ARTICLES AND EDITORIALS

Any newspaper is a collection of news stories, features, editorial(s) and articles.

A news story provides hard news. It provides information in a straightforward manner.

A feature appeals to the emotions. It covers all kinds of topics and provides the information in an interesting and easy-to-read manner. A feature tries to entertain while informing.

Editorials provide the newspaper's point of view.

Articles, on the other hand, provide the point of view of individual writers.

Like editorials, articles also analyze and interpret. Articles provide arguments and counter-arguments. An article goes to the root cause of an event or happening and provides background information. Then it describes the present situation and finally peeps into the future also.

ARTICLES- AN INTRODUCTION:

An article is a glorified and dignified form of an essay, written in a journalistic manner with topicality (or current-ness), innovation and social relevance. It is written on serious burning and timely issues like foreign policy, international issues, constitutional reforms, women’s Bill, industrial policy, economic policy, land reforms, imposition of article 356, and review of articles 85… and so on… number of topics.

An Article comes from the author’s mind whereas a feature is the product of author’s heart. Reversibly, an article appeals to the reader’s mind, whereas a feature appeals to the reader’s heart.

The subject expert writes an article, i.e. here the author is authority, whereas generalist may write a feature. An article is a serious form of write-up whereas a feature is an interesting, entertaining, enlightening and light form of write-up. Feature is a special form of presentation full of high communicability and creativity written on a given subject, which is of concern and interest to common readers.

An article is generally published on the editorial page of a newspaper, whereas feature is mostly published in Saturday and Sunday magazines of a newspaper. As far as weeklies and fortnightlies are concerned, a good example for article is “Economic & Political weekly”, “Yojana”, “Kurukshetra”, etc; whereas features are generally found in “Readers’ Digest”, “Sarita” etc.

There is no hard and fast format for article writing. It has three important parts, i.e., intro, body and conclusion that may be sometimes presented in a pyramid form or may be in a cylindrical form or may be of any other type.

ARTICLE WRITING

In order to write an article the following steps should taken:

(i) Selection of the topic,

(ii) Collection of the material,

(iii) Gate keeping,

(iv) Evaluation,

(v) Presentation.

SELECTION OF THE TOPIC:

For writing an article, the first and foremost step is to select a topic. The topic should be current, socially relevant, and innovative and issue based. It may come out from the lead stories of the front page.

COLLECTION OF THE MATERIAL:

After selection of the topic, relevant material should be collected from various conventional sources and non-conventional sources. One may plan to interview some important and relevant personality, one plan to talk to the important sources or consult various books from the library.

GATE KEEPING:

This involves three processes. First, there is selection of the relevant and the related material of the subject. Then, there is rejection of some other portion of the collected material. Some of the materials are outright rejected as these are felt to be of no use.

EVALUATION:

After the selection of the related, relevant and useful material, it is evaluated as to how much importance should be given to which parts, which aspects and which issues in accordance with the journalistic requirement of the subject or theme of the article. What should be the actual length of the article and to which column or page or section or newspaper or journal it should be sent, is also decided in the evaluation process.

PRESENTATION:

While writing an article, you should pay attention to some of the elementary points of presentation. First of all, you should understand the importance of words in a write-up. Words in a write-up or article are like bricks in a house. So the selection organization and presentation of words are extremely important. For that you need “Word Power”. You should know lots of “synonyms” and “antonyms”.

Know the proper use of the word and syntax. Secondly, you should keep an eye on (a) clarity, (b) conciseness, (c) continuity, (d) correctness, (e) commonness,            (t) credibility, (g) completeness.

Clarity: There should be conceptual and linguistic clarity in the article you are going to write. For bringing about clarity in your article, first of all you should yourself understand the subject or the theme thoroughly. If you don’t understand something, you can’t simplify it. Moreover, the language should also be plain and simple and should be easily understandable to common readers.

Conciseness: Before writing an article, you should keep in mind that verbosity is not the basis of a good article. “Small is beautiful”. So use short words, short sentences, short paragraphs and the whole article should be short, brief and concise. Very long and lengthy articles are not considered to be readable or communicable and are going to be against professional desirability today.

A decade back, articles were written in 1500 words or 2000 words or 2500 words. But now the size is preferably reduced to less than 1000 words coupled with photographs, cartoons or some other elegant looking visual dimensions or graphical presentations. William Shakespeare has thus aptly remarked: “Brevity is the soul of the wit.”

Now a very pertinent question arises as to what should be the size of an article? Can it be written in 100 words, 200 words or 300 words? The answer to this question is that there should not be “head-cut instead of hair-cut.” It should not kill the identity of the story. It should not do away with the gist or the essence of the story.

Thus, your article should not be too long or lengthy that it becomes dull and dismal and it should not be too short or small, that the personality or identity of the story is lost.

Continuity/flow: Continuity is none-the-less significant in article writing. It means flow. It indicates maintaining a link between first sentence and second sentence, between second sentence and third sentence, between one paragraph and another paragraph. That is to say that your write-up should be so properly interwoven that the ideas should not appear to be scattered or fractured or divided.

Even if there is a break in paragraph, there is continuity assuming the fact that only the direction of the idea is changing. Maintaining continuity is not a child’s play. It is a Herculean task. It does not come through preach alone. A lot of practice is required.

Constant and continuous practice leads to more and more perfection in maintaining continuity of your article. It goes on improving through trial and error method and gets a professional touch after a prolonged effort. So do not use very long and peculiarly unpopular or old-fashioned words, which fail to arrest your readers throughout your write-up. Thus “don’t throw your readers to the dictionary, otherwise your readers will throw you out of your job.”

But this does not mean you should avoid consulting dictionary. Being a professional, you should always look up the dictionary and enrich your words power as I have already mentioned in the very beginning of this lesson. Again maintaining continuity and thereby not throwing your readers to the dictionary does not mean you should avoid using new or technical words. You must use new or semi-technical or technical words if there is no substitute of its appropriateness. But new or semi-technical or technical words should not be clubbed in plenty in one or two paragraph.

On the contrary, you should scatter new or semi-technical or technical words throughout your article. Moreover, you should again keep in mind of not throwing your readers to the dictionary, while using new words. You use the new or uncommon words in such a way that your readers should directly comprehend the meaning of that word through your usage there. In other words, you should donate new or technical words to your readers along with your new and innovative ideas. Many a time, several readers learn many new words directly from newspapers or magazines.

Correctness: Correctness is equally important while writing an article. If your article carries some wrong information or is full of factual errors, then your hard labour will be lost even if your interpretation is minute and analysis is meticulous. Factuality is the elementary aspect of our journalism, despite the fact that it has emerged as the biggest casualty today. I will just give you an example as to how a mistake of a comma can make remarkable difference, e.g. The king says the trader is foolish. This means that according to the king, the trader is foolish.

Now let us play a little with commas. Just put one comma after the king and one comma after the trader and see the remarkable difference. Now the sentence says:

The king, says the trader, is foolish. Now by inserting just two commas, the meaning of the sentence is totally reversed. That means now it is according to the trader that the king is foolish.

Commonness: Commonness is the core of any communication. That is to say that communication will not take place without commonness. In fact the word communication has been derived from the Latin word “communis” which means commonness of understanding.

Thus communication will take place only when the frame of reference of both the source and the receiver is common. So while writing an article, you must try to read the pulse of your readers. You must try to know the psychology of your readers. Before writing your article, you must raise these questions -

o For whom are you writing?

o What is your target audience?

o What are the interest, inclination, attitude, aptitude, mind-set and mentality of your audience?

In fact, knowledge of the audience is more important that the knowledge of the subject. You may be subject expert. But due to lack of knowledge of your audience, you may fail to communicate. Thus, know your audience, know the level of the audience and then write accordingly.

Supposing, you all know Hindi and English. But if I write this lesson excellently in French language, then will it be useful for you? ’No’ is the definite answer, because French is not common between you and me. What to speak of article writing; audience research has become an internal part of media planning even when you are launching a newspaper or a magazine.

Media spend lot of money these days on such matters. So, while writing article, you should spend at least much time (if much money is not available) on these inevitable matters.

Credibility: Credibility is inevitable in an article. You can’t think for commendable piece of write-up without credibility. But the question is to how to make your article credible? If you write thousands of excellent articles, then your next article itself carries high level of credibility. That means your name has been established and it is the name, which sells, it is the name, which provides credibility or believability to the piece of write-up.

This is called source credibility, which comes from long, constant and commendable contributions. Many a film viewer presumes that this particular film must be worth-viewing if that particular hero is there or if that particular heroin is there or if that particular character is there.

Similarly many a time, even the readers presume that this particular article must be excellent if the writer is his favourite one. Thus, this type of credibility relates to the image of the source, which you can’t develop overnight. So right now forget about this aspect of credibility for you, as you are a cub journalist.

There is another angle of source-credibility also. Sources raise the credibility of your article. That is to say that if you mention the reliable and right source in your article, it will definitely raise the credibility of your writing work. For example, if you write in your article that according to the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, “the university is going to be modernized in no time and several new and job-oriented courses of international importance will be started soon.”

Then these words of DU VC will raise the credibility of your article. On the other hand, if you write that somebody in the DU campus was of the opinion that DU will be taken over by the State Government. This statement does not have any credibility as somebody in the Campus stated it. Similarly, interview raises the credibility of your article. If you incorporate an extensive and intensive interview of relevantly high personality in your article, then its credibility becomes much higher.

On the other hand, picture also adds to the credibility of your article. If you are writing an article on a famous tourist spot and add related, relevant and appealing picture, then it tremendously enhances the visual dimensions of your article leading to increase in the credibility level of your article.

Moreover, if you are referring to a bribe case in your article and there is a photograph of the incidence also then its credibility becomes multiple. Similarly examples raise the credibility of an article. Data, chart, diagram, visual illustration, etc. raise the credibility of your article.

Moreover, quotations and references raise the credibility. Credibility is also dependent on clarity, conciseness, continuity, correctness, etc.

Completeness: An incomplete message does not ring bell, even if it is a 30-page write-up. A complete message appeals to the mind and heart even if it is a 60 second ad. It is the completeness of the message, which leads to reception of it; the way source intended it to be received. It is only on the basis of completeness that crystal clear conclusion of some interpretation or thought comes out. So completeness in an article is indispensable.

Completeness means covering almost all the probable aspects of the issues undertaken for analysis. So while writing an article doesn’t consider a few variables. Then there will be polarizations in your article. For example, if you are analyzing the performance of a university in your article, then don’t only take students’ version but also take teachers’ viewpoint, nonteaching staffs’ way of thinking, parents and guardians outlook and administrators point of view.

And then make any conclusion. Good or bad is always a relative term. So also compare the performance of that university with several other equally old universities of equal nature and status. If you conclude the performance of a university as very bad or good or very good or excellent on the basis of above parameters, then only completeness will be reflected in your article. Other than above elementary points, there are some golden rules, which must be kept in mind while writing an article. Those rules are following:

If doubt, cut it out If doubt, find it out If doubt, stick to the hand-out:

Any time you find anything doubtful in your article, then cut it out. But if something is so inevitable and indispensable, without which your article becomes senseless or meaningless or directionless, then you must find it out. In case of some legal controversies, always stick to the handout.

Don’t present your ignorance:

Some of the authors have got into the undesirable habit of always using I like, I think, I mean, I know, etc. This style should be avoided in an article as far as it is possible. Don’t write I think, since it is your article. So it is well known to everyday that it is your thought. Sometimes, if you get some firsthand information directly, then ‘I’ may be used, but miserly. For example, if you are an eyewitness of a train accident in which you were also travelling, then you may use ‘I’ miserly in narrating to that accident. Even in this type of article, you may sometimes write “this author was amazed......... or “this author was bewildered.........etc.

Be a voracious reader:

You must read a lot while writing. Even if you don’t write, read voraciously (hungrily). Writing comes automatically. You must select good and bad article writers. Collect several pieces of good articles and read them regularly and voraciously. This will help you a lot in article writing sooner or later.

Think originally:

Many article writers have a tendency to think originally in their mother tongue and then they translate it into English or Hindi. This leads to a fractured or scattered or broken kind of a write up. So try to think originally in the language in which you want to write. Moreover, if conceptually also you are an original thinker, then your article will be more arresting, more sequence-wise and finally crystal clear, absolutely concise, flow-orientated, credible and logically concluded.

Check, crosscheck and double check:

While you are using some inevitable points and issues in your article, you are not very sure about the accuracy, factuality and authenticity of that editorial matter. Then you must check, cross, crosscheck and multi-check it.

Give uncompromising attention to legal safety: While writing an article, you must be extremely careful about the subject matter and the treatment you give to it. Otherwise, it may lead to some legal controversy. If the article violates the Official Secrets Act or infringes the Copyright Act or leads to any kind of slander or libel, then the punishment to writer, editor and even publisher may turn out to be extremely painful and economically distressing. So look before you leap as and when you come across any legal issues.

TYPES OF ARTICLES:

Article is broadly classified into three types:

o General,

o Special, and

o Research-oriented

General Articles:

A general article is usually published on either Sunday Magazine or editorial page (except central article) or any other page. It is written on current burning topic of general interest. The writers also belong to a group of general intellectuals. The general articles again may be of different kinds like informative, educative, analytical, and satirical, etc.

Special Articles:

Special articles are published on special place and are written on special topics by special writers. Generally this type of article is published on the central place (i.e., just opposite to the first editorial) of the editorial page. It is written on specific topics of national and international importance by nationally or internationally important personality. Though the status of the writer depends on nature of the newspaper - local, regional or national, but even if the newspaper is local the writer is not a general one, but special one. The special article broadly speaking may be educative or analytical.

Research-oriented Articles:

As far as research article is concerned, it is written after a prolonged research by team. This article is not written like orthodox research paper having intro, objectives, methodology, hypothesis, data collection, data analysis, etc. But objective, methodology, data analysis and inferences are directly or indirectly reflected in a research article. This type of article may be analytical or inferential or both.

EDITORIAL WRITING:

An editorial of a newspaper is the comment of the newspaper on current or burning topics. A newspaper should be known for its news. But generally it is also known for its views. Foreign correspondents especially are aware of how often they quote the major newspapers of the country they are assigned to.

While news is sacred and opinion free and possibly profane, it is the opinion, evidently, that counts. News frequently is transient, but views have the aura of a certain permanency about them. Today’s news may be tomorrow’s garbage, but today’s view can remain fresh for a long time to come. Though only a few read editorials, the latter form and nurture public opinion, especially opinion of the elite that alone frequently counts.

M. V. Kamath is of the opinion that a good editorial can incite action, inspire deeds subvert legislation, stir revolution, There are editorials and editorials. Long ones and short one, pompous ones and perceptive ones, thoughtful ones sand-titillating ones, editorials that are hard-hitting as well as caressing, inspiring as well as denigrating, editorials, in fact, that reflect as wide a range of human emotions as are known to man.

Many of us think the editor alone writes that editorial. It is a one-man show. But this is no true. T.J.S. George in his book “Editing: A Handbook For Journalists” has stated, “Today, editor is one who does not edit.”

Thus, there are batteries of “editorial writers” also called “leader writers” who write anonymously, but obviously under the guidance and direction of the editor to whom, of course, all opinion is attributed.

The editorial writers consist of Chief Editor (or Editor-in-Chief or Editor), Resident Editor, Executive Editor, Associate Editor, Deputy Editor and Assistant Editor. Thus, it is a combination of specialization of several subjects and issues. The Chief - Editor (or Editor-in-Chief or Editor) assigns different topics and issues to these editorial writers and gives them certain instructions specialty the deadline and word limitation.

Geoffrey Parsons, former chief editorial adviser of the New York Herald Tribune once said:

“The richer the writer’s background, the larger his ability to stimulate thought about anything. A good editorial writer addresses the largest classes ever reached a teacher, philosopher or critic.................. He cannot know too much, if he is to hold their attention.

An editorial is an instant comment on the most burning and current topic. A good newspaper editorializes the most important events (that generally comes from the first or second lead stories) within three days.

An editorial is generally published on the extreme left side of the central middle page of the newspaper called “editorial page”. The setting of editorial matter may be different from double column to three columns in different newspapers. Sometimes, an editorial is also front-paged in exceptionally extreme cases for example in Punjab Kesri newspaper.

The purpose of editorial writing is to express newspaper’s viewpoint and persuade the readers positively. A well-known editor Arthur Brisbane believed that the purpose of editorial writer is four-fold: he could teach, attack, defend and praise.

Teaching is the most important and the most difficult. Attacking is the easiest and most unpleasant though sometimes necessary. The defending of good causes, of the weak against the strong of the new idea against the ridicule is important and usually neglected by editorial writers. While writing an editorial, the fundamental principles of writing and golden rules are strictly adhered to.

The format and structure of an editorial is “cylindrical.” Sometimes, it may be “homogeneously cylindrical” and sometimes it may be “heterogeneously cylindrical.” Moreover, you should also follow certain codes while writing an editorial. According to the code of ethics explained by the U.S. National Conference of Editorial Writers, “Editorial writer, like the scientist, must pursue truth no matter where it leads if he is to be faithful to his craft and to his society.”

The basic points of this code are:

o The editorial writer should present facts honesty and fully.

o He should draw objective conclusions from stated facts basing them upon the weight of evidence and upon the considered concept of the greatest good.

o He should never be motivated by personal interest.

o He should realize that he is not infallible and should give voice to those who disagree with him in a public letters column and by other suitable devices.

o He should review his own conclusions and correct them should he find them based on previous misconceptions.

o He should have the courage of well-found conviction and never write anything that goes against his conscience. Where editorial pages are product of more than one mind, sound collective judgement can be achieved only through sound individual judgements. Therefore, thoughtful individual opinions should be respected.

o He should support his colleagues in their adherence to the highest standards of professional integrity.

SUMMARY:

o A news story provides hard news. It provides information in a straightforward manner. A feature appeals to the emotions. It covers all kinds of topics and provides the information in an interesting and easy-to-read manner. A feature tries to entertain while informing. Editorials provide the newspaper's point of view. Articles, on the other hand, provide the point of view of individual writers.

o Like editorials, articles analyze and interpret Articles provide arguments and counter-arguments. An article goes to the root cause of an event or happening and provides background information. Then it describes the present situation and finally peeps into the future also.

o An editorial of a newspaper is the comment of the newspaper on current or burning topics. A good editorial can incite action, inspire deeds subvert legislation, stir revolution, There are editorials and editorials. Long ones and short one, pompous ones and perceptive ones, thoughtful ones sand-titillating ones, editorials that are hard-hitting as well as caressing, inspiring as well as denigrating, editorials, in fact, that reflect as wide a range of human emotions as are known to man.

o There are batteries of “editorial writers” also called “leader writers” who write anonymously, but obviously under the guidance and direction of the editor to whom, of course, all opinion is attributed.

o An editorial is generally published on the extreme left side of the central middle page of the newspaper called “editorial page”. The setting of editorial matter may be different from double column to three columns in different newspapers, though it is generally in D/C setting.

KEY WORDS:

Clarity: For bringing clarity in your article, first of all you should yourself understand the subject or the theme through and through. If you don’t understand something, you can’t simplify it. Moreover, the language should also be plain and simple and should be easily understandable to common readers.

Conciseness: Before writing an article, you should keep in mind that verbosity is not the basis of a good article. So use short words, short sentences, short paragraphs and the whole article should be short, brief and concise. Very long and lengthy articles are not considered to be readable or communicable and are going to be against professional desirability today.

Continuity: Continuity means flow. It indicates maintaining a link between first sentence and second sentence, between second sentence and third sentence, between one paragraph and another paragraph. That is to say that your whole write up should be so properly interwoven that the ideas should not appear to be scattered or fractured or divided.

Completeness: Completeness means covering almost all the probable aspects of the issues undertaken for analysis. So while writing an article don’t consider a few variables.

SELF- ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS (SAQs):

1. What do you mean by an article? Discuss its various types.

2 Differentiate between an article and a feature.

3. Discuss the various types of an article?

4. What steps will you follow while writing an article?

5. What is an editorial? Discuss the purpose of writing an editorial.

6. Who writes an editorial in a newspaper? Discuss it briefly..