The sceleton of a newspaper

Long before any of the words are written the editor knows what tomorrow’s newspaper is going to look like - from a dummy.

Dummies are blank pages, exactly the same size as the real paper, with spaces, which have been booked for advertisements crossed out. The crosses are accurately measured to indicate the exact space the advertisements will occupy in the finished paper.

Every newspaper has its own shape, size and general layout. This is known as its format.

A format makes life easier for both journalists and readers. If really important news comes in, such as a general strike, everyone knows it goes on the front page. The results of a football match belong unquestionably on the sports pages, and an interview with a pop singer will never be mixed up with share prices. Likewise, the television and radio programmes won’t jump from page to page each day. They will always be in the same place where regular readers can find them.

The format will vary from paper to paper. Some newspapers set out with the main intention of entertaining their readers. They will have lots of photographs, illustrations and cartoons and large eye-catching headlines. These are known as “popular” papers and often use the rather smaller “tabloid” format.

Other newspapers are aimed at the more serious or committed readers: those who like their news in-depth want to know how well the dollar and the pound and the deutschmark are doing and what the latest trading figures are. The newspapers that cater for them are known as “heavy” or “quality” papers. They usually give much greater emphasis to foreign news and the arts and have fewer photographs.

At 11.00 a.m. the editor calls his morning conference. Departmental editors with clipboards and pens file into his office and sit themselves down.

The news editor begins. He has six possible lead stories for tomorrow’s paper: a mining accident, a mountaineering death in the Himalayas, a restaurant blown up by terrorists, an Asian writer who had died in police detention, the kidnap of a foreign industrialist's child, and a fire at a local power station.

The diary editor has five ideas to work on, including a rumour about a film star marrying for the third time, which he heard at a dinner party last night.

The features editor explains how she was planning to use an interview with a ventriloquist, but another paper ran a similar article this morning.

“Then spike it”, the editor declares. “What else have you got? What about something to tie in with the Himalayan story?”

“Yes”, says the features editor. “One of our freelances is a very keen climber. I'll see if I can get him to write something”.

The sports editor announces he is expecting results from the Test Match, a report from the tennis championship, and a profile on the golfer tipped to win the British Open.

The picture editor reports that some good shots of the restaurant blast have come, and two photographers are covering the fire at the power station.

When they all meet again in the editor’s office at 5.00 p.m. for the afternoon conference, they look at the stories once more.

Further details have come in about the mining accident. There are now known to be 35 people trapped underground and rescue operations are under way.

The story of the death of the Asian politician is unchanged. The details seem confused, but the police now claim that the man tried to escape from prison.

The fire still rages at the power station - but all the early evening papers have led with the restaurant blast.

The meeting breaks up.

At 7.00 p.m. a politician speaks out and accuses the Asian police of murder. This makes the story far more important. On the other hand, the fire provides good local interest.

At 8.30 part of the burning building collapses, killing two firemen, That decides it. The main lead for tomorrow's paper is the firemen. The second story covers the politician, and the mining accident is spread across four columns at the bottom of the page.

So another edition goes to press (Телень Э.Ф. Газета в современном мире. Пособие по английскому языку. М.: Вш.шк., 2007).

II. Answer the questions using the text:

• What is a dummy?
• Why does a format make life easier for both journalists and readers?
• What is a “popular” paper? What would you expect to find in a “popular” paper?
• What’s a “quality” paper? What kind of readers do “quality” papers cater for?
• What “popular” and “quality” newspapers in Britain do you know?
• Describe the editor’s morning conference.
• What normally decides the main lead for the paper?

III. In the newspaper the headlines play the most important role in the absorbing readers’ attention. Below you can see 7 ways to write a good headline. Read through them.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-11