarly, annual official reports also provide a storehouse of ideas. You have to take the cue.
Research it, meet the concerned people for facts and you can come out with a brilliant piece. .,
I

4.13 CULTIVATE KEEN OBSERVATION FACULTY

The Writer who is truly observant looks into his own experiences and surroundingswith clear
eyes. If you are travellingby a long-distance train and are a keen observer, you will notice the
change in complexion of its passengers as it traverses-different regions. At the end of the
journey, if you can narrate your experience, spicing it with the behaviour of some of your
fellow passengers, it will be a readable piece. Most travel and tour stories are the result of
such observation. Even attending to some one who is sick in a hospital, can be a rewarding or
pathetic experience. Jot down the points and see how beautifully the points may be developed.

4.13.1 Article Ideas from PR Persons

Public Relations persons are generally passive journalists. They move in a wide circle and
come to know so many things. If you develop a friendship with such persons, they can suggest
story topics to you that are not self-serving. For a journalist to ignore all such Public Rela-
tions persons or treat their suggestions cynically is ~mfair.A good article remains a good
product even if it benefits the person who gives such ideas. You need only to guard against
being used for unworthy purposes.

4.13.2 Article Ideas from Editors

As you establish yourself and begin to write regularly for a magazine or a periodical, you can
expect your editor to begin suggesting topics to you to develop. In due course of time, half of
your ideas can come from editors.

4.14 HOW TO BUILD AN ARTICLE ?

The beginners often get puzzled a#how to build up an article or a h t u r e . Some of the guide
lines given here will be of help to you. This will make your writing clear and readable.
 Story Structure : The beginners are told that a lead must catch and hold their readers. The Freelance and
Magazine W r i t i n g
lead is the introduction or intro, in journalistic parlance. If possible, the intro should be star-
tling. witty or a pithy statement. ,Do not try to devote the bebinning to summing up a story,
much as a straight news story often does. .
Sentence Structure : Beginners generally like to twist their sentences. You should do this
- rarely>for effect. The normal rule is that nearly all sentences should be as simple and direct as
possible.
Sentence Length : As a rule, you nlust keep your sentences short. Generally, the shorter the
sentence, the more readable it will be. Have you read My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma
Gandhi ? Do it. You will notice how simple and effective the Mahatma's sentences are.
Concreteness : As far as possible, you should use concrete words instead of abstract ones.
Abstract words confuse a reader and that is considered bad for an article and a feature story.

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Verb :Making the verb do the work of an adjective is preferable. The verb expresses action. Lf
it is carefully chosen, it can even describe personality. "The magazine gives description" can
be written : "The magazine described. This not only economises on words, but also makes
the expression accurate.
Transitions : Learning to link paragraphs in a way that pulls that reader on is a skill that
distinguishes the professional from the amateur. After the first paragraph, what comes next
t
- you have to learn. 4Tlisyou can do by reading special pages of India Today, Reader's
Digest, Time, Newsweek or Sunday. The literary pages of The Statesman are also a good
guide.

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4.15 STYLE FOR MAGAZINE ARTICLES
A writer is known by his style. E ~ ~ e rwriter
y writes is his own way. Some are humorous and
I light like that of Khushwant Singh, some serious and observant like Nikhil Chakravarthy, some
analytical such as S. Nihal Singh. A beginner cannot be expected to develop such a style over-
night. But when we consider style and content, the focus sharpens.
I
Magazine writing is a distinct body of prose; usually made up of words the readers can under-
stand and information he can absorb. Vivid writing should be spicy but you must restrainyour-
self as dictated by taste and common sense. The general style followed by most magazines
consists of crisp, original phrases made up of familiar words. Pointed quotations are sprinkled
ihroogl~most articles to change the pace to enliven the reading and to present facts distinc-
tively.
Although long articles are broken into sub-sections as this lesson would show, the rule is that
the writing flows from the beginning to the end through smooth transition. If you are writing
a profile, do not start with a bland statement on such and such day, Mr. X was born. Start with
some of his qualities or starting deed and then gradually you can mention these points.
Sticking to the theme : There should be only one main theme. Do not deviate from it.
One story at a time : As you have been told earlier, do not try t~ inxtapose too many ideas
into one story. This makes your piece disjointed and the reader (read editor) becomes disin-
terested.
Make it vivid.: Give a detailed and interesting description. If the subject is like that you can
and should spice it with names and other anecdotes. But these should be so short that it should
not deviate from the main theme. Too much spice spoils a dish. You have to remember this.
Fiction is not Journalism

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Most beginners must be wondering why we did not say anything about fiction. You must be
remembering many names who made their living by writing fiction. They, you would say, are
also &lancers, as Rusking Bond is. There is, however, a difference. Though magazines some-
times publish fiction, it is not journalism. A fiction is an imaginary piece which may or may
not have drawn its inspiration from a real life event. The fiction writer mixes a product of the
imagination with facts. Fiction is fabrication.
Journalism is concerned with facts. It is commonly regarded as a record of contempo;ary
Writing for the Press llistory and cannot bc conft~sedwith unreality.
Over the years, market for fiction in magazine writing has gradually been reduced. Some
magazines sometimes publish fiction but most do not. If you want to be a fiction writer, you
have to develop yourself in a different way.

4.16 THE FUTURE FOR FREELANCING

The onslaught of television as we said earlier has ~nadca dent in thc circulation magazines. At
the same time, it has expected magazine piiblishers to be more conscious about quality. The
production has become more attractive than a decade or so ago. With growing education, the
yearning to know more about a specific field is rising. The competition is also comparatively
less for a specialised magazine. These factors arc destined to grow in the years to come. As a
freelancer. you have a better chance to grow as a specialised writer. In fact, specialised writ-
ers are even now in great denland and it is bound to go up in the future. Politics tempts, but
remember this is one area on which many people write and publications accept articles only
from the veterans in the field.
Ethical Questions in Magazine Writing
The rclationship between the writer ahd editor is based on trust. An editor expects the writtr
to remain loyal to him in a limited sense. He does not expect you to send your piece to other.
If you do even once, you losc his trust and you lose the market.
But you could question how some writers' pieces are siniultaneously published in several
magazines. They are writing for feature or article syndicates. The syndicates nlultiply the
copy and send it to different publications. The writer is paid by the syndicate a percentage of
the total sum it receives from the publication. The syndicates and puiblications have some sort
of arrangement about supplying material. Publications, however, are under no compulsion to
use these. They can, if they need it or like it. As a freclancer. syndicates also offer you enough
opportunities.
Some common ethical points that you should follow are given below for your guidance.
Tmthfulness and Accuracy :As a writer, the primary responsibility or the t n ~ t hand accuracy
rests on you. The editor has the right to make changes but without aEecting facts.
Rewriting : A beginner's copy is often rewritten. But an experienced writer frowns at this
practice. If some copy is very badly written, the editor may ask him to rewrite it or would do ;
so with the pernlission of the writer. If the publication of a piece has been delayed, the editor
can ask the writer to update it.
By-lines : A by-line is the author's unquestioned right.
Payment : Normally, oncc an article is accepted, it is the obligation of the publication to
make the payment. But; there are many publications which do not. As you grow, you must
ensure beforehand that the publication would make paymcnts.
These are only some of the conventions. As you know, will come across many other prac-
tices. These change with time and also with assignments. If you have been given an arduous
assignment, in such a case, normally, the publication's responsibility towards the writer in-
creases. The publication is not only expected to pay for it, but also for any damages which you
suffer during the assiyment. However, Indian magazines very rarely hire freelancers for such
tasks.
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4.17 LET US SUM CTP
Freclance journalists are part and parcel of the n~ainstrea~njournalism. With the increase in
literacy and the readership more and more newspapers and magazines are being launched.
Each of these need a huge team of writers to fill in the pages of each edition. Hence, there is
an increase in the demand for freelance writers. But, the supply of good writers is less.
It has been found that a lor of articles get rejected by the editors of magazines and newspa-
pers. The main reason is that the 'article is not 'cooked' well. A writer in addition to paying
altcntlon to thc language sl~ouldalso take care of the stylc, facts, subjects matter and luc~dity F~.eelsncc21nd
or presentation. The articles should be logically presented in a conlprehcnsive manner. Writing

A rrcelancer is never in the payroll of a newspaper or inagazrne. Helshe creates a network

\\11 h a good number of publications and serve the editors with thcir articlcs as per the needs of
cach. Freelancers are wcll equated and have a good grasp on the subjects tbey wrlte on. They
are vcry csperienced. The article should be original, specific. focussed on a particular theme
and exclusive. There are freelancers who wnte on almost all the subjects undcr the Sun. But
generally they do not last long.
A ~reelancercan write an article, a feature or a review. These are the formats The topics or
the subject matter of thesc formats would depend upon the area of ~ntercstof the writer, the
demand of Ihe readers, the nature of the magazine etc
If you want to be a frecl,ncc writer you must follow the sequences o f : i) cl~oosea topic, ii)
study a lot on your topic subject chosen; ~ i i )Write a structure for your article: iv) develop
your structure: v) revise your manuscript; vi) after a gap of a few days revise your art~cleand
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submit the same to the editor.
While wrrtlng an article you must be hoilesl and truthful to your readers. Never provlde lhc
readers with wrong information and never lie to your readers.

4.18 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS : MODEL ANSWERS

Check Your Progress 1

1) a) False
b) True
c) T n ~ e
d) Tnre
2) A newspaper brings out its edition everyday. Therefore, it needs a lot of writers
&lily and for a long period of time to meet the deadlines. Whereas, a magazine
nlay have edition weckly, rortnightly or monthly. It may necd vely specialis~d
people for an issue and may 1101 need that specialised journalist 1 writer for a
long period time. Therefore, instead of hiring the writers on a full time basis, the
magazine generally hircs a relatively small group of writers (mainly to do edit-
ing jobs).
Check Your Progress 2
1) A succcssfirl freelance journalist must have :
a strong writing skill
love for writing
an area or a few areas 1 subjects of intcrcsl
~dent~fred
developed a good link between the various newspapers or magazines.
2) The follow~ngmay be some of the reason for which an article may be rejected
by an editor.
the lanbwage may not be good.
the article may not have a focus.
thc informatioil given may not have facts to make the argynlents credible.
the style.may not attract attention.
Writing for the Press
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Check Your Progrcss 3

I ) A stringer is a person who resides in a far off and remote place and attached to
ncwspaper or news agency. A stringer is paid a fixed amount monthly and sends
hislher report from the locality helshe resides. Thc cost of posting a full-time
journalist proves very uneconomical, hence, generally'all the major newspapers
and news agencies fall back on stringers for their coverages.

2) Helshe must find out what type of articles are required by the editor.

Helshe must have a personal rapport with the editor and personally submit
hislher article to hirnlher. -
Pronlptly answer the queries of the editor regarding the article submitted.
Helshc must type hislher manuscript.
Always enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. In case, the article is
b not accepted, it may thus be sent back to you. \