Editorial Writing

B.A. (HONS.
) Mass Communication VI Semester Subject – Editorial Writing
SYLLABUS
Class – B.A. (HONS.) MASS COMMUNICATION
VI Semester
Subject – Editorial Writing
UNIT – I The Editorial Page: Its Need & Content

Typography & Layout
Editorial Policies.
UNIT – II Definition of Editorial, Style of Writing, Purpose of Editorial
UNIT – III Quality & Responsibilities
a) Editor
b) Asst. Editor
Editorial Conference
Special Article
UNIT – IV Comparative Study
a) National
b) Regional
c) Morning and Evening News Paper & their characteristics
Editor’s Guild
UNIT – V Ethics of Editorial writing
Eminent Editors
45, Anurag Nagar, Behind Press Complex, Indore (M.P.) Ph.: 4262100, www.rccmindore.com
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B.A. (HONS.) Mass Communication VI Semester Subject – Editorial Writing
UNIT I
The editorial page: Its need and content
The editorial page is the most important page in a print media (i.e. the news papers, magazines and other
forms of print publications). This page is basically meant for views, analysis and revaluation. This is the
page where the views are the most important factor rather than straight forward, direct news. This page
is specially meant for the intellectual readers, opinion makers and the thought creators. Hence the
language of this page is also dignified and of a higher level. This page is basically dominated by comments
and analysis, rather than objective reporting of factual information.
The views and analysis presented in this page directly impressed and dominated by the policy and style
sheet of the media organization. Though it is very objective and credible page, but is often influenced by
the policy of the media. On the basis of the content served on this page, the opinion makers make their
distinct opinion on various topics.
The opinion page is designed and created by the senior staff of the media organization who have a wider
knowledge of current affairs, plans and policies of the government, international relations etc. the
creators of this page must be well acquaint with the national and international happening and they must
be aware of the rapidly changing global scenario. They keep a keen eye on changing scenario. The
editorial page staff is comprised of highly knowledgeable people with clear vision, unprejudiced thinking
and best writing skills.
The readers of this page are also very special and belong to an intellectual class of the society. They are
usually highly literate people who influence the thought process of others. They are the opinion makers
who decide the direction of thought process of others. They play an important role in the development of
any country. Such readers could be policy makers, beaurocrates, political thinkers, social workers,
thinkers, philosophers or professors. But it doesn’t mean that the common people cannot read this page.
Moreover their thought process is directly influenced by the editorial content.
Normally a single page is reserved for the editorial and views content in a news paper but in some
newspapers, one more page is dedicated to the editorial content. Such page is known as the OP-Ed page
which stands for the Opposite Editorial page. This trend was initiated by the Indian Express newspaper,
but it now adopted by several other publications.
Need of the editorial page- It could be unanimously said that the editorial page is like the window of the
print publication through one can peep towards the brighter side of the truth and reality. In the words of
veteran journalist late Khushwant Singh’ the function of the editor in a print media is largely, if not
entirely directional, political and administrative. Virtually the only part of the print publication on which
an editor can impose his personal stamp is on the edit page. The rest is on the mercy of the news editor
who presides over the desk, the chief of bureau and the reporters. Very often the editor only sees his hand
work when the paper is delivered to him in the early hours of the morning. Then all he can do is to
perform a kind of postmortem in the hope that improvements will follow’. Hence it could be stated clearly
that the editorial page is very important.
 It provokes thought process and discussions among the common people as well as the policy
makers.
 The influences the public opinions.
 It suggests the right direction to the society.
 It provides detailed back ground knowledge and detailed analysis of the issues.
 It presents the future aspects and impacts of any policy and programme made by the government.
 It provides suggestions and solutions on various burning problems.
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The content of the editorial page- The major contents of the editorial page are as follows-
 Editorial- These are the main articles which are written by the chief or associate editor or the
editorial board of that particular print organization. The editorials are never byline articles except
some exceptional cases.
 Editorial cartoons- Cartoons can do much more than enrich popular culture and make us laugh.
They are sarcastic items which are equally important and significant as the leading articles and
editorial are. They contain deep and intensive meaning and are highly appreciated by the readers.
They give a lighter mood to the editorial page which is otherwise considered as very serious type
of page. Editorial cartoons can be a powerful form of expression. They can grab the attention of
readers in a single glance. Unfortunately, some are so vague that they are hard to understand. One
study reported in Journalism Quarterly revealed an overwhelming failure of nationally syndicated
cartoons to get their message across. Most interpretations offered by readers were not at all what
the cartoonist had intended. The goal, when selecting cartoons, is to make sure that the readers
get the intended message. An effective way to achieve this is to have a cartoon reinforce a message
that is contained in an accompanying editorial. In addition, cartoons should be timely and well-
drawn.
 Editorial columns- this is usually the work of one author who uses a byline or photo with his/her
writing. it normally deals with national-international issues which are of current relevance.
 Editorial articles- also where byline is used to give author’s name.
 Institutional editorials, written by a publication’s editorial board and stating the paper or
organization’s stance on an issue. These types of editorials usually have no bylines and are
attributed to a statement coming from the paper itself.
 Letter to the Editor- It is a healthy sign for the newspaper when readers submit letters. That
shows they are actually reading the paper and are using the op-ed pages as they should be used—
as a public forum. If some controversy is stirred because of what appears in the paper that, too, is
a healthy sign. That shows that the newspaper is causing readers to think and to get involved.
Letters or articles from the reader expressing or stating their opinion, resolution, and suggestion
of a particular issue that is in the public interest such as traffic jams, pollution, education, bridge
construction, floods, and so on.
Occasionally, it may be a letter from someone to praise or blame something occurring in society such as
praise for the sacrifice of the police’s hard work and the blame for their accepting bribes.
Typography and Lay out

Typography may be defined as the theory and practice of letter and typeface design. In other words, it is
an art concerned with design elements that can be applied to the letters and text (as opposed to, say,
images, tables, or other visual enhancements) on a printed page. Once a concern mainly of book
publishers and newspaper and magazine editors, typography has today become, with the explosive
growth of powerful electronic-publishing and word-processing tools, a text feature that no aspiring
communicator can take lightly or ignore. Particularly with the enormous range of font options available in
recent years, the opportunity to facilitate, magnify, impede, decrease, intensify, or subdue the impact of a
message by altering typographic variables has became very important. It is very necessary for the
editorial page to have a very impressive and eye catching typography and lay out to attract the reader.
Typography is mainly concerned with the style and size of typefaces. In printing, a complete set of type
(consisting of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other special symbols) of the same style and size
is called a font. In computerized word processing, a font is a particular style of typeface of any size. Fonts
are usually differentiated in two ways: (1) serif vs. non-serif and (2) variable width vs. fixed width.
Serifs are the distinctive finishing stokes (both horizontal and vertical) that can be applied to letters to
produce a chiseled, lapidary look. Variable width fonts use proportional spacing between letters,
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bunching them together in certain cases (note, for example, the compressed "tt" in the word "letter")
while widening them out in others.
A layout is a design for the overall appearance of a printed page--with particular emphasis on the
effective positioning and arrangement of page elements. (In advertising and publishing, the term may also
refer to a preliminary sketch or plan for an advertisement or article.)
By far the most important consideration in page layout is spacing. Readers love and crave white space.
They shun and may even flee in horror from clogged, cramped "gray pages"--that is, from pages that are
covered top-to-bottom, side-to-side, corner-to-corner with thick, crowded, undifferentiated text. It is very
necessary for the editorial page as it is already being considered as very monotonous and boring page,
though it contains intellectual content and analysis.
Following points should be kept in mind while designing lay out of the editorial page-
 Variable spacing. Documents that employ a single unvarying line spacing (whether single,
double, or triple) paragraph after paragraph, page after page, can produce a sense of dull
uniformity. You may wish to vary the line spacing intermittently to reduce monotony or to
highlight a particular section.
 Headings and sub-headings. Like newspaper headlines, these devices not only break up the
cluttered look of a gray page, but also assist the reader by indicating main sections or sub-sections
of a document.
 Indents. As a rule, anything that increases white space also enhances a document's appearance
and readability. Indents add white space and give shape and definition to a paragraph.
 Block quotations. A block quotation is a quoted section of text of three or more lines. By
convention, these chunks of quoted material are usually single-spaced, indented on both
sides, and set off from the surrounding text. In effect, this highlights the material and makes it
easier to recognize.
 Bullet lists. Information that can be presented in list form is generally easier to comprehend and
remember than the same information presented in a regular paragraph. As a rule, bullet lists
should be used when the exact order or sequence of the items (as in a grocery list, for example) is
of no particular importance. The bullet symbols themselves should be appropriate to the overall
document and page design: for example, the use of "smiley-face" bullets or other whimsical icons
might be perfect for a children's textbook; but they might seem slightly out of place in an editorial
page.
 Number lists. Number lists should be used to present information where the exact order or
sequence is important.
 Figures, Tables, and Illustrations. Images--from simple drawings and stylized icons to detailed
diagrams and photographs--inevitably attract a reader's attention and are certain to counteract
the effects of a gray page. And the same may be said for charts, figures, and tables--especially
when they involve the use of color. (But, here again, skillful, truly professional page designers take
care not to add too much color or imagery to a page--which can produce a busy or noisy effect.
Such designers also make sure to place a figure or illustration exactly where it belongs on the
page--positioning it not only to add balance and harmony to the entire page but especially to
maintain the figure's proximity and relationship to the illustrated text.
Here are some rules for typography and lay out designing of the editorial page-
o Insert only a single space after all punctuation
o Use proper ‘em’ dashes, ‘en’ dashes, and hyphens
o Use proper quote and apostrophe marks
o Use True Small Caps
o Add letter spacing to capitalized text and small caps
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o Use old style figures when appropriate

o Use caps properly
o Use bold text properly
o Use copyright, register, and trademark marks properly.
o Avoid underlined text
o Increase line spacing to improve readability in body text
o Body copy size should be very proper.
o Altering fonts is a must.
o Legibility of fonts
o Decrease line length and increase margins
o Avoid letter spacing lowercase body copy
o Word spacing should be fairly close
o Ideal column width must be maintained.
o Justification of text is necessary.
o Choose the alignment that fits
o Rules of hyphenation must be followed.
o Avoid beginning three consecutive lines with the same word.
o Always spell check.
Editorial Policies
An editorial policy is indispensable for the print publication. It provides authors and editors with
guidance on how to handle the content of the editorial on the basis of its objective and mission and of the
demands of its target readers.
On the basis of this policy, guidelines on editorial style and content authorization procedures can be
drawn up and distributed to everyone who is adding content to the page. This will guarantee a coherent
presentation of information within the page. Editorial style will also have to be individually adapted to
the target audience and to the degree of specialization of each level of the site. Texts should be short and
concise and navigation to related text obvious and quick.
In summary, the editorial policy must provide the editors with guidance on:
 The objective of the page.
 The target reader group and main communication messages to convey
 The article and style policy
 The thematic/organisational structure and content aggregation approach and levels
 The rules and procedures regarding the provision, approval, and use of content
 The users’ feedback collection, management and analysis
The editorial policy could differ for every newspaper and it varies from publication to publication.
However some basic rules must be followed as editorial policy. Some of them are as follows-
 The language must be very dignified and sophisticated. This page is usually read by the
intellectual class people hence the language should be of their level of understanding. Id must not
be defamatory and must not contain double meaning words.
 The presentation must be very authentic and unbiased.
 The decorum of the editorial page must be maintained.
 The facts must be cross checked.
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UNIT-II
Give them proper definitions. Some of them are as follows-
 An article written for the op-ed section of the newspaper in which an editor expresses an opinion
about an important issue facing the city, state or nation.- James Roger.
 The word editorial means a commentary in a publication expressing the view of its editors or
publishers. It can also mean comments on television expressing the opinion of the station or of
relation to an editor or editing.
 An editorial is an article in a newspaper or other periodical presenting the opinion of the
publisher or editors.
 The editorial is a statement broadcast on radio or television or a written statement that presents
the opinion of the owner, manager, or the like, of the station or channel.
 An editorial is an article that states the Newspaper’s ideas on an issue these ideas are presented
as opinion.
 An editorial is an article published in the newspaper section or in a magazine in which the writer
expresses his statement of opinion on an issue.’ The writer of an editorial may be the editor
himself, the publisher or a person unconnected with the newspaper.
Style of Writing
An editorial is an article that presents the newspaper's opinion on an issue. It reflects the majority vote of
the editorial board and the governing body of the newspaper made up of editors. It is usually unsigned.
The 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 short we can say that an editorial is an opinionated news story. The editorials
are written in a specific manner. They are written after deep research and complete evaluation. There
should be no room for errors and ambiguities in them. To write a perfect and flawless editorial, following
points must be kept in mind-
1. An editorial must contain Introduction, body and conclusion like other news stories.
2. An editorial is written with the objective of explanation of the issue, especially crucial and important
issues.
3. An editorial must have a timely news angle.
4. The editorial should also contain opinions from the opposing viewpoint that refute directly the same
issues the writer addresses.
5. The opinions of the writer must be 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 should be presented in it. 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.
8. The editorial writer should present facts honestly. He should never mislead the readers or distort a
situation or place any person in a false situation. It must not be based on half truth.
9. The editorial writer should draw objective conclusions from the stated facts basing them upon the
weight of evidences and upon his considered concept of the greatest good.
10. The editorial writer should never be motivated by personal interests, nor use his influence to seek
special favours for himself or others. He must hold himself above any possibility of corruption.
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.
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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.
Process of Writing an Editorial:

Pick a significant topic that has a current news angle and would interest readers.
Collect information and facts; include objective reporting; do research
State your opinion briefly in the fashion of a thesis statement
Explain the issue objectively as a reporter would and tell why this situation is important
Give opposing viewpoint first with its quotations and facts
Reject the other side and develop your case using facts, details, figures, quotations. Pick apart the other
side's logic.
Concede a point of the opposition — they must have some good points you can acknowledge that would
make you look rational.
Repeat key phrases to reinforce an idea into the reader's minds.
Give a realistic solution(s) to the problem that goes beyond common knowledge. Encourage critical
thinking and pro-active reaction.
Wrap it up in a concluding punch that restates your opening remark (thesis statement).
Keep it to 500 words; make every work count; never use "I".
 The lead must contain objective explanation of the issue or the 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.
 Use facts and quotations to state objectively their opinions.
 Give a strong position of the opposition. You gain nothing in refuting a weak position.
 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.
 Use a literary or cultural allusion that lends to your credibility and perceived intelligence.
 Give solutions to the problem or challenge the reader to be informed. A quotation can be effective,
especially if from a respected source
 A rhetorical question can be an effective concluder as well. Consult the library or any computer
lab.
The purpose of an editorial:

The editorial section of a paper expresses the opinion of the paper’s editor (or editorial board) on various
issues and events. They also contain letters to the editor that articulate opinions about a specific editorial
or article that has been in the newspaper. An editorial page is meant to serve as a forum for open
discussion on an issue. An editorial allows a writer to intentionally express his or her opinion on a current
issue. Editorials, like news stories and features, require research. Readers are not likely to be persuaded
by an opinion if there are not facts to back it up.
The editorial provides a forum for the opinion of readers and editorial staff in order to:
 Provoke thought and discussion.
 Influence public officials.
 Suggest a course of action.
 Provide background and analyses events.
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 Presents a long term vision on government plans and policies and helps readers to review them.
 It makes people aware about the changing circumstances surrounding them.
 It helps to make a common consensus over a critical issue.
 It helps people understand the forthcoming impacts of government schemes.
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Unit III
Qualities and responsibilities of-
Editor
The editor is like the captain of a ship. He is important because of his being legally and procedurally
responsible for publishing or not publishing any news items. A person who handles the overall editing
responsibilities in any mass media (print, Internet, television, etc.) is called an editor in chief. Editing is
like quality control, where a check is made on the content (authenticity and relevancy to the topic),
language (grammar and content flow) and aesthetics (photos, images, sound, audio and video) of the
articles or documents appearing on the specified medium. An editor in chief is required to change, modify,
paraphrase or condense the content in order to enhance its quality and approve or reject the piece based
on preset grounds. The job description also involves relationship building and communication with the
author. The editor in chief is required to use his creative skills and human resource skills to handle two
contradicting jobs - maintain a cordial relationship with the author whose article he is expected to tinker
around with. The job description varies slightly depending on the type of editing, for example, whether it
is technical editing, business editing, etc. The pay packages also vary accordingly.
A good editor should have high principle and social aim, interest in the progress of the nation, a unique
approach and a desire for novelty and a creative ability. The success or failure of a newspaper depends on
its editor who is the organiser and the coordinator. He has to act according to the views of people’s liking.
The editorial need not be written by the editor but the topic has to be decided by him. He should be an
expert in writing special articles.
An editor must possess following qualities-

Team Spirit- Under normal circumstances, the editor is the representative for the editorial department
in situations such as planning meetings with other publication department heads. As strong editor is one
who will not buckle under pressure. Editors will always go to bat for their staff members. Since editors
must possess a strong reporting, writing and editing background, editors must be willing to fill in when
reporters, assistant editors or copy desk members are unable to perform their jobs.
Leadership quality- The editor is the leader of the whole editorial team hence he must possess the
leadership qualities like handling all with proper coordination and protecting the rights of the sub-
ordinates.
Command over language- This is a very important pre-requisite for an editor as he has to deal with day
to day writings.
Good Writing Skills- The editor must possess this quality as he has to often write the special articles,
leading articles and other write ups.
Enriched Vocabulary- The enriched vocabulary makes the writing skills of an editor more perfect and
effective.
Keen eye on changing circumstances- Editors must monitor changes in the field and media
management. Editors often attend workshops and conferences to acquire knowledge of what is new in
the field. An effective editor will understand what worked 10 years ago in the field may not apply
anymore. In today's web-based world, the editor must thoroughly understand how to merge the print and
online publications to serve its readers. Publications that fail in this area will not survive tough markets.
Good contacts with the society- This is very necessary as the editor has to maintain direct relationship
with various sections of the society.
Observation of changing national and international scenario- This is necessary because he has to
write several articles for the society and its betterment.
Decision making power- Editors are responsible for setting the tone of the newsroom. While leadership
is conducive to a successful publication, editors must be willing to take risks and stand up for their
decisions. Editors are not made overnight, as these individuals spend time building their career through
learning every aspect of the business. In addition, a bachelor's degree in journalism solidifies their
expertise and ability to uphold the First Amendment right to freedom of the press.
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Hard Worker- There is no definite time slot for working in the media field hence the editor must be
physically fit and a hard worker to work in stiff schedule.
Knowledge of law- Editors usually have the final say in what stories, photos and graphics are run in a
publication. The duty of the editor in this role is to ensure that laws are not violated through the use of
the above-mentioned material. Monitoring content for copyright, slander and libel infringements fall
under the editor's jurisdiction. In addition, editors must understand when it is acceptable for reporters to
file a motion with the state's Freedom of Information office.
God communication skills- This skill makes the editor popular among his team and his behavior is
appreciated by everyone.
Cooperation with the reporters- With the assistance of supporting editors, the editor of a publication
entrusts reporting duties to the writers who are assigned to a certain beat. Although the editor knows
what each beat requires, the editor's place is to ensure that all aspects are reported on fairly. When
reporters miss an important story on their beat, the editor steps in to make sure the story is completed.
The editor also works closely with reporters on special story assignments and enterprise pieces.
Multi tasking and multi-talented- The tasks assigned to an editor require an individual who is able to
handle multiple duties effectively at the same time. An editor is an administrator and coach who help
subordinates tackle questions related to their jobs. In smaller publications, the editor's job duties spread
beyond the newsroom, which will require a greater amount of multitasking. Editors who also serve as
publisher exhibit knowledge in areas of circulation, advertising sales and production.
Responsibilities and Duties

An editor has three kinds of responsibilities -
 Towards his readers
 Towards his team
 Towards the owners of the organization where he works.
The general responsibilities of an editor are listed below. These are the ones that make this job such a
highly paid one. However they are not as light and easy as they look. It is especially bad when you are
improving someone else's work, when you could be opening the same effort doing your own (and of
course getting the author credits for it).
 Cross checking the facts, spellings, grammar, writing style, design pages, photos etc. is the final
responsibility of an editor. The article that comes to him for approval is generally one that has
already gone through initial editing processes, but still, should something be wrong with it, the
final accountability being that of an editor, he is also required to go through it again.
 It is the responsibility of the editor to reject a piece of writing that appears to be plagiarized or
ghost written by another sub-editor. He should check that a particular piece is neither self-
plagiarized, nor has been published before elsewhere.
 He is required to make light as well as heavy edits to the content in question. Light edits involve
light editing work, i.e., work that does not require making substantial theme changes, structure
changes and writing style changes. When all of these require some heavy attention, the editing is
called heavy editing.
 He may be required to contribute editorial pieces in the publication industry. He is also
responsible for all the content that is approved for publishing and is often accountable for it, if he
is working for any of the types of print media. The publication's standards of performance depend
heavily on its editor.
 He is required to motivate and develop the staff under him on an occasional basis. Whatever is
written in the article should be up to the mark, readable, and matching to the mission and scope of
the institution. He also sets various guidelines and policies for his/her subordinates. Often, the
responsibilities are seen to expand to the operational and strategic planning of the organization as
well.
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 It is necessary for him to conduct team meetings on a regular basis, which will keep the team
members updated. Assigning responsibilities to all team members and ensuring that they are
completed on time is one of the major responsibilities.
 If it is a magazine we are looking at, it is the editor ‘s responsibility to see that the issue is full of
content and no area is left empty. They are also required to handle reader's complaints and
explain and account for them.
 An editor in chief of a book or journal oversees all the stages of the book, from the manuscript
form, all to the published book stage. He performs all the aforementioned editing tasks on the
entire book.
 It is his responsibility to cross-check all citations and examine all the references provided in the
content. In case of journals, it's the editor who sets and tries to implement the ethical standards.
 A technical editor has the added responsibility to check the technical soundness and technical
quality of the content. For this, he is required to have the technical skills in the related field or
product. For technical editing, he should know how to use tools such as Darwin Information
Typing Architecture (DITA) and DocBooks.
 He requires skills of proofreading, copy editing, developmental editing, line editing and editing for
search engine optimization.
Assistant Editor
The assistant/ associate editor is a very important part and parcel of the print media organization He
usually writes the editorial and other articles published on the edit and OP-ED pages. Apart from this they
also support senior editorial staff in the administration of the commissioning, planning and production of
publications. The level of responsibility and the range of tasks vary depending on the size of the
organisation and the type of publication.
The editorial assistant role is the usual starting point for careers in editorial work. Progression to more
senior roles such as features editor or commissioning editor may be possible once the necessary skills
and experience have been acquired. .Editorial assistants perform a range of administrative and editorial
tasks necessary to get publications published. They act as the liaison for the many people involved in the
publication process, from the receipt of copy from authors through to the handover to production staff.
Duties may include:

 supporting editorial staff in all activities leading to publication, including acting as a personal
assistant to commissioning editors and overseeing tasks such as issuing contracts and dealing
with royalties;
 liaising with other in-house teams, writers, photographers, printers, designers and production
staff to negotiate and monitor timescales for stages in the publishing process;
 dealing with the administration of work commissioned to freelance writers, picture researchers,
photographers, stylists and illustrators;
 organizing and researching projects to tight deadlines;
 summarising written material;
 correcting manuscripts;
 obtaining rights to use materials from other publications;
 using computers for word processing, desktop publishing and email;
 dealing with phone and email queries, e.g. from writers and the public;
 Filing, photocopying and other routine administrative tasks.
In some areas of editorial work (e.g. for an in-house company publication), the work may also involve:
 writing articles and reports;
 amending articles;
 collating the work of several authors;
 Using specialist electronic publishing packages (e.g. QuarkXPress and/or InDesign).
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Editorial Conference
The editorial conference is basically meant by a meeting of editorial board in which the editorial writers
meet and put their heads together to decide the strategy of the content designing of the editorial page and
it’s lay out. They discuss various topics on which they have to prepare their write ups. These topics could
also be discussed with the non-writing members who also participate in the meeting and are directly or
indirectly concerned with the editorial page and its policy making. This category may include owners,
managing editors, cartoonists, proof readers and in some cases the sub editors. Such conference is lie a
suitable stage on which people of diverse areas sit together, discuss on various issues and related topics,
put their heads together o solve the problem and decide what could be the best for the editorial page
content.
At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the editorial page editor, and editorial writers.
Some newspapers include other personnel as well.
Editorial boards for magazines may include experts in the subject area that the magazine focuses on, and
larger magazines may have several editorial boards grouped by subject. An executive editorial board may
oversee these subject boards, and usually includes the executive editor and representatives from the
subject focus boards.
Book publishers may also make use of editorial boards, using subject experts to select manuscripts.
Almost all academic journals have an editorial board consisting of selected, unpaid experts in the
academic field covered by a journal.
The main reasons to organize the editorial conference are as follos-

 Policy Making.
 Page content and lay-out designing.
 Discussion on controversial issues.
 Coming on a consensus on disputed issues.
 Deciding daily working strategy.
Special Articles
These are the special write ups written on the editorial page. They are usually written by famous
journalists, columnists or by educational and political experts. Such articles are written on contemporary
issues, changing international scenario, political affairs or any other issue of current importance. The
language of these articles is very dignified and matched the temperament of the editorial page. The
writing style is very sincere and is full of idiomatic phrases and analogy. They are usually the analysis of
government policies and their future impacts. uch articles are read by the opinion makers, policy makers,
thinkers and educators.
The main subjects covered for such special articles are-
Political affairs
Government policy
National- international issues
Economic development
Science and technology
Foreign affairs
Communal harmony
Agriculture
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Unit IV
Comparative Study
National, Regional and Morninger and Eveninger and their characteristics
The comparative study of edit page of different newspapers is done on following basis-
Placing of the editorial page- Whether the editorial page is situated in the middle pages or at any other
place.
Op-Ed page- It stands for the opposite editorial page which is found in some newspapers, specially in
English dailies. Such Op-Ed page concept s not very common for Hindi newspapers.
Content of the Editorial page- Normally the editorial page contains the editorial, leading articles, special
articles, letters to the editor, regular columns and cartoons. There may be certain innovations in the
editorial content, for example some newspapers give space to the tweets and facebook comments.
Colour and designing- Whether the page is coloured or black and white. Does it contain the photographs?
Are the photographs are coloured or black and white? Is the alignment horizontal or vertical? These are
certain criterion to be discussed at the time of comparative study.
Letters to the editor- These are the symbols of the democracy in a newspaper as they provide a platform
to the readers to present their views. Certain newspapers provide ample space to the letters while some
offer a comparatively less space.
Number of the editorials- These are written by the newspaper staff. In some papers only a single editorial
is given while some may provide two or three editorials daily.
The issues covered- The editorials usually cover the national-international articles. But some local
newspapers, specially the eveningers give more importance to the local issues.
Number and formats of the columns_ The columns could be regular, weekly or fortnightly. They may be
related with religion, culture, education, motivational thoughts, economics or science and technology.
13
Unit V
Ethics of Editorial Writing
International standards for editors-

 Editors are accountable and should take responsibility for everything they publish
 Editors should make fair and unbiased decisions independent from commercial consideration and
ensure a fair and appropriate peer review process.
 Editors should adopt editorial policies that encourage maximum transparency and complete,
honest reporting.
 Editors should guard the integrity of the published record by issuing corrections and retractions
when needed and pursuing suspected or alleged research and publication misconduct.
 Editors should critically assess the ethical conduct of studies in humans and animals
 Peer reviewers and authors should be told what is expected of them.
 Editors should have appropriate policies in place for handling editorial conflicts of interest.
 As guardians and stewards of the research record, editors should encourage authors to strive for,
and adhere themselves to, the highest standards of publication ethics. Furthermore, editors are in
a unique position to indirectly foster responsible conduct of research through their policies and
processes. To achieve the maximum effect within the research community, ideally all editors
should adhere to universal standards and good practices. While there are important differences
between different fields and not all areas covered are relevant to each research community, there
are important common editorial policies, processes, and principles that editors should follow to
ensure the integrity of the research record.
 Editors should regard themselves as part of the wider professional editorial community, keep
themselves abreast of relevant policies and developments, and ensure their editorial staff is
trained and kept informed of relevant issues.
Editorial Principles
 Accountability and responsibility for content-Editors have to take responsibility for everything
they publish and should have procedures and policies in place to ensure the quality of the
material they publish and maintain the integrity of the published record.
 Editorial independence and integrity-An important part of the responsibility to make fair and
unbiased decisions is the upholding of the principle of editorial independence and integrity.
 Separating decision making from commercial considerations- Editors should make decisions on
academic merit alone and take full responsibility for their decisions. The sponsorship and role of
the sponsor must be clearly declared to readers.
 Advertisements need to be checked so that they follow journal guidelines, should be clearly
distinguishable from other content, and should not in any way be linked to scholarly content.
 Editors should ideally have a written contract setting out the terms and conditions of their
appointment with the publisher or owner. The principle of editorial independence should be
clearly stated in this contract. The publishers and owners should not have any pressure on
decisions on content for commercial or political reasons.
 Editors should not attempt to inappropriately influence their journal’s ranking by artificially
increasing any journal metric. In general, editors should ensure that papers are reviewed on
purely scholarly grounds and that authors are not pressured to cite specific publications for non-
scholarly reasons.
 If a journal operates a system where peer reviewers are chosen by editors (rather than posting
papers for all to comment as a pre-print version), editors must protect the confidentiality of
authors’ material and remind reviewers to do so as well. In general, editors should not share
submitted papers with editors of other journals, unless with the authors’ agreement or in cases of
alleged misconduct.
 Editors are generally under no obligation to provide material to lawyers for court cases.
14
 Editors should not give any indication of a paper’s status with the journal to anyone other than
the authors.
 Encourage maximum transparency and complete and honest working.
 For multidisciplinary and collaborative research, it should be apparent to readers who has done
what and who takes responsibility for the conduct and validity of which aspect of the research.
Each part of the work should have at least one author who takes responsibility for its validity. For
example, individual contributions and responsibilities could be stated in a contributor section.
 Editors should have policies that require all authors to declare any relevant financial and non-
financial conflicts of interest and publish at least those that might influence a reader’s perception
of a paper, alongside the paper. The funding source of the research should be declared and
published, and the role of the funding source in the conception, conduct, analysis, and reporting of
the research should be stated and published.
 Editors should make it clear in their information for authors if in certain
 Sections of the journal (e.g., commissioned commentaries or review articles) certain conflicts of
interest preclude authorship.
 Among the most important responsibilities of editors is to maintain a high standard in the
scholarly literature. Although standards differ among journals, editors should work to ensure that
all published papers make a substantial new contribution to their field.
 When genuine errors in published work are pointed out by readers, authors, or editors, which do
not render the work invalid, a correction (or erratum) should be published as soon as possible.
 If serious concerns are raised by readers, reviewers, or others, about the conduct, validity, or
reporting of academic work, editors should initially contact the authors and allow them to
respond to the concerns. If that response is unsatisfactory, editors should take this to the
institutional level. In rare cases, mostly in the biomedical field, when concerns are very serious
and the published work is likely to influence clinical practice or public health, editors should
consider informing readers about these concerns.
 All publications should consider the best mechanism by which readers can discuss papers, voice
criticisms, and add to the debate.
 Editors may reject a paper without peer review when it is deemed unsuitable for the journal’s
readers or is of poor quality. This decision should be made in a fair and unbiased way.
 Editors are in a powerful position by making decisions on publications, which makes it very
important that this process is as fair and unbiased as possible, and is in accordance with the
academic vision of the particular journal.
 All editors should be fully familiar with the journal policies, vision, and scope. The final
responsibility for all decisions rests with the editor.
Eminent Editors
Prabhash Joshi (15 July 1937 – 5 November 2009) was an Indian journalist, especially Hindi journalism,
writer and political analyst. He was strongly in favour of "ethics and transparency". He played a part in
Gandhian movement, Bhoodan movement, and in the surrender of bandits and in the struggle against
emergency. ]Prabhash Joshi was born in Ashta near Bhopal,Madhya Pradesh to Pandarinath Joshi and
Leela Bai. Prabhash Joshi began his career with Nayi Duniya, Indore, was the founder editor of Hindi daily
"Jansatta" in 1983. He was the founding editor of Hindi daily Jansatta, a publication of the Indian Express
Group. He, a Gandhian, changed the definition of Hindi journalism with the publication of 'Jansatta'.
He was with the Gandhi Peace Foundation and edited the Hindi version of Everyman’s, a journal devoted
to advocating Jayaprakash’s views and sponsored by Ramnath Goenka. This journal campaigned for JP’s
movement for purity in public life.
He was also famous for his writings on cricket. He was a popular television commentator and mainly
invited for his views and comments on national politics during the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha. He had
been writing a Sunday column for Jansatta entitled Kagad-Kare over the last many years.
15

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B.A. (HONS.

) Mass Communication VI Semester Subject – Editorial Writing

Class – B.A. (HONS.) MASS COMMUNICATION

Subject – Editorial Writing

UNIT – I The Editorial Page: Its Need & Content

Typography and Lay out

o Use old style figures when appropriate

Process of Writing an Editorial:

The purpose of an editorial:

An editor must possess following qualities-

Responsibilities and Duties

Duties may include:

The main reasons to organize the editorial conference are as follos-

International standards for editors-

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