DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA & COMMUNICATION STUDIES

2019- 2022
2021-2022
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About this Manual

OBJECTIVE OF THIS MANUAL

This Lab Manual is intended to be used by BA(JMC), Semester II students for the Print Journalism
Lab Practical. The PJ Lab Manual covers topics that are essential for the students to strengthen their
theoretical concepts. Use of this Lab Manual is mandatory for the completion of the practicals. It
provides the students with first-hand knowledge of the practical subjects. It also makes them learn a
systematic approach to do their task proficiently as per the need and requirement of the industry.

• The purpose of this manual is to give guidance and instructions to the student regarding the
subject.
• Build capacity of the students to do their assignments professionally
• To have uniformity in assignment presentation
• To be of reference for the students
• Continuous assessment of the students

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

Use of this Lab Manual is mandatory for the completion of the practicals. It provides the students
with first-hand knowledge of the practical subjects. It also makes them learn a systematic approach to
do their task proficiently as per the need and requirement of the industry.

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS
1. Students are REQUIRED to carry this manual during the Lab Class.
2. Students are REQUIRED to read the topics mentioned before coming to the Lab Class.
3. Students are REQUIRED to follow the timeline for each assignment.
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Table of Contents
TOPIC PAGE NO. REMARKS/ SIGNATURE
Syllabus 4
Headline Writing

Assignment 1(A) 7

Assignment 1(B) 8
Leads
Assignment 2 10-11
News Story
Assignment 3 14-18
Converting News Story to Feature
Assignment 4 22
Editing & Proof Reading Symbols
Assignment 5(A) 25
Assignment 5(B) 26
Assignment 5(C) 29
Translation
Assignment 6(A) 31
Assignment 6(B) 32
Editorial
Assignment 7 37
Photo Caption Writing
Assignment 8 41-45
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Syllabus

Exercises/Assignments
1. Identify any five headlines and rewrite them
2. Write various types of leads
3. Report and file story for each of the beats: Political, Entertainment, Business, Education
and Crime
4. Convert any news story into feature
5. Prepare a copy by using editing and proof - reading symbols
6. Translate a news story from English to Hindi and vice - versa
7. Write an Editorial
8. Rewrite any five photo captions and cutlines
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Headline Writing
Headlines: It contains essential words that convey the subject of story. It is a window to the story. It
is an abstract sentence, usually contains five to ten words.
Tips for writing headlines
• Understand the story completely before writing its headline.
• Base the headline on the story’s main idea, which should be in the lead or introduction. Don’t use
in the headline facts that are not in the story. Avoid ambiguity, insinuations and double meanings.
• Avoid unclear or little known names, phrases and abbreviations. Don’t use pronouns alone and
unidentified.
• Use the active voice Use present tense
• Avoid using the article a, an & the
Types of Headlines
1. Straight headlines/Direct Headlines: They simply relate the main topic of the story.
2. Headlines that ask a question: Most question headlines are not really typical questions at all.
They are statements followed by a question mark.
3. Headlines that contain a quotation: A quoted speech is used in headlines.
4. Feature headlines: Headlines for some unusual or amusing stories don’t give a complete
meaning. It’s often necessary to read the story to understand the headline.
5. Double headlines: They are two-part headlines of the same story. They are often used for major
events.
6. News: A journalistic headline conveys authority and is straightforward without being plain.
7. Suggestion/ Advise/How-to: The words “how to” have launched a million headlines and for good
reason: What do you type into a search engine when you want to learn how to do something?
“How to” tells readers that somebody out there wants to help them.
8. Command/ Direction: In this you give command and direction to the reader.
9. Kicker Headline: It is a headline that is written on top of the main headline. It is set in a point size
that is less than the point size used for the main headline. It is used to highlight the news points not
covered in the main headline. It is usually italicized, underlined or centered.
10. Reverse Kicker: It refers to the headline written beneath the main headline. It is written in a
point size that is bigger than the main headline, and is generally used to highlight a new point. It can
also be used to amplify the main headline.
11. Wicket Headline: Here, two or more lines of secondary headline are stated above the primary
headline.
12. Summary Headline: They are called talking heads, super blurbs and blurbs. This headline
explains the crux of the story and is written like sentences.
13. Jump Headline: Sometimes, a story is not completed on a single page. The remaining story is
continued on another page. Hence, a jump headline is used to introduce the remainder of the story.
Most newspapers write complete headlines for the jump. They often emphasise new information in
the jump rather than repeat the headline from the earlier page.
14. Hammer Headline: It has a dramatic effect and is accompanied by a deck head.
15. Sub Head: Used to break up long stories.
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Kicker Headline:

Reverse Kicker Headline:

Jump Headline:
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Assignment 1(A)

Collect five Headlines of different types and paste in the space given below.

HEADLINE 1

HEADLINE 2

HEADLINE 3

HEADLINE 4

HEADLINE 5
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Assignment 1(B)

Identify any five headlines from any English/Hindi daily and rewrite them.

HEADLINE 1

HEADLINE 2

HEADLINE 3

HEADLINE 4

HEADLINE 5
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Leads
Type of leads to be identified: Why lead, Who lead, What lead, Where lead, When lead, How Lead,
Summary lead, Circumstantial lead, Descriptive lead, Question why lead, Direct Appeal lead,
Quotation Lead.

CHECKLIST
The first or the opening paragraph assumes utmost importance in the news story. Under the
influence of American Journalism, the term lead has replaced intro in reference to the first
paragraph of a news report. The intro or lead of a news report starts with a dateline. A reporter
must see to it that his / her lead does five things:

1. Presents a summary of the story

2. Identifies the people and the places concerned
3. Stresses the news feature
4. Gives the update of the event
5. Stimulates the reader to continue the story

Summary Lead: this lead clearly and plainly summarizes all the principle facts.

Statement or Direct Quotation Lead: the direct quotation lead can be very effective if the quote is a
good one and it is not too long.

Direct Appeal lead: this type of lead speaks directly to the reader, often about the subject of broad
interest or appeal.

Circumstantial Lead: Such a lead stresses on the circumstances under which incident has happened.

SAMPLE: ‘Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar’ Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi has won a convincing
victory to secure a fourth successive term as chief minister of India’s Gujarat state. With all the
votes counted, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 115 seats in the 182-seat assembly, the
Election Commission says.
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Assignment 2

Write various types of leads in the space given below.

WHO LEAD:

WHERE LEAD:

WHEN LEAD:

WHY LEAD:

HOW LEAD:

CIRCUMSTANTIAL LEAD:
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SUMMARY LEAD:

DESCRIPTIVE LEAD:

QUESTION LEAD:

QUOTATION LEAD:

DIRECT APPEAL LEAD:

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News Story

A news story should answer five questions about the event: who, what, why, when and where.
These include: headline, lead paragraph, quote, captions, and inverted pyramid.

CHECKLIST:

• Start your story with the most interesting thing you learned researching your story.

• Don’t start a sentence with the person and/or title of a person or agency. Put the action first
(what is actually happening), THEN tell who or what is doing it.

• NEVER start a lead (the first paragraph in your story) with a day, date, or time, especially if that
day, date, or time is NOT the current day, date, or time. It makes your story look old.

• Avoid too many conjunctive sentences (sentences tied together with “and”.) Break any long
sentences into two or three sentences. BUT also avoid starting sentences with But or And.

• Write all sentences as Subject, Verb, Object sentences. The sentence is sharper; the idea you are
trying to convey is clearer.
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News stories go straight to the point. In this respect, they are quite unlike other forms of written English,
such as novels and short stories, committee reports, letters and theses. All these are written primarily for
people with the time to consider and absorb what has been written. They also follow the usual pattern of
spoken language, in which it is generally impolite to jump straight to the main point which you wish to
make without first establishing contact. But news stories do that; that is why they are different. In the
following example, you will see that the narrative form starts at the oldest part of the story, then tells what
happened in the order in which it happened. The news form starts at the most newsworthy part of the
story, then fills in details with the most newsworthy first and the least newsworthy last:

NARRATIVE NEWS

When electricians wired the home of Mrs Mary Ume
in Hohola, Port Moresby, some years ago they
neglected to install sufficient insulation at a point in
the laundry where a number of wires crossed.
A short-circuit occurred early this morning.
A Port Moresby woman and her two children died in
a house fire in Hohola today.
Mrs Mary Ume, her ten-year-old daughter Peni and
baby son Jonah were trapped in a rear bedroom as
flames swept through the house.

Contact between the wires is thought to have created The fire started in the laundry, where it is believed
a spark, which ignited the walls of the house. faulty electrical wiring caused a short-circuit. The
family were asleep at the time.
The flames quickly spread through the entire house.

News stories are written in a way which sets out clearly what is the top priority news, what is the next
most newsworthy, and so on. This makes it easier for readers and listeners to understand.
In many societies, people read newspapers and web pages in a hurry. They probably do not read every
word, but skim quickly through, reading headlines and intros to see which stories interest them. Some
which seem at first glance to be interesting may seem less interesting after a few paragraphs, and so the
reader moves on.

In other societies, people may find reading a newspaper hard work. This may be because it is written in
a language which is not their first language; or it may be because they are not good at reading. They,
too, will look at headlines and intros to decide which stories are interesting enough to be worth the
effort of reading them.
In either case, the readers will generally read less than half of most stories; there are very few stories
indeed of which they will read every word.
Similarly, people do not listen intently to every word of a radio or television news bulletin. Unless the
first sentence of each item interests them, they allow their minds to wander until they hear something
that interests them.
The way a news story is written therefore has to do two things:
• It has to sell the story to the casual reader or listener.
• It has to give the main point of the story very quickly, so that even if the reader moves on after one or
two paragraphs, or if the listener stops listening after the first sentence or two, they will still have a fair
idea of what the story was about.
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Assignment 3
Report and file story in 250 words for each of the beats:

(A) Political
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(B) Entertainment
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(C) Business
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(D) Education
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(E) Crime
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Converting News Story to Feature

Feature

Introduction

1. Feature articles are windows into the human experience, giving more detail and description
than a hard news story, which typically relies on the style of writing. Features focus on an event
or individual, giving the reader a chance to more fully understand some interesting dimension
of that subject. Writing a feature article can be a highly creative and fun activity, but it does
take hard work and planning to write an effective and engaging article.

2. The subject of a feature may be anything – a person, an idea, a situation, a hobby, a process, a
historic anniversary. The objective of the writer may be to inform, to explain, to instruct, or only
to entertain. The qualities that set the feature apart from other stories are its lack of immediacy
and its in depth treatment of an interesting or provocative subject. Good example of features
can be found in the Sunday supplements of newspapers.

3. The language of features offers an opportunity to the writer to display his command over the
language and to show his craftsmanship skills. The principles of journalism stipulate that
ornamental language should not be used while writing the hard news, but full liberty of
language use and creative skills in writing features is allowed. Ofcourse, the writer has to be
careful to ensure that he does not lose the focus of his theme and subject. He has to apply his
language and literary skills to make his feature attractive and readable. How he handles the
facts and materials of the subject and give shape with application of appropriate language will
ultimately decide the fate of his writing.

Structure of feature
• Intro
• Elaboration
• Elucidation
• Interpretation
• Narration: facts with examples experiences
• Happy ending: Drawing lessons
• Further possibilities
• Conclusion
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SAMPLE

With apple power, battle cancer and cut calories

Sat, Oct 27 2019

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is certainly no exaggeration, for the mighty apple is indeed
a storehouse of vitamins, minerals and many other valuable substances. In fact, apple consumption
has been associated with reduced risk for a number of diseases including cancer, particularly lung
cancer, as well as cardiovascular diseases, asthma and type 2 diabetes.

Apples are rich in vitamin C and vitamin E, the content varying with the 7,000 known varieties.
Vitamins C and E are powerful antioxidants, which help to build immunity, fight chronic diseases
and slow down ageing.

Apples are also an excellent source of disease-fighting soluble fibre in the form of pectin. Its high
pectin content helps lower cholesterol and acts as a laxative by bulking the stool and maintaining
intestinal balance. Pectin also helps to bind toxic metals such as mercury and lead, and helps
excrete them.

Cooked apples are known to relieve diarrhoea, dysentery and colitis. One large apple a day has
been shown to reduce serum cholesterol levels by 8-11 per cent. The pectin in apples supplies
galacturonic acid to the body, which lowers the body’s need for insulin and may help in the
management of diabetes. Apple pectin helps in gelling and it is this property which helps in making
apple jams and jellies.

Apples and apple juice are rich in phytochemicals (plant chemicals) including flavonoids and
polyphenols. Polyphenols such as tannins (tannic acid) are potent enemies of viruses particularly
herpes simplex virus. Two polyphenols — phloridzin and phloretinxyloglucoside found in apples
have not been found in any other fruit. Not only are apples exceptionally rich in phenols, they also
have the highest concentration of “free phenols”, which means that they are more available for
absorption into the blood stream. Quite impressively, the anti-oxidant capacity of approximately
one apple is equivalent to about 1,500 mg of vitamin C (although one apple has only about 5 mg of
vitamin C). A recent study reported that risk of colorectal cancer was reduced by about 50 per cent
on intake of more than one apple a day.
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Assignment 4

Select any news story from an English/Hindi newspaper and convert it into a feature.
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Editing & Proof Reading Symbols

What is Editing?

Editing has come to mean various things over the years, and even within different publishing
houses, newspapers, periodicals, the term can be used to cover a multitude of individual tasks.

According to about.com editing is a stage of the writing process in which a writer or editor strives to
improve a draft (and sometimes prepare it for publication) by correcting errors and by making
words and sentences clearer, more precise, and more effective.

Editing prepares a written work for publication. An editor checks for completeness, accuracy,
consistency, word choice, writing style and spelling errors. While a writer may accept, negotiate or
reject individual edits, the efforts of an editor always enhance the final product. Sometimes the
writer doubles as the editor. However, a professional editor with no previous knowledge of a work
usually produces better results.

A written work receives two edits—the copyedit and the final proofreading.

Copy editing is the stage where you check that what you’ve written makes grammatical sense. Is
that brilliant idea conveyed in a way that people can actually understand it? Do the subjects and
verbs agree? Is there a consistency of style? A key example of what to look out for here is what kind
of English is being used. Is it American English or British English? This will have all sorts of impact on
grammar as well as spelling. Copyediting happens when a writer turns in a draft copy.The editor
examines the copy for all things erroneous, missing and debatable. The editor marks up the draft
with corrections, suggestions and questions. After reviewing the marked up copy, the writer makes
changes, while discussing questionable items with the editor.

Proof reading is often confused with copy editing. It is the science of going through a manuscript
with a fine tooth comb to make sure that the correct letters are in each word, that all capital letters
are where they should be, and that the work is error-free. It is the final check before publishing.
One ages-old trick for successful proof reading is to read the text backwards, so that you’re not
fooled by the context of the individual words and can, instead, ascertain that they’re spelled
correctly. Proofreading verifies the inclusion of corrections from the copyedit. It also checks for
typographical and formatting errors. Proofreading sometimes uncovers mistakes overlooked during
the copyedit.
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Editing

Sample – Copy edit

Incorrect text:

As we enter the new milleniumits difficult to avoid thinking about how the world is changing. In the
1980’s few people had even seen a computer, let alone owned one. Now they are on most
childrens’ christmas wish lists. In the 1990’s satelite television was a new and wondrous thing – no
less than sixteen channels through one ariel! Compare that figure with the hundreds available
today. Digital broadcasting has changed our lives to such an extent that the question is no longer
‘TV or not TV?’ (to misquote Shakespear), but ‘Could we manage without it?’ Can you imagine life a
hundred years ago, when there was neither television or radio. For us, it doesn’t bare thinking
about, but perhaps our great-grandparents were equally as content to sit round a piano as we are
to stare at a screen. There would have been no disagreement about what channel to watch, at
least.

CORRECTED TEXT:

As we enter the new millennium it’s difficult to avoid thinking about how the world is changing. In
the 1980s few people had even seen a computer, let alone owned one. Now they are on most
children’s Christmas wish lists. In the 1990s satellite television was a new and wondrous thing – no
fewer than sixteen channels through one aerial! Compare that figure with the hundreds available
today. Digital broadcasting has changed our lives to such an extent that the question is no longer
‘TV or not TV?’ (to misquote Shakespeare), but ‘Could we manage without it?’ Can you imagine life
a hundred years ago, when there was neither television nor radio? For us, it doesn’t bear thinking
about, but perhaps our great-grandparents were equally content [or ‘as content’ – either is correct]
to sit round a piano as we are to stare at a screen. There would have been no disagreement about
which channel to watch, at least.
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Assignment 5(A)
Editing

There is an error in each line against which there is a blank. Underline each error and write your
correction in the space provided.

1. One morning, the Nawab call a) _____________________________________________

his minister and said him b)___________________________________________________
that I wanted the length and c) ________________________________________________
breadth from the earth d) ____________________________________________________
measured. He also feel the e) _________________________________________________
need to have the stars on the f) ________________________________________________
sky counted. The minister says g) ______________________________________________
that the task he have been h) __________________________________________________
set being impossible. i) ______________________________________________________

2. My day begins on five O’clock in the morning a) _________________________________

It has been so since the last forty years b) _____________________________________
except for the two years of which I was c) _____________________________________
very ill. I wake up at the sound of an d) _____________________________________
alarm clock bought at 1952. e) _____________________________________
From then until today, it has never f) _____________________________________
let me down
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Assignment 5(B)
There is one word missing from each line. Put a / where the word is missing and write the word in
the blank provided:-

1.Srinagar abounds natural beauty a) _____________________________________________

It is often termed a paradise on earth b) ___________________________________________
Tourists from all worlds come to c) _____________________________________________
See its everlasting beauty scattered over d) ________________________________________
its outskirts. It is a small place, intensely Fascinating e) ______________________________

2. It is the adult world destroys ______________________________________________

the intelligence sharp minds of ______________________________________________
children and abilities. The _______________________________________________
constant rejection and quieting child _________________________________________
when she a question slowly _______________________________________________
builds the child’s inhibition _______________________________________________
destroys her curiosity. _______________________________________________
If a child a question and approaches ____________________________________________
her parents information or clarification __________________________________________
We have no time them. _______________________________________________
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Proofreading Symbols

The use of almost all proofreading symbols follows the same pattern. There is a mark in the margin,
along with specific details about the change that should be made, and a mark in the text showing
where those instructions should be implemented. The best way to learn the proofreading marks is
to use them — that's far better than trying to simply memorise them in the abstract. Proofread a
few documents with a copy of the marks at your side and look up the right proofreading symbol
each time you need to mark up an error. By the time you've marked up a few documents, you'll
have identified those proofreading marks that you're likely to use and will have started to memorise
them without having to make a conscious effort.

Proofreading symbols for generalinstructions

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Assignment 5(C)

Proofread the following text using the proofreading symbols.

Plums is my favorite fruit. to me, the plum is a perfect fruit. It is sweet delicious and pretty, too. I
love the way it is fitting in your hand. Some fruits, such as pineapples, are too big for one person to
eat. Others, such as papayas, bananas, and avocados, had to be peeled, which takes time and can
be very messy. Plums, however, are easy to eat, when you are finished, all you have to do is throw
away the pit!

Plums are perhaps the most attractive fruit because they come in so many colours. From pale
yellow to bright red to deep purple. They are a nutritious snack, because they are loaded with
vitamin A and potassium. They also have lots of natural sugars that will gave you plenty of energy.
Suppose you buy a bag of plums and the first one you eat is not very sweet, don’t throw the plums
away! Place them in a brown paper bag with a few other plums for a day or two. They will ripen in
the bag and soon you will be eating delicious pieces of fruit.

The only bad thing about plums is that them are only available for a few months out of the year.
Other fruits, like apples and pears, seem to be available all year long. The better fruit of them all,
however, only grows in the summer. That’s why, when summer comes around, I greedy eat as many
plums as I can.
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Translation

Principles of translation

• The first thing to remember is that translation is the transfer of meaning from one language to
another. It is not the transfer of words from language to Language.
• You must translate the meaning of what is being said, rather than do it word-for-word. This is
because languages are not just different words.
• Different languages also have different syntax, grammar, different word orders, sometimes even
words for which other languages do not have any equivalents. The English spoken by a scientist may
have words which a simple farmer cannot even start to imagine. And the farmer is likely to have
words for things the technologist never dreamed of.

Simple steps in translation

STEP-1
• Start by talking about the simplest form of translation - the one where there’s already have a
story written down in one language (the source) and one would want to translate it into another
language (the target). The steps to follow are:
• Read the whole of the original source story through from beginning to end, to make sure that you
can understand it. If you cannot understand everything that is said, you cannot translate it. If there
are any words or phrases that you do not understand, you must clarify these first. You may decide
that the ideas they express are too difficult to translate or not worth translating, but you need to
know what they are before you can judge.

STEPS -2
• Do a first draft translation, trying to translate all the source material. But do not translate word-
for-word. Remember that you are translating the meaning. When you have finished the first
translation, you will now have a draft story in the target language.
• Go back over the whole of your draft translation and polish it without looking at the source
original. (You might even like to turn the source story face down on your desk so you cannot cheat.)
Make sure that your translation reads well in the target language.
• Compare the final version of your translation with the source original to make sure that you have
translated it accurately. This is when you can make any detailed adjustments in individual words or
phrases.
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Assignment 6(A)

Translate a news story from English to Hindi (300-400 words).

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Assignment 6(B)

Translate a news story from Hindi to English (300-400 words).

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Editorials

An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper’s opinion on an issue. It reflects the majority
vote of the editorial board, the governing body of the newspaper made up of editors and business
managers. It is usually unsigned. Much in the same manner of a lawyer, editorial writers build on an
argument and try to persuade readers to think the same way they do. Editorials are meant to
influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and sometimes cause people to take action on
an issue. In essence, an editorial is an opinionated news story.

Editorials have:

1. Introduction, body and conclusion like other news stories.

2. An objective explanation of the issue, especially complex issues.

3. A timely news angle.

4. Opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same issues the writer addresses.

5. The opinions of the writer delivered in a professional manner. Good editorials engage issues, not
personalities and refrain from name-calling or other petty tactics of persuasion.

6. Alternative solutions to the problem or issue being criticized. Anyone can gripe about a problem,
but a good editorial should take a pro-active approach to making the situation better by using
constructive criticism and giving solutions.

7. A solid and concise conclusion that powerfully summarizes the writer’s opinion.
Give it some punch.
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Four Types of Editorials:

1. Explain or interpret: Editors often use these editorials to explain the way the newspaper
covered a sensitive or controversial subject. School newspapers may explain new school rules or a
particular student-body effort like a food drive.

2. Criticize: These editorials constructively criticize actions, decisions or situations while

providing solutions to the problem identified. Immediate purpose is to get readers to see the
problem, not the solution.

3. Persuade: Editorials of persuasion aim to immediately see the solution, not the problem.
From the first paragraph, readers will be encouraged to take a specific, positive action. Political
endorsements are good examples of editorials of persuasion.

4. Praise: These editorials commend people and organizations for something done well. They are
not as common as the other three.

WRITING AN EDITORIAL

1. Pick a significant topic that has a current news angle and would interest readers.

2. Collect information and facts; include objective reporting; do research.

3. State your opinion briefly in the fashion of a thesis statement.

4. Explain the issue objectively as a reporter would and tell why this situation is important.

5. Give opposing viewpoint first with its quotations and facts.

6. Refute (reject) the other side and develop your case using facts, details, figures, quotations. Pick
apart the other side’s logic.

7. Concede a point of the opposition — they must have some good points you can acknowledge
that would make you look rational.

8. Repeat key phrases to reinforce an idea into the reader’s minds.

9. Give a realistic solution(s) to the problem that goes beyond common knowledge. Encourage
critical thinking and pro-active reaction.

10. Wrap it up in a concluding punch that restates your opening remark (thesis statement).

11. Keep it to 500 words; make every word count; never use “I”.
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Sample Structure – Editorial

I. Lead with an Objective Explanation of the Issue/Controversy.

Include the five W’s and the H.

• Pull in facts and quotations from the sources which are relevant.
• Additional research may be necessary.

II. Present Your Opposition First.

As the writer you disagree with these viewpoints. Identify the people (specifically who oppose you).
• Use facts and quotations to state objectively their opinions.
• Give a strong position of the opposition. You gain nothing in refuting a weak
position.

III. Directly Refute The Opposition’s Beliefs.

You can begin your article with transition.
• Pull in other facts and quotations from people who support your position.
• Concede a valid point of the opposition which will make you appear rational, one who has
considered all the options.

IV. Give Other, Original Reasons/Analogies

In defense of your position, give reasons from strong to strongest order
• Use a literary or cultural allusion that lends to your credibility and perceivedintelligence

V. Conclude With Some Punch.

Give solutions to the problem or challenge the reader to be informed. (Congress should look to
where real wastes exist — perhaps in defense and entitlements — to find ways to save money.
Digging into public television’s pocket hurts us all.)
• A quotation can be effective, especially if from a respected source
• A rhetorical question can be an effective concluder as well
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Sample:

Heed Supreme Court

Kashmir’s unending clampdown becomes untenable

January 11, 2020 | The Times Of India

Stopping short of ordering immediate restoration of internet in Jammu and Kashmir or ruling on the
validity of the shutdown, Supreme Court has called for a weekly review of internet suspension orders
passed by local authorities. These reviews must lead to internet restoration. The verdict will go a long
way towards constraining the ability of governments to wantonly impose Section 144 CrPC and
indefinitely suspend internet over long periods and over large geographic areas, without due application
of mind. SC has also ruled that authorities must publish internet suspension orders and state material
facts in Section 144 orders to allow aggrieved citizens to pursue judicial review.

In a ringing endorsement of recent criticism of mobile shutdowns

for their toxic effect on democracy and businesses, SC has
declared that free speech and expression (Article 19(1)(a)) and
right to carry on any trade (Article 19(1)(g)) using the medium of
internet is constitutionally protected. The court also posed a
conundrum for authorities by declaring that internet be restored
forthwith for essential services like government websites,
“localised/limited” e-banking facilities and hospitals in regions
where internet may not be restored immediately. It remains to be
seen how this partial restoration will be carved out.

The easiest way is to restore full internet services. A comprehensive sector-wise assessment of
Kashmir’s economy in mid-December pegged losses from the shutdown at a whopping Rs 17,900 crore.
Ease of doing business requires predictability from government, which has been sorely missing in recent
times. An influential US consultancy firm has termed India one of 2020’s geopolitical risks. SC has also
advised government to construe so-called “emergency” situations with a sense of balance and in
proportion to the seriousness of the event while adopting “least restrictive measures”. The costs of the
150-odd-day shutdown clearly outweigh the benefits. Internet and free movement in Kashmir must be
restored.
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Assignment 7

Write an editorial for a leading newspaper, on any topical issue.

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Photo Caption Writing

Photo Captions are a little, short explanation, or description accompanying an illustration or a

photograph. An under-developed caption can tear down the message of the photograph. They are
also known as Cutlines. These are one or two lines of text used to elaborate on published
photographs. As with headlines, captions and cutlines must be crisp. Every news photographer
should go on assignment carrying a notebook and pen, as well as a camera and spare films or
memory cards. This is because the photographer will need to write a caption for each picture. If
there are several people in a photograph, the photographer will need to ask the name of each one,
and make sure that all the names are spelled correctly. It is best to do this before anyone moves out
of position, so that the photographer can list the names as the people appear, from left to right, in
the picture.

When the photographer returns to the newsroom, and the photographs are developed and printed,
he or she will need to write a caption. This should be written in the prescribed, and should give all
the information which the readers will need.

If the photographer is a good writer, this caption may be published exactly as it was written.
However, not all good photographers are good writers. If the caption has not been written very
well, it would be rewritten by a sub-editor, using the information provided by the photographer.
If you are using photographs of people from your picture library (or archive), always double check
they are of the right person. It is not unknown to use the wrong picture where there are two people
of the same name.

Tips for writing photo captions:

• Caption should be accurate, complete and clear Always identify the main person in the
photograph

• Avoid stating the obvious

• Don’t try to be humorous when the picture is not.

• Avoid using terms like “is shown, is pictured, and looks on.”

• If the photograph is a historic or file photo, include the date that it was taken.

• A photograph captures a moment in time. Whenever possible, use present tense.

Very few pictures used in newspapers, magazines or web pages can stand alone without at least
some short description of what they are or why they are there. These descriptions are called
captions. Typically they are short pieces of text placed below or beside the picture, although in
magazines where there are several pictures on a page they may all be gathered together in one
block of text.
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Why have captions?

News pictures need to be able to tell the news. Even when they tell it well, though, there are things
which no picture can do for itself.

Pictures generally cannot answer all the questions Who? What? Where? When? Why?and How?
Nor can they always make it clear exactly what is happening, especially if it is a photograph of a
demonstration or riot, where the scene is confused. The job of the caption is to help readers to
understand what they are seeing.

The Content of a Caption

To understand how a caption should be written, you must first think about how people read
newspaper pages. They first look at the big headlines and the pictures, until they find something
which looks interesting; then, if it is a picture which has caught their eye, they read the caption;
finally, if they are still interested, they will read the story which goes with it.

Readers therefore read captions before they read stories. This means that a caption must include
enough information from the story to make sense all by itself.

WHERE DOES THE CAPTION GO?

In English, people read from left to right and from top to bottom. So it is natural for the caption to
be below the picture or to the right-hand side of it - that is, in a position to which the reader’s eye
will naturally travel next.In practice, the best place to put a caption is below the picture, preferably
the full width of the picture. It is always easy to find a caption in this position.

Next to the picture is the second best position, but ideally a caption in this position should have a
column of space all to itself, so that the caption can easily be seen.Space is precious in a newspaper,
though, especially on the news pages. A caption beside a picture will probably have other text
above it or below it, and this will make it hard for the reader to find the caption. It is best,
therefore, to put captions beside pictures only on feature pages, or in magazines, which can better
afford to use white space.

Worst of all is to bury the caption in the middle of, or at the end of, the story. This makes it almost
impossible for the reader to find the caption at all.

It is usual to print a caption in a contrasting type (either bold or italics), slightly larger than the body
type. If it is to go underneath the picture, it should be set a bit narrower than the picture itself, so
that it fits neatly underneath the picture.

Occasionally when there are several pictures on a page all associated with the same story, you can
use an ‘island’ of text for the captions. This is most usual in feature articles where one theme
connects all the pictures. In such captions it is common to either use words like ‘above’, ‘right’, ‘far
right’ etc to identify the specific pictures. Another method is to identify the pictures in a clockwise
direction from the first picture.
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Sample - Captions
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Assignment 8

Rewrite any five photo captions and cutlines.

PASTE PICTURE 1 HERE

CAPTION
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PASTE PICTURE 2 HERE

CAPTION
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PASTE PICTURE 3 HERE

CAPTION
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PASTE PICTURE 4 HERE

CAPTION
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PASTE PICTURE 5 HERE

CAPTION