Unit 1

BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
Vivekananda Institute of
Professional Studies, Pitampura
Bachelor of Journalism (Mass
Communication)
Print Journalism – I
BJ (MC)
Unit – 1
Compiled By: Abhishek Gaur
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
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UNIT 1 NEWS
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LESSON 1
What is Journalism?
LESSON 2
Journalism as Fourth Estate
LESSON 3
Roles and Responsibilities of a Journalist
LESSON 4
What is News?
LESSON 5
Elements of News
LESSON 6
News Values
LESSON 7
Types of News
LESSON 8
News Sources: Types; Credibility and Protection
LESSON 9
News versus Information, Hard News vs Soft News
LESSON 10
Difference Between Article, News, Feature, Backgrounder, Editorial
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LESSON 1- JOURNALISM
STRUCTURE
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Definition of Journalism
1.3 Who is a Journalist?

1.4 Summing Up
1.5 Assignment
1.5.1 Class Assignment
1.5.2 Home Assignment
1.6 References
1.7 Suggested Further Reading
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1. Journalism
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In Unit 1 of the course ‗Print Journalism I‘ we shall discuss importance of journalism,

role and responsibilities of journalist. We shall also discuss news, its elements and
news value, types of news and news sources and distinguish between news and
information and hard and soft news.
In the present lesson we shall study definition and function of journalism.
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1.0 Objectives
After going through this lesson, you should be able to:
∙ define journalism.
∙ understand scope of journalism
1.1 Introduction
Journalism is the practice of investigating and reporting events, issues and
trends to the mass audiences of print, broadcast and online media such as
newspapers, magazines and books, radio and television stations and
networks, and blogs and social and mobile media. People who gather and
package news and information for mass dissemination are journalists. The
field includes writing, editing, design and photography. With the idea in mind
of informing the citizens, journalists cover individuals, organizations,
institutions, governments and businesses as well as cultural aspects of society
such as arts and entertainment. News media are the main purveyors of
information and opinion about public affairs.
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1.2 Definition of Journalism

Journalism is the discipline of gathering, writing and reporting news, and
broadly it includes the process of editing and presenting the news articles.
Journalism applies to various media, but is not limited to newspapers,
magazines, radio, and television.
As a term, journalism takes different meanings. It is a business, an industry, a

profession and a mission. Etymologically, the word journalism is derived from
the Latin word diurnal or diurnalis which means daily.
Journalism is instant history, an account of history as it is being made. It is a

report of things as they appear at the moment of writing. Also, it is a
contemporary report of the changing scenes, intended to inform the readers of
what is happening around them. It is collection, writing, editing and presenting
of news related articles in print and broadcasting medium.
The following definitions shall fully elucidate the meaning of journalism ∙

According to the American Press Institute, Journalism is – the activity of
gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information. It is also
the product of these activities.
∙ According to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary, Journalism is the activity or
job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers,
magazines, television, or radio.
∙ According To Wes Gallegher, former correspondent of Associated Press of
America, ―Journalism requires a discipline of mind. It requires a
systematic understanding of mankind, and also a cold objective analysis
of how mankind meets the problem of this age.‖
∙ According to the famous reporter Curtis D. MacDougall - ―Journalism is
news gathering, fact finding and reporting. It is important anywhere at any
time. It is indispensable in a democracy as people cannot govern
themselves without being informed‖.
∙ According to Chamber‘s 21st Century Dictionary - ―The profession of
writing for newspapers and magazines, or for radio and television.‖
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∙ According to Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Chairman of New York Times (1963)

- ―Journalism's ultimate purpose [is] to inform the reader, to bring him
each day a letter from home and never to permit the serving of special
interests.‖
∙ According to F. Fraser Bond - ―Something that embraces all forms in
which and through which the news and comments on the news reach the
public. All that happens in the world, if such happenings hold interest for
the public, and all the thought, actions, and ideas which these
happenings stimulate become the materials for the journalist.‖
Journalism as a craft, a profession and even as a trade or business is over

two centuries old. As a craft, it involves specialization in one area (editorial,
design, printing etc.); for the reporters and sub-editors, it means to strictly
follow the deadlines, following routines etc. As a profession, it is markedly
different from other professions like law, medicine, engineering, management
etc. While the established professions require some specialized educational
qualifications and training to be recruited to them, journalism does not make
any such requirement essential. There is no bar to anyone entering the
profession, no matter what one‘s educational qualification or professional
experience is.
Journalism has no distinct body of knowledge that defines the profession and
marks its relationship with its clients and other professions. It may be argued
that journalism is a way of knowing different from that produced in social
science or that it has its own specific approach to reality.
Journalism thus means communication of information about daily events

condensed into a few words, sounds or pictures to a large audience in the
form of a newspaper, magazine or a journal.
To Sum up, Journalism is:
1. Systematic and interesting way of publication of the daily events.

2. A medium for ideological exchange of views.
3. Building up a healthy public opinion through news, reviews,
columns, writings, and leading articles.
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4. Making available the means of healthy recreation, which are

socially useful.
5. Contribution in the field of national and social unity and boosting
up the positive elements.
6. Striving for the literary, cultural and industrial development.
With printing, there was a revolution in the way communication developed.

Knowledge and information, which were till then the monopoly of certain
sections of the upper strata of society, slowly became available to ordinary
people.
1.3 Who is a Journalist?

In ancient Rome, information about recent events and developments were pasted
in written form in the forum of Parliament. The forum where it was pasted was
called ‗Acta Diurna‘ – first handwritten bulletin put up daily in the forum.
Later, pamphlets, periodicals, gazettes, etc. came to be termed as ‗newspapers‘.

Those who wrote for them were first called ‗news writers‘ or ‗essayists and later
‗journalists‘. Today, a journalist is anyone who contributes in some way to the
gathering, selection and processing of news and current affairs for different
media. Journalism is the profession to which they belong.
Thus, editors, correspondents, cartoonists, photographers, news-bloggers,

camera crew, video editors etc. all are journalists. A journalist is an important unit
of the democratic system in our country. He/she is supposed to gather, organize
and disseminate them to the masses. Apart from the same, he also explains the
significance of facts, offers opinions and also comment on matters of public
interest in a fair, accurate, unbiased and responsible manner
Journalists work in many areas of life, finding and presenting information.

However, journalists are mainly the men and women who present the information
as news to the readers of newspapers, magazines, radio or television stations or
the Internet.
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Within these different media, there are specialist tasks for journalists. In large
organisations, the journalists may specialise in only one task. In small
organisations, each journalist may have to do many different tasks.
The Working Journalists‘ Act (1955) defines a ‗working journalist‘ as:
―Working Journalist‖ means a person whose principal avocation is that of a

journalist and (who is employed as such, either whole-time or part-time in, or in
relation to, one or more newspaper establishment), and includes an editor, a
leader writer, news-editor, sub-editor, feature-writer, copy-tester, reporter,
correspondent, cartoonist, news-photographer and proof-reader.
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1.4 Summing Up
Journalism is building up a healthy public opinion through news, reviews,
columns, writings, and leading articles. It helps in molding public opinion,
correlating threads and educating masses. It also plays an important role of a
watch dog.
1.5 Assignments
1. Define ‗Journalism‘? Discuss the scope of journalism.
1. Who is a Journalist?
1.6 References
1. Dr. Ambrish Saxena: Fundamentals of reporting and editing- Kanishka

Publishers
2. George A. Hough: News Writing
3. G.K Puri: A Complete Guide to Journalism for all
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1. M.V. Kamath: Modern Journalism, Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi
2. M.L. Stein and Susan F. Peterno: The News Writer‘s Handbook, Surjeet
Publication, New Delhi.
3. John Hohnberg: Journalism made simple, Rupa and Company, New Delhi
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Notes
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LESSON 2- JOURNALISM AS FOURTH ESTATE
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STRUCTURE
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Journalism as the Fourth Estate
2.3 Summing Up
2.4 Assignment
2.5 References

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2. Journalism as Fourth Estate
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In the last lesson we had discussed definition of journalism and a journalsit. In the
present lesson we shall study why journalism is known as fourth estate or watch dog
in democracy.
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_ 2.0 Objectives
∙ describe journalism as fourth estate.

∙ understand the watchdog function of journalism.
2.1 Introduction
Journalists are known as ―watchdogs‖, whose mission is to sniff out wrongs,
point fingers at those to blame, and report in a way that brings about change.
When reporters are successful in their efforts of ensuring this, the life of the
people may genuinely get better and public appreciation of the importance of
a free press is strengthened.
The Fourth Estate (or fourth estate) is a societal or political force or

institution whose influence is not officially recognized. "Fourth Estate" refers
to the news media; especially print journalism or "The Press". Thomas
Carlyle attributed the origin of the term to Edmund Burke, who used it in a
parliamentary debate in 1787 on the opening up of Press reporting of the
House of Commons of Great Britain. Thomas Carlyle in his book On Heroes
and Hero Worship described it as:
“Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters'
Gallery there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all.”
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According to the Indian Constitution, the three pillars of democracy are:
According to constitution, 3 pillars of
democracy
Legislative
Executive
Judiciary
Apart from
the 3, Journalism is called as the
Fourth Estate of democracy
And fourth pillar i.e. Press keeps an eye on all the three pillars. It acts as a watch
dog to ensure smooth functioning of democracy.
Malcolm X (Human Rights Activist) in context of media said,
―The media‘s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the
innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that‘s power. Because they
control the minds of the masses.‖
Print media has played its role of watchdog dating back to pre- independence era.
Press was used to mobilize masses against British Raj. It was also used by Warren
Hastings and Raja Ram Mohan Roy to eradicate social evils like Sati, Child marriage
and also wrote in support of widow remarriage. Through his publications like,
Miratool Akbar, Sambad Kamaudi and Bhramanical Magazine, he tried to eradicate
major social problems.
Mahatma Gandhi also believed in the power of the press in steering the country. His
newspapers, Young India, Harijan and Indian Opinion mobilized the people to join
hands against the British Raj. Tarun Tejpal‘s ‗Tehlka‘ became synonym to
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investigative journalism. The advent of investigative journalism exposed Coalgate

Scam etc.
Watchdog role of the press can function to promote government transparency,

accountability, and public scrutiny of decision-makers in power, by highlighting policy
failures, maladministration by public officials, corruption in the judiciary, and scandals
in the corporate sector.
There are several reasons due to which Journalism or press is called as the fourth
estate or fourth pillar of democracy. They are as follows:
∙ Journalists are known as the ‗watchdogs‘, whose mission is to sniff out the
wrongs that happen in society
∙ Acts as the bridge between the people and government
∙ Works for the welfare of the society
∙ Journalism keeps a vigilant eye on the three pillars
∙ Shapes the backbone of the democracy as makes people aware of various
social, political and economic activities happening around the world
∙ It acts like a mirror and shows the bare truth and harsh realities of society ∙
It is the media who reminds the politicians of their unfulfilled promises
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2.3 Summing Up
Press keeps an eye on all the three pillars. It acts as a watch dog to ensure smooth
functioning of democracy. Print media has played its role of watchdog dating back to
pre- independence era. Press was used to mobilize masses against British Raj and
today it moulds public opinion towards corruption.
2.4 Assignment
1. What does ‗Journalism – the Fourth Estate‘ mean?

1. Why is Journalism called as the Fourth Estate of democracy?
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2.5 References
Publishers
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Notes
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LESSON 3- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A

JOURNALIST
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STRUCTURE
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.3 Functions of Journalism
3.4 Objectives of Journalism
3.5 Summing Up
3.6 Assignment
3.7 References

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3. Roles and Responsibilities of a Journalist
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In the last lesson we had discussed why journalism is known as fourth estate or
watch dog in democracy. In the present lesson, we shall study roles and
responsibilities of a journalist.
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_ 3.0 Objectives
∙ Describe roles and responsibilities of the journalist

∙ Describe the functions and objectives of journalism
3.1 Introduction
One who gathers news and packages it for mass dissemination is known as
journalists. He is a person who sorts out, structures and neatly packages
stories for radio, TV, online or newspaper. Thus, he communicates
information about daily events condensed into a few words, sounds or
pictures to a large audience in the form of a newspaper, magazine or a
journal.
3.2 Roles and Responsibilities of Journalist

The primary role of a journalist is to act as an interpreter of the world around
him. He observes the events, transmits facts about the events and acts as an
interpreter of these events. According to Professor John Hone Berg, a
journalist should stick to the following four ideals:
∙ He should imbibe a never-ending search for truth

∙ He should be able to meet needs of the changing times, instead of
waiting to be overtaken by them
∙ He should be able to perform services of some consequence and
significance to mankind
∙ He should maintain a steadfast independence
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A journalist is an important unit of the democratic system of our country. He is

supposed to gather, organize and disseminate facts to the masses. Also, he
explains the significance of the facts and offers opinions on contemporary
issues. He is expected to comment on matters of public interest in a fair,
accurate, unbiased, sober, decent and responsible manner.
A journalist should be cool, calm, detached and even sceptical as he

approaches his material. The right attitude is an important prerequisite for a
successful journalist. He should have a high degree of skill in organizing
material and in using language. He should not lack confidence, but should
also not be over confident or over enthusiastic. He should avoid distortion in
the news story in an effort to attain striking effect.
The press is no doubt an industry, but with a difference. What is published in

newspapers and magazines, conditions the minds of readers. Thus,
journalists have some social obligations. They must have a profound sense of
responsibility towards the society. The responsibilities of a journalist are many
and varied. His primary duty is to serve his readers through fair, positive and
timely information in a digestible format. He must give special attention to the
deprived and weaker sections of society and try to involve them in the
country‘s process of development. He must act as a harbinger of social
change.
The roles and responsibilities of the journalist can be discussed under three
heads, as:
i) Social: The social responsibility of a journalist is of paramount importance.

Journalism is considered the mirror of society. A journalist therefore
must provide a truthful, comprehensive account of the events in a
context that gives meaning. The journalist should act as an effective
medium for two-way communication between readers and different
organizations of the society. When a journalist shoulders responsibility,
he must act as a watchdog of the society, he must help in establishing
public opinion, he must also act as a catalyst in social and judicial
proceedings, he must do the surveillance of the society, he must inform
the people about both their fundamental rights and duties,
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he must mobilize the masses to fight against a social cause, he must

also motivate the people to foster development and nation building, he
must inform, educate and entertain the masses. He must shoulder
these responsibilities and provide true, unbiased, thought provoking
reports which will benefit individuals, groups and society. A journalist
acts a spokesperson of mankind. Facts and opinions must be clearly
differentiated by keeping in mind the objectivity.
ii) Legal: Though Journalism or the press enjoys freedom of expression in our
county, journalists must work within the legal framework. Publication of
baseless, graceless and manipulated material should be avoided at all
costs. The journalist must be aware of the various laws relating to the
press such as Official’s Secret, Copyright Act; he must always act
within the limits of law and never infringe them. Journalists must not
publish anything defamatory against any person or organization.
Journalists must not indulge in activities like plagiarism. Journalist must
follow the law and work under the various Acts mentioned in the
Constitution like, Drugs and remedies Act, The Copyright Act 1957, the
telegraph Act, The police Act etc.
iii) Professional: Besides social and legal responsibilities, journalists have

certain professional obligations to honour. Every journalist must be
loyal towards his or her organization. Each journalist must adhere to
the guidelines or style sheet drawn by the organization. The basic
responsibility of a journalist is to disseminate information in all
circumstances, sometimes normal and sometimes otherwise. We know
that the information provided helps the readers to make up their minds
on vital issues; this may also have a role in shaping their attitudes.
Each journalist must report authentic news so that the credibility of the
organization is maintained. Journalists must respect the name of the
organization and the editor. Journalists must also adhere to the
ideology both social and political followed by the news organization.
Journalists must be accurate and not in a hurry to submit the report.
Careful compilation of news reports is a must. Journalists must not
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sacrifice language accuracy and must cross check facts and figures
before publishing the stories.
Whether working as a reporter, sub editor, editorial writer, he must

keep his biases at bay and should endeavour to be fair and balanced in
the projection of news and views. One of the most important
responsibilities of a professional journalist is to ensure that in hurry and
haste, accuracy of language is not sacrificed.
The role of a journalist is not confined to merely reporting the news and
events. He is responsible for interpreting and commenting on the news
and events.
The responsibilities of the journalists are discussed under

three heads
Social
Professional
Legal
3.3 Functions of Journalism:
1. To Report: Journalism reports about events of consequence which may occur

anywhere in the society. Reporting involves gathering, collecting, processing
the facts of the events on the basis of professional standards and news
values. The reports of event can have local, national, political nature, appeal
and impact. These reports inform the society.
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2. To Interpret: An event of consequence can have different meanings for
everyone as each member has a different perception level. Our distinct
interpretation of any event also affects and decides the meaning that is
generated. Interpretation also involves analysis of facts, co-relating them with
other events etc. This gives society a wide range of windows to look at the
events and know the facts well and remain well informed.
3. To Give Opinion: An event of consequence may be an issue, a problem that

needs a solution. A solution can be reached only when it is presented timely
and with all its aspects analysed and implication interpreted. It can have more
than one solution, but only one has to be opted out. Journalism helps in giving
an opinion on the best solution. This opinion helps individual, groups, society
and nation to take the right step. This opinion or public opinion, when molded,
is important in a democratic set up where government is formed by the
people.
4. To Act As a Watchdog: Journalism and journalists are unofficial and

unparallel body of public trust. This is because they perform as a watchdog for
the public. Under this function, journalists watch over the powerful in the
society on behalf of the many to guard against any sort of misuse of power.
Moreover, journalists make the ruling system transparent by informing the
people how the executive is functioning and what it is not doing.
5. To Educate: Reporting, interpretation and opinion make people aware. An

educated world in turn promotes journalism itself. Educated people are able to
correct decisions which are in the interest of the society. Also, educated
masses are able to understand the correct course of action.
3.4 Objectives of Journalism:
1. Truth: Finding, seeking and presenting the truth is the main objective of
journalism, Good journalism is the best obtainable version of truth. Gordon
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Bennet, the noted American Journalist said that journalist is the living jury of
the nation.
2. Social Order: Journalists always want to help attain, secure and protect a
social order in which social, economic and political justice prevails. We find
information like reporting, interpretation and analysis of political news
particularly during elections which helps in deciding whom to vote and sustain
the democracy.
3. Catalytic Agent: As per definition, a catalyst is a chemical agent which

increases the rate of reaction without itself being involved in the same.
Similarly, journalism aims to accelerate the social or economic change.
4. Watchdog: To be a watchdog means to be vigilant of public. It means the high

and mighty and those in power be warned against any misuse of power. By
being the watchdog, journalist comforts the distressed and inflicts the
comfortable. The meaning of watchdog extends beyond simply watching the
management and executives of power. They should be made known and
public be made to understand the effect of power.
5. Freedom: Under democratic set up, Journalism‘s main objective is to achieve

freedom to attain a culture. Journalism not only tries to attain freedom, but
also tries to propagate and protect it.
6. Human Values: Journalism indeed is more than a profession. It is a mission to

promote human values. To propagate the same, journalism works to inform
the public about the evils prevailing in the society. Evils like crime, terrorism
etc. are constantly criticized. This criticism provides an insight into what is
right and what is wrong, thereby, successfully safeguarding and promoting
human values.
3.5 Summing Up
Journalism is considered the mirror of society. A journalist therefore

must provide a truthful, comprehensive and intelligible account of the
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events in a context that gives meaning. He has to work within the legal
framework of the country and has to oblige and honour the style book
of his organisation.
3.6 Assignment
1. What are the roles and responsibilities of a journalist?
1. What are the functions of journalism?
3.7 References
Publishers
_________________________________________________________________________
Notes
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__________________________________________________________________
_ LESSON 4- WHAT IS NEWS?

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STRUCTURE
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Definition of News
4.3 Qualities of News
4.4 Summing Up
4.5 Assignment
4.6 References
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1. What is News?
___________________________________________________________________
In the last lesson we had discussed roles and responsibilities of a journalist. In the
present lesson we shall study what is news.
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_ 4.0 Objectives
∙ understand the meaning of news

∙ define news
4.1 Introduction
Whatever new happens forms news. Whenever something unusual,

unparallel, extra-ordinary, exceptional event, incident, happening or
development takes place, the formation of news begins. News is what
journalists thinks is important or interesting for their readers. Everything that
happens or anything you didn‘t know yesterday makes news.
It is what people talk about or what readers want to know. Textbook writers
have asserted that news is stimulating information, a timely report of an event.
It is also described as the literature in a hurry and tomorrow‘s history. News is
not static. It has no rigid rules or framework. It is growing and expanding by a
constantly changing direction and by producing the dramatic and unexpected.
The word news is the plural of the word new. It denotes new things. It is the
report of the current and recent happenings. The four letters of the word news
denote four directions: North, East, West and South. From the four directions
of the world, i.e. from all four corners of the world, the events are collected
and conveyed to the people through a paper. So it is called newspaper.
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News is anything timely that hold
interests a number of people importance
Usually stimulating information from which News is not the event, it is the
ordinary human being account of the
derives satisfaction from events written for people who did not
Timely report of facts or opinions that witness it
Every day we are bombarded with too much informationmuch of information

about the happenings in the world around us that if we sit to comprehend
each of the event, we will end up jumbling the events and fail to comprehend
that piece of news which is important for us.
So journalist is a man who comes to our rescue and structures we receive

sorted out and neatly packaged stories on the same day on radio, TV, online
or the next day in newspaper.
4.2 Definition of News
Curiosity and inquisitiveness are the part of human nature. Man is curious to
know about others and what is happening in the world around him. This urge
of man to know led to the development of means to gather and disseminate
news.
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News comes from Greek word ―Neos‖. In English it is known as ―News‖, in

French ―Novellas‖, in German ―Neues‖, in Arabic ―Alakhabar‖ and in Urdu
―Kahbar‖
Oxford Dictionary defines news as, “Newly received or noteworthy
information, especially about recent events.”
There is no single definition of news because the elements that constitute

news are constantly changing. The dramatic social, economic, political and
technological changes sweeping the world have a profound effect on news
today, similarly like they have on the readers of newspapers.
The level of interest for the same event may vary in different societies. It
depends upon the relative importance of that event in that society. The
content of news can vary in different society but news is judged on similar
criteria everywhere. Also, what may be news in one community may not be
news in the other. For instance, a set-up of a new IT firm in Bangalore will not
have the similar on the people residing in Odisha.
Reader‘s interest varies greatly. If it is not new or unusual, if it is not

interesting or significant, and if it will not affect your readers' or listeners' lives,
then it is not news. Do not publish it or broadcast it as news. Thus, we can
say that news or the event is judged on the basis of novelty (new),
unusualness, whether it is interesting or significant and human interest.
We can say that news is both a product and a point of view. As a product,
news is gathered, processed, packaged and sold by newspapers, news
services, news magazines and other periodicals as well as by radio, television
and cable stations and networks.
As a point of view news is what people want to know, whatever interests

them, whatever adds to their knowledge and understanding of the world
around them.
1. News is a report which a reporter writes to inform, educate or create

awareness and entertain his readers.
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2. News is an account of an idea, event or problem as it provides substance

for news. As people are concerned with both the causes and the
consequences of what they see and feel, think and do. If substantial
numbers of people are concerned, ideas, event or problem may be news.
3. It is an account of something that is real. A reporter is a fact finder and
reports facts.
4. News is current and timely.
5. News is an account of something that interests people.
News is
∙ Perishable i.e. once understood it becomes less informative and more of

history.
∙ Is of interest to large number of people.
∙ It is coverage of unusual events or happenings.
∙ What is new to public.
∙ An event put forward by a reporter- without a reporter, news items does
not exist.
Many scholars, over the period of time have attempted to define news in their
own distinctive ways. John B. Bogart, the City Editor of the New York ‗Sun‘
defined News as: ‗when a dog bites a man, that is not news; but when a man
bites a dog, that is news‘. He rightly pointed out that unusual events fall under
the purview of news.
Stanley Walker, the City Editor of New York Herald Tribune said: ‗News is
more unpredictable than the winds. Sometimes it is the repetition with new
characters of tales as old as pyramids, and again, it may be almost outside
the common experience.‘
Joseph Pulitzer, Publisher of New York World described news as: ‗original,
distinctive, dramatic, romantic, thrilling, unique, curious, quaint, humorous,
odd and apt-to-be-talked about.‘
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According to Herbert J Gans,
‗News is about the economic, political, social and cultural hierarchies we call
society. For the most part, news reports on those at or near the top of the
hierarchies and on those particularly at the bottom who threaten them to an
audience most of whom are located in the vast middle range between top and
bottom.‘
Drawing a comparison between news and truth, according to Walter Lippman,
‗The function of news is to signalize an event; the function of truth is to bring
light to the hidden facts. The press if it did its job well could elucidate the
news. It is like a beam of a searchlight that moves restlessly about, bringing
one episode and then another out of the darkness into vision‘
Walter William, the founder of first School of Journalism defined news as:
‗News, in its broadest sense, is that which is of interest to the readers – the
Public.‘
News is any event, idea or opinion that is timely, that interests or affects a
large number of people in a community and that is capable of being
understood by them. News is a compilation of facts and events of current
interest or importance to the readers of the newspaper.
4.3 Qualities of News
1. Accuracy: It is basic to every news item. When the reporter fails in

accuracy, he/she loses credibility. It is the duty of the reporter to cross check
facts and information, figures and names. He/she must also check how the
names are spelled. Also, if the reporter is paraphrasing a speech from a text
given to him/her, he/she should not change the meaning or quote statements
out of context.
2. Balance: It is as important as accuracy. If the reporter is writing about a

controversy, he/she should give both sides of the story. For eg: In case of a
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strike, as a reporter, give the views of the workers as well as the authorities.
Balance in a news story makes it credible.
3. Objectivity: A journalist should keep the news and views aside. He/she
should not mix facts with opinions. He/she should be a disinterested observer.
The prime responsibility is to report the event without taking sides.
4. Clarity: A story should be easy to understand and to ensure the same,

language should be simple and easily comprehensible. Clarity of thoughts
must be ensured. The introductory sentence should be short and in active
voice to the maximum extent possible.
5. Impact: Whenever a reporter does a news report, he/she should consider

the impact the story would have. It is so because a people are impacted by
what the journalists say. Thus, as a responsible journalist, one must always
think about the impact of the news story.
What Makes News?
It is generally said that if a news report provides answers to six questions,

then it is a perfect news item. These six questions include five Ws and one H.
The five Ws are: When, Where, What, Why, Who and How.
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4.4 Summing Up
News is anything which is new, extra ordinary, unusual and something which makes
the readers curious. News is current and is a perishable commodity which is why it
has to be disseminated immediately.
4.5 Assignment
1. Define news.
1. What are the qualities of news?
4.6 References
Publishers

_________________________________________________________________________
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Notes
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__________________________________________________
LESSON 5 ELEMENTS OF NEWS
__________________________________________________
STRUCTURE
5.0 Objectives
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Elements of News
5.3 Summing Up
5.4 Assignment
5.5 References

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5. Elements of News
___________________________________________________________________
In the last lesson we had discussed the meaning and qualities of news. In the
present lesson we shall study the elements of news.
__________________________________________________________________
_ 5.0 Objectives
∙ understand elements of news.
5.1 Introduction
Not every happening that takes place becomes news. It is so because not
every incident or event that happens has the constituents or the essential
elements of news. The qualifications or the elements of news have been
interpreted differently. However, there are certain intrinsic features that need
to be present in a newsworthy story/report.
5.2 Elements of News
The major elements of good news reporting are:
1. Conflict: Conflict means fight, struggle, dispute, clash, competition, quest

and battle. It covers war, fire, famine, riot, flood, revolution, strike, argument,
victim, victory, defeat, success etc. It is found everywhere at every phase of
life. Conflicts of all kinds make a good news because they disturb the existing
situation. News items with conflict like a cricket match between two teams,
war between two nations and difference in the ideologies of two political
parties, all contribute to the daily newspapers.
However, a conflict is not always a physical combat; it might be a

psychological combat. Any information about a victory of defeat becomes
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news because conflicts create interest and curiosity in the readers. Thereby,
making the information news. Physical conflict is newsworthy as it may lead to
injury and damage. Violence arouses emotions, not only in the participants,
but also in the spectators and thus can be of enormous and immediate
importance. But, the coverage given in newspaper depends on the magnitude
of the conflict.
2. Progress: In conflict, one side usually wins and the other loses. The routine
struggles of life are not generally newsworthy in themselves. But, shining
success frequently emerges. A new invention, new industry or a new
technology etc. have the potential of becoming news because primarily, new
revenue sources and job avenues are created. Thus, masses are interested
to know the ways by which their lives can improve.
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3. Consequence: Any event that causes or is capable of causing a sequence of

activities that affects many persons is newsworthy. The extent of
consequence may vary and so will be the news worthiness. Some events
may be of more consequence than others and they will receive more space
and larger headlines. For eg: Bhopal Gas tragedy. It should be noted that all
newsworthy events have some consequence.
4. Prominence: Names make news and big names make bigger news. The
‗name‘ must do something or have something done to him or her to be
newsworthy. What a prominent person says or does often makes news
because of the consequence. What happens to important people makes
news.
The value of the news increases with the prominence of the person involved.
What the prominent personalities say will also make a big news. For eg:
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Assassination of the former PM of India – Rajiv Gandhi, announcement of

the ‗Make in India‘ project by the current PM –Narendra Modi
5. Novelty: News is a perishable commodity. Once disseminated, the essence
is lost. Therefore, the daily newspaper must contain new events each day so
that novelty is maintained and the readers‘ interest is maintained.
Novelty means new. It has newsworthiness in it. For eg: a news about the
two headed goat, a 50 kg fruit, a man with tattoos all over the body etc. Novel
ways of making a living, unusual habits, superstitions – anything different
have a strong reader appeal. Readers are attracted by novelties in the news.
The common element is simply that the event or the individual is unusual.
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6. Human Interest: Many stories that appear in the newspapers at the first
glance do not seem to be news as they do not fit in the usual guidelines of
news. Generally, they are called ‗human interest‘ or ‗feature‘ stories. These
stories can be about a poor man whose son cracked IIT exam, a blind
painters struggle etc.
It is so because people are interested to know what is happening to other

people. Thus, such stories have strong reader appeal because of the
emotional appeal that they carry. They may lack the basic values that would
make them a news story, yet they have special qualities that interest the
readers.
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5.3 Summing Up
Any event can be news if it is news worthy. Also, the news worthiness of any
information is determined by the constituents that it possesses, which are also
called as the elements of news.
5.4 Assignment
1. Write short notes on: Prominence, Novelty
1. What elements can be included in a news story to make it more readable

and worthy?
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5.5 References
Publishers
Notes
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__________________________________________________
LESSON 6 NEWS VALUES
__________________________________________________
STRUCTURE
6.0 Objectives
6.1 Introduction
6.2 News Value
6.3 Summing Up
6.4 Assignment
6.5 References
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6. NEWS VALUES
___________________________________________________________________
In the last lesson we had discussed the elements of news. In the present lesson we
shall study news values and ingredients which make news.
__________________________________________________________________
_ 6.0 Objectives
∙ understand news value.
6.1 Introduction
How do you determine whether a current idea, event or problem is news?

How can you make the distinction between news and non – news? How can
you be sure that the news provided by you as a journalists will interest your
readers?
To answer these questions, journalists are the best judges about what news is
and what is not. They take this decision based on certain news values. The
following are the salient points to judge the newsworthiness.
6.2 News Value
Not every event that takes place becomes news. News values helps to
differentiate between the news and non – news. Also, they help to ascertain
that the news provided will be interesting to the readers.
News values may be termed as the appeals, factors, determinants or criteria

of newsNews value is defined as characteristics of information that make an
event or subject news; they include: Timeliness, Proximity, Size, Importance,
Conflict, Human interest, Novelty.
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1. Timeliness: News is something new. So timeliness is a great factor in

deciding news. An incident that happened one month back will not make
news for today‘s newspaper. Also timeliness varies from publication to
publication. For a daily newspaper, events that had happened on the
previous day is news. But for a weekly, events of the previous one week
can make news. For a 24-hour television news channel, every second is
a deadline. They can break the news anytime. So their timeliness is
different from that of a newspaper.
News is a perishable commodity. As the time passes by, its value

depreciates. The news must be timely and new. It will not arouse interest
if it is already known. Thus, to make a great impact on the readers, news
must be disseminated as soon as it occurs, else the same will lose its
value. On time dissemination of news is essential because a delay in the
same kills the value of the story, particularly if a new angle develops
causing it to be rewritten. It is because of this reason that we find words
like yesterday, last night, today etc. in the news reports.
Timeliness/immediacy not only concerns currency, but also the time of

disclosure. Information which is unknown to the readers but takes them
by surprise when disclosed is also news. Regardless of its age, the event
is able to draw attention. That is the reason why events of history but
disclosed recently becomes news. For eg: Declassification of Netaji
Subhash‘s files by the Government.
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2. Proximity: means nearness or closeness. Anything close to the readers
interests them. Proximity increases news value. We are more interested
to know about a fire next door, an accident nearby than similar events at
far off places. It is so because we relate more to the issues that surround
us. The impact of any event nearby will have more impact on us.
Proximity does not mean that the news is presented in a direct ‗me to you‘
appeal. Instead, it appeals to a group of people with common interests.
Even in one state – the emphasis on local news will vary. The potential
readers may be the same, but the actual readers are different because of
the nearness of the event. It is a very important news value and its
relevance is so strong that the news is classified into geographically as
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well as topically. This also leads to the division of news as local, national
and international news.
3. Size: Size refers to the number of people involved in the event or affected
by the same. Greater is the number, stronger will be the appeal. A bigger
event gets more attention than a small one. The news about the death of
50 passengers travelling in a city bus will be given more attention than the
news of a motorist accident on the highway.
The important question that arises is - What makes the story big? The
answer to this is the magnitude of the event. For eg: a train accident,
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natural disasters etc. The size of the event or issue is important in

determining how much space in print it should be given.
Apart from the above mentioned, the following are the other news values that play a
vital role in determining the importance of a news story. The same have been
already discussed in the previous lesson.
Importance
ConflictHuman
Interest Novelty
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6.3 Summing Up
News is anything which is new, extra ordinary, unusual and something which
makes the readers curious. Any event can be news if it is news worthy. It
must have elements like timeliness, proximity, prominence, conflict, human
interest etc. to become news. News is current and is a perishable commodity
which is why it has to be disseminated immediately.
6.4 Assignment
1. Write short notes on: Novelty and Timeliness
1. Define news value. What makes news?
6.5 References
Publishers
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Notes
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_________________________________________________
LESSON 7 TYPES OF NEWS
__________________________________________________
STRUCTURE
7.0 Objectives
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Types of News
7.3 Summing Up
7.4 Assignment
7.5 References
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7. Types of News
___________________________________________________________________
In the last lesson we had discussed news values and ingredients which make news.
In the present lesson we shall study what are the different types of news.
___________________________________________________________________
7.0 Objectives
∙ understand classification of news.
7.1 Introduction
News varies from community to community. Also, there are several types of
news on the basis of various aspects. From the treatment given to the
geographical reach of the story, news are of different types. Also, news is of
various types depending upon timeliness, geographical spread, treatment and
beat. Hard and soft news are determined on the basis of the treatment given
to a particular news story
7.2 Types of News

News can be classified on the basis of timeliness, treatment and geographical
spread. Let‘s discuss each of the classification in detail.
On the basis of treatment news can be classified as:
Hard News
Treatment
Soft News
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Hard news generally refers to the news which has to be disseminated

immediately. It cannot be concealed or suppressed. It has element of urgency in
it. The lead / intro/ first paragraph contain the answers to all or few 5 Ws and 1H.
Leads for Hard news are straight and based on hard core facts. E.g. bomb blast,
poll results etc. It is the main ingredient of a daily newspaper. Hard news begins
with the narration of facts. It is direct news and considered to be primary news.
Also, It is a report of the recent happenings and current events
Soft news is background information or human-interest stories. The lead/ intro/ first
paragraph begin on an emotional angle. E.g. arts, entertainment, lifestyle. It is the
secondary news and has an emotional appeal. Soft news are written in order to
generate human interest. They does not necessarily have a date value and deals
with lighter issues.
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As proximity is one of the most important news values. On the basis of
geographical spread news can be classified as:
Geographical
Spread
Local National
International
Local news means the events that take place in our surroundings. As the name
itself suggest, local news is the area specific news. It is related to a particular
colony, society or region of a district, city or state
For eg: A 6 – year old beaten to death in East Delhi, Locality parks in GK – II to
install cameras for security etc. It has already been discussed that proximity is an
important news value. Keeping in mind the same, the events that take place
around us make more impact.
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National news means events of national importance like blast, poll results etc. The
news that deals with the issues of national relevance are called as national news.
They are treated equally important to the whole of the country. For eg: Introduction of
a new law or amendment in the Constitution, Revision in the salaries of all the
Central Govt. employees
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International news story means important events that are taking place across the
globe. News from different parts of the world falls in the category of international
news. Such kinds of news originate from a place outside the country. Also, the
impact is on a massive scale. For eg: Bombing in Baghdad kills 45, China signs
peace treaty with India etc.
On the basis of timeliness we can classify news as:
Diary News
Timeliness Spot/ Hot News
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Dairy news is the one in which the reporter has information prior to
the event e.g. Budget, cricket match. The news of scheduled events/incidents is
known as the diary news. For eg: PM‘s speech on AIR, seminar, Parliament session,
Budget, cricket match etc.
Spot news is also known as Hot news. These are the news about unexpected or
unscheduled events. No prior information is available about these type of news. For
eg: Natural calamities, murder, rain during a match, robbery etc.
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7.3 Summing Up
News can be classified in the basis of timeliness, geographical

spread and timeliness.
7.4 Assignment

1. Write short notes on: Diary News and Spot News
1. Explain different types of news with examples.
7.5 References
Publishers
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Notes
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__________________________________________________
LESSON 8 NEWS SOURCES: TYPES; CREDIBILITY AND

PROTECTION
__________________________________________________
STRUCTURE
8.0 Objectives
8.1 Introduction
8.2 News Sources
8.3 Attribution
8.4 Tapping of News Sources
8.5 Credibility of Source
8.6 Protection of News Sources
8.7 Need for Attribution
8.8 Identification of Source
8.9 How to Attribute?
8.10 Types of Attribution
8.11 Role of Source and Reporter
8.12 Guidelines for Attribution
8.13 Summing Up
8.14 Assignment
8.15 References
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8. News Sources
___________________________________________________________________
In the last lesson we had discussed different types of news. In the present lesson we
shall study news sources, types of news sources, their credibility and how a
journalist must protect his sources.
__________________________________________________________________
_ 8.0 Objectives
∙ define news sources

∙ understand different types of news sources.
8.1 Introduction
A newspaper requires hundreds of stories everyday which can be under

different sections and pages. The same is the case with an electronic media
organisation – a radio station or a TV news channel. The hunger of stories in
a newspaper is insatiable and never – ending. All the newspapers, whether
small or big have their own sources of getting the news. However, the focus is
to have authentic and reliable sources.
Attribution, the identification of the source of the story or of a fact in the story,
is another important element in news stories.
Attribution is important in news stories because a great deal of the time news
writers are reporting not what they themselves saw or heard but what
someone else told them or what they have learned from a written record or
other document. It is important that the reader know the source of all the facts,
observations and quotations in a news story.
News can be attained from various sources like primary and secondary.
Reporters, correspondents, freelancers, news agencies, press conferences,
press releases are all sources of news. News sources must be credible and
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authentic and a journalist must protect the sources by only revealing relevant
and necessary information. If the news sources are not credible or authentic,
the newspaper organization shall lose its own credibility.
8.2 News Sources
The editorial department of a newspaper receives news through a variety of

sources and channels.
1. From local sources through the newspaper’s own reporters, who
gather news from regular beats, flesh it out with background from the
newspaper‘s library and do most of the writing in the newspaper office under
the direction of the news editor.
2. From national and foreign sources through the wire services and
syndicates such as Press Trust of India (PTI) and United News of India
(UNI). In addition, commercial syndicates provide many of the features and
columns used. The news editor is responsible for handling this material.
Credit is given by use of the name or initials of the press service in the
dateline.
A news agency, according to a UNESCO definition is:

‗An undertaking whose principle objective, whatever its legal form, is to gather
news and news material of which the sole purpose is to express or present
facts, and to distribute this to a group of news enterprises, and in exceptional
circumstances to private individuals, with a view to providing them with as
complete and impartial a news service as possible against payment, and
conditions compatible with business laws and usage‘
3. From state and regional sources through correspondents. Much of this

material is written and ready for publication, although rewriting is done to
improvise the content. In some cases, reporters can gather stories by
telephone from news sources as police and city officials in communities in the
newspaper‘s circulation area.
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4. From various individuals and organizations, such as chambers of

commerce, public information offices of various social and educational
organisations, public relations agencies through mail, by telephone etc.
Most of the material is rewritten.
Apart from the above mentioned, the other sources for news
stories include:
Primary News
Sources
News Sources
Secondary
News Sources
Primary sources
Often the source is someone at the centre of the event or issue. We call such people
primary sources. It might be a survivor of an accident, a student protesting for
scholarship or a union leader who is leading wage negotiations etc.. They are usually
the best sources of information about their part of what happened. They should be
able to give you accurate details and also supply strong comments.
Of course, just because a person was present at an event does not mean that they
are either accurate or fair. The survivor may have injured his head after accident and
so be confused. The union leader will want to present his side in the best light. It is
vital to double-check and cross-check facts with other sources.
A word of warning here: If any of your sources, however reliable, gives you
information which is defamatory, you can still be taken to court for using it. You are
responsible for deciding whether or not to publish the defamatory material.
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Secondary sources
Secondary sources are those people who do not make the news, but who pass it on.
The official police report of an incident or comments by someone's press officer can
be called secondary sources. Secondary sources are not usually as reliable as
primary sources.
Most eyewitnesses should be treated as secondary sources for journalists because,

although they are able to tell what they think they have seen, they are often not
trained for such work and can be very inaccurate, without meaning to be.
You have to assess the reliability of secondary sources and if necessary tell your
readers or listeners where the information came from.
External/identified/known/scheduled sources
In this category, all such sources which are available and accessible to the reporter
are included. The reporters mostly cover public meetings, functions, seminars, etc.
The organisers of any such programme are supposed to inform the reporters with a
request for coverage. The reporters can ask for more details from the organizers.
Press conferences and press briefings are also regular sources of news. These are
scheduled events and the hosts will always approach the reporters for attending
them. Not only are the date and venue conveyed to the reporters, the hosts also
provide logistic support to them, so as to ensure proper coverage.
The sources in all the above mentioned events/programmes are identified and can
be quoted by the reporters in their writings, if it is desired.
Internal/confidential/personal contacts:
They are the sources developed by the reporter on his/her own. They are termed as
contacts of the reporter. Any reporter would have a variety of reliable and highly
placed contacts to provide exclusive information. These sources may be in the
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government, public or private sector business or just anywhere. A reporter has to

work hard to develop a source in any office or department.
These are the exclusive sources who act in close confidence with the reporter.
These sources can be tapped till the time trust is maintained. However, most of the
confidential sources are people who join hands with the reporter (in anonymity) for
some good cause. An insider can decide to act as a confidential source for some
reporter and this has to be his/her well thought of decision.
Some of the personal contacts of a reporter may like to be quoted for the story as it
gives them publicity. But, in case of a critical story, they might not want to be quoted.
In such a case, a reporter has to conceal the identity of the source. In that instance,
the reporter needs to respect his/her source. Attribution plays a very pivotal role in
the acknowledgement of the source
8.3 Attribution
Sourcing or attribution means acknowledging the source in the news report. At least
some attribution is required in almost every news story to keep readers informed
about where facts came from or who said what. And every story needs adequate
attribution. Attribution is helpful to protect the integrity of the story and to assure
readers the story has a sound basis in fact.
It is necessary in all kinds of news reports, the exception being the cases where
information is common knowledge or indisputable. For example: Delhi is the capital
of India, India is a democratic nation etc. Too much attribution will clutter up a story,
overburden the reader and detract from the effectiveness of the story.
The attribution serves two purposes: It identifies, the source of all the information in
the story as a reliable one, and it gives credibility to the only matter of opinion in the
story- The cause of the accident.
In routine news stories like this accident story, it is not necessary to attribute in the
lead. The facts generally can stand on their own. If the reader has questions about
the source of the information in the lead, a brief indication of the same can be done
in order to clarify police said somewhere in the body of the story will generally make
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the source clear. Attribution should be brief and it should be unobtrusive. One police
said in a story is usually enough to establish credibility. Sometimes attribution is
established by an oblique reference like the following:
Police learned from the driver that he had picked up two passengers...
Attribution ordinarily is secondary to who, what, where and when of the story.
Sometimes, however, the source is what makes the story.
When you use a direct quotation, you place quotation .marks at the, beginning and
end of the quotation. These little punctuation marks are unobtrusive but meaningful.
They tell the reader that whatever is included between them is an exact reproduction
of what someone said.
The quotation marks are helpful, but they do not intrude. They are, in a sense of
subliminal. Readers grasp their significance quickly and go on to read for sense and
meaning. They are grammatical signals and are unobtrusive.
8.4 Tapping of News Sources

Knowing the source and having access to is a challenge before a reporter. There are
everyday informants to help the reporters and who among these can turn to regular
and dependable source is something to be explored by the concerned reporter.
In case of both identified and confidential sources, a reporter has to work a lot to tap
the source in order to extract the reliable information. Sources could be diverse.
From legislators to ministers, secretaries, political appointees to corporators and
MCD officials, everybody qualifies to be a good source. But there should always be a
testing period for the source as a reporter must always test the credentials and
authenticity of the source.
A reporter should be careful enough not to make any promises to the source. For
example, a reporter collects some information from a source, uses it for writing a
news report and submits the same to the approval. If the reporter has made a firm
commitment to the source about the publication of the news report, he/she will find it
difficult to save face in case of non – publication.
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8.5 Credibility of Source

The ideal relationship between a reporter and his/her sources is that of mutual trust.
Mutual trust comes from the past behaviour of both the parties. If the reporter does
not enjoy the trust of his/her sources, he/she will not get their cooperation. And if
he/she cannot trust them, he/she cannot write his/her story on the basis of what the
source tells.
A reporter should rely on the source only when his/her credibility is established. If the
source is genuine and has provided the correct and accurate information, the
reporter would be able to file an authentic report. Thus, it is the responsibility of the
reporter to ensure the truthfulness of a report by having reliable sources.
8.6 Protection of Source

A reporter should treat his/her sources as sacred. He/she should give the sources
proper respect so that the bond gets strengthened and the reporter continues to get
important, relevant and news-worthy information.
When the information has been supplied by identified or known source, he/she must
be duly quoted in the news report. But the problem arises when the source is a
personal contact of the reporter. In such a case, the identity of the source should not
be disclosed.
Sometimes there may be a pressure on the reporter from the government or the
judiciary to disclose the source. But, it is the professional and moral responsibility of
the reporter to protect the source.
Having said that, it may be noted that there is no legal protection or immunity
granted to a journalist for the non-disclosure of the source. If in a legal case, the
court of law asks a reporter to disclose the name of the source, he/she has no option
except to oblige the court.
If a reporter fails to protect the source, he/she may loose the credibility as a
journalist. Disclosure of the name can put the source in trouble, even his/her lif can
be in danger. Hence, no genuine reporter will take the risk of revealing the identity of
the source.
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8.7 Need for Attribution

Sourcing or attribution means acknowledging the source in the news report.
Attribution is necessary in all kinds of news reports except in the case, where the
information is common knowledge or undisputable. For example: India got
independence in 1947.
A news report is based on two things –
a) Reporter‘s direct experience
b) Statements made by others
There is no difficulty about reporting on realities the reporter has witnessed. He/she
can attend any public meeting, seminar, function etc. and file a report. He/she may
witness any accident site and write a report on what has been seen.
But, on many occasions, the reporter is not present on the scene and thus has not
witnessed the happening. In such a case, he/she has to depend on the information
given or statement made by others. He/she has to identify the source in the news
report and thus, attribution becomes necessary.
Attribution‘s importance does not reduce even if the reporter is a witness to

something. For example: a public meeting. While writing a report on a public meeting
covered by the reporter himself/herself, he/she would like to add the statement by
the organisers of the meetings and also the reactions expressed by those attending
the meeting. Doing so would not only make the report more credible, but, at the
same time would also present varied viewpoints to the readers.
For example: Accident – A reporter might visit the spot where the accident has taken
place and write a report on the basis of what he/she has witnessed. But at the same
time, he/she has to put in the news report, the statements made by the eyewitnesses
and the information given by the police authorities.
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8.8 Identification of Source

Attribution is done by quoting eyewitnesses, government spokesperson or an
individual making the statement. Whenever such a person figures in the story,
he/she must be identified by name and proper designation. Statements or versions
not so identified will automatically get attributed to the reporter or the newspaper.
Sourcing is essential to ensure factuality, to locate accountability and to give a sense

of confidence to the editor. It is not always easy. All the statements made to the
reporter or reaching the newspaper directly and duly signed can be attributed to
some person.
However, the problem arises when the source prefers to remain anonymous and
insists on not to be quoted. If the source is one of the contacts of the reporter, the
latter would himself/herself like not to disclose the source‘s identity. Under such
circumstances, there are two courses available to the reporter.
a) He/she may attribute the information as according to sources, reliable sources,

confidential sources, etc.
b) Using the information given by the contact as a tip-off, the reporter can further
investigate the matter to collect evidence in support of the information. In such
a case, no attribution would be required.
8.9 How to Attribute?

The attribution should be in the lead for controversial or accusatory information, but
in other instances, it can be delayed in order to make the lead clutter free. Police
stories often have attribution in the lead, especially when the information is
accusatory.
For example: A 15 – year girl was stabbed to death near Govindpuri on Wednesday
afternoon by 17 - year old Praveen, when she refused his proposal, authorities said.
Police said that the stabbing occurred in a fit of rage, when the girl refused the
proposal given to her by the boy.
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BJ (MC) 203 Unit 2
In the above example, general attribution is in the lead, but the specific attribution is
in the second paragraph.
8.10 Types of Attribution

Most of the times, the source talks to the reporter on-the-record and thus provide the
latter the required information. But, when the source insists on not to be quoted,
he/she is said to be talking off-the-record.
On-the-Record: When the source has provided some information to the reporter
and agrees to be quoted as well, he/she is said to be talking on-the-record.
This is the most comfortable situation for the reporter, but he/she has to adopt a
cautious approach. It is the responsibility of the reporter to cross-check all the facts
because publication of any wrong information will mean loss of credibility for the
reporter as well as the organisation.
Though on-the-record statements are the best, one needs to check the contents of
the statements for the their accuracy, for libel or violation of right of privacy.
Off-the-Record: These statements can be given in two situations --
a) When the source is willing to provide the information, is also interested in

publication/broadcasting of information but, is not willing to be quoted.
In such a case, the reporter should be ready to oblige the source. He/she
write the report by referring to the source as ―reliable‖ or ―authentic‖
b) When the source is providing the information willingly but this information is
said to be for the personal consumption of reporters and not for publication.
The second situation is more complicating. Any off-the-record statement can

be made by a politician during an interview, a press conference or an informal
chat. But any statement is to be treated as off-the-record only when the
person restricts the publication of information he/she has given.
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BJ (MC) 203 Unit 2
8.11 Role of Source and Reporter

A source can make an off–the–record statement for:
a) Wooing the reporter and winning his/her confidence
b) Building a strong relationship
c) Saving oneself from any possible consequences after publication of

information
If the reporter has agreed not to quote the source or not to publish the information
given by him/her,
a) He/she can decide to honour his words because if the reporter violates the
assurance, he/she loses potential or actual source of information
b) He/she can ask for the reason from the source to make an off–the–record
statement and if possible, can convince the source to be quoted
c) He/she can ask the source for the permission to be quoted. And if the
reporter fails, he/she may look for another source who agrees to be quoted
on the same subject.
8.12 Guidelines for Attribution

Minimum attribution is required in almost every news story. Adequate attribution is a
necessity in most news stories. Every news story should include enough attribution
to assure the reader that the story is accurate and believable.
Attribution should be subordinate to the facts of the story. Attribution that looms
larger than the information the story is intended to convey damages the story by
confusing the reader as to what is important.
A three or four paragraph story with attribution repeated four or five times is a weak
story. Excessive attribution wastes precious news space.
In routine news stories, one attribution may be enough. For example, in a brief story
about a traffic accident, police said used once will probably be enough to support the
story.
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
The attribution, in instances like this, should come in the second paragraph, certainly
no later than the third paragraph. Get the attribution into the story before the reader
begins to wonder where the story came from.
Attribution in the lead is necessary when the source of the story is as important as or
more important than what is being reported. For example, in a story that begins
President Pranav Mukherjee said today, attribution is a must because the source
clearly is determining the importance of what is being reported.
Not all news stories need attribution. Brief stories—for example, the announcement
of a scheduled meeting or speech—may be perfectly credible without attribution.
When the facts in a story are obvious or will be accepted by the reader without
question in other words, where the reader will have no reason to doubt the veracity
of the newspaper no attribution is necessary.
When facts are a matter of public record, generally known to the public or obvious
from the context of the story, no attribution is necessary. It would be pointless. When
a reporter is present at an event and writes from personal knowledge, attribution is
unnecessary. For example, a reporter covering a lengthy city council meeting can
write from personal knowledge that the meeting lasted three and a half hours. There
is no need to seek out the presiding officer and attribute routine information that is
obvious to the reporter, the city council members and anyone else present.
______________________________________________________
8.13 Summing Up
Source can be defined as a person, publication, record or a document that
provides information. It is also called a point from where something is derived
or obtained. Reporter collects information from various sources through
observation, interview and research. The source from here he gets firsthand
information is known as primary source and the material from where he
extracts information are known as secondary source.
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
8.14 Assignment
1. What is attribution? Why is it relevant?
1. What are the different sources of news?
8.15 References
Publishers
Notes
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
__________________________________________________
LESSON 9 NEWS VERSUS INFORMATION, HARD

NEWS Vs SOFT NEWS
__________________________________________________
STRUCTURE
9.0 Objectives
9.1 Introduction
9.2 News versus Information

9.3 Hard vs Soft News
9.4 Summing Up
9.5 Assignment
9.6 References
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
9. News vs Information, Hard News vs Soft News
__________________________________________________
In the last lesson we had discussed news sources, types of news sources, their
credibility and how a journalist must protect his sources. In the present lesson we
shall study difference between news and information and also study difference
between hard news and soft news.
__________________________________________________________________
_ 9.0 Objectives
∙ understand difference between news and information.

∙ understand difference between hard news and soft news.
9.1 Introduction
Information becomes news when new value or fact is added to it. Hard and
soft news are determined on the basis of the treatment given to a particular
news story.
9.2 News versus Information

In general terms, information is the knowledge about something or someone
News, on the other hand is the account of a current event. News always gives
the readers something new and has news values. Every news is information,
but, every information is not news. In the railway station, you might have
noticed the board displaying the train timings. That is not news. That is
information.
But information becomes news when news value is added to it. For example,
if a new train time table is issued by the railways replacing the existing one
with changes in train timings, that becomes news.
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
Similarly, the different slabs of income tax rates is not news. But when the
government decides to increase or lower the rates, it becomes news. You
might have seen weather reports in the newspapers. It gives the day‘s
temperature or rainfall. It does not make news. It becomes news when there
is a sudden change in weather, or when heavy rains lead to floods or when
continuous absence of rain leads to drought. So information is different from
news. News should give something new to the readers, viewers or listeners.
The relationship between information and news is also vital for the
understanding of a reporter. The following is an attempt to make out a
distinction between the two.
1. Information is the basic raw material and news is the finished product made
of that information
2. What the source provides to the reporter is information. But, what reporter
provides to the reader is news
3. What the reporter collects while a coverage is information. But, what the
reporter finally presents before the reader is news
4. After receiving the information, a reporter has to make sure of the

following: ∙ Whether it is true or accurate
∙ Whether it is useful for people
∙ Whether the source providing information is genuine and credible
5. A reporter has three choices before him:

∙ Either to accept the information for use
∙ Or to reject it as not desired
∙ Or to use it selectively
6. Information can flow from anywhere, but news can flow only from a
newspaper or any other news organization
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
9.3 Hard vs Soft News

News stories are basically divided into two types: hard news and soft news.
Hard news generally refers to up-to-the-minute news and events that are
reported immediately, while soft news is background information or human
interest stories.
Politics, war, economics and crime used to be considered hard news, while
arts, entertainment and lifestyles were considered soft news.
One difference between hard and soft news is the tone of presentation. A
hard news story takes a factual approach: What happened? Who was
involved? Where and when did it happen? Why?
A soft news story tries instead to entertain or advise the reader. You may
have come across newspaper or TV stories that promise ―news you can
use.‖ Examples might be tips on how to stretch properly before exercising, or
what to look for when buying a new computer.
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
9.4 Summing Up
Information becomes news when new value or fact is added to it. Thus,
despite being different, both are complementary to each other.
9.5 Assignment
1. Differentiate between news and information with examples.
1. Differentiate between hard news and soft news.
9.6 References
Publishers
Notes
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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1
____________________________________________
LESSON 10 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARTICLE,
NEWS, FEATURE, BACKGROUNDER, EDITORIAL
___________________________________________________
STRUCTURE
10.0 Objectives
10.1 Introduction
10.2 News Story and Feature
10.3 Backgrounder
10.4 Article
10.5 Editorial
10.6 Functions of Editorials
10.7 Types of Editorials
10.8 Qualities of Good Editorial Writers
10.9 Structure of an Editorial
10.11 Summing Up
10.12 Assignments
10.13 References
10.14 Suggested Further Readings
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BJ (MC) 203 Unit 4
10. Forms of News Writing
___________________________________________________________________
In the last lesson we had discussed difference between news and information and
also study difference between hard news and soft news. In the present lesson we
shall discuss various forms of writing.
10.0 Objectives
∙ Identify the various forms of writing: article, news story, feature,

backgrounder, column and editorial
10.1 Introduction
Journalistic writing is formal, structured and demanding. The presentation of

information – accurate information in an accurate context; is the main goal of
writing, rather than the presentation and development of an individual writer‘s
style. Variety in which news is presented in the newspaper makes it
interesting. This is achieved by writing news stories in different forms like
feature, article, columns etc.
10.2 News Stories and Feature
A factual story or a news story is a report based strictly on facts. This type of
story is the most common, telling only what actually took place, for instance at
a meeting of city council, or how an accident occurred and what resulted. In
this type of story a reporter fulfils his/her prime duty – writing only what is seen
and heard, without injecting personal opinion or judgement. The 5 Ws and H
are strictly adhered to.
Feature can be defined as a carefully researched article, that explains,

interprets and / or provides background or tells of interesting, unusual
occurrences that interest the reader. Feature stories sometimes have
emotional, personal, and/or humorous slants Feature articles are most often
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BJ (MC) 203 Unit 4
found in special sections and on section fronts. A feature article will be one
that has been the subject of a considerable amount of research, interviews
and analysis. It will attempt to present an overview of the subject matter (for
example, how to purchase a new automobile) give examples of what steps
should and should not be taken, and offer expert advice. Feature stories are
usually longer than hard news stories and thus are usually found away from
the general.
A feature is usually written in a more narrative sense, but still follows AP

style. The following are the different forms of feature articles:
a) Column – is an article that appears regularly. It is written by one

writer or about a special subject.They appear with by-lines on a
regular basis (daily, weekly, etc.) They may be written
exclusively for one newspaper or magazine, they may be
marked by a syndicate or they may be self-syndicated by the
author.
b) Essay – A short, literary, nonfiction composition (prose) in which
a writer develops a theme or expresses an idea.
c) Evergreen – A timeless article that editors hold for months and
publish when needed. They need little or no updating.
d) Filler – Short non-fiction items, usually just fewer than 300 words
used to fill in small spaces on a page of a magazine or
newspaper page.
e) Human Interest Story – An article that involves local people and
events can be sold as anecdotes or accounts of personal
experiences can support ideas in magazine articles as firmly as
facts or statistics, They are also called ‗true-life stories‘.
f) Interview – This feature story type article includes the text of
conversation between two or more people, normally directed by
the interviewer. Interviews are often edited for clarity. One
common variation is the round table – the text of a less
organized discussion, usually between three or four people.
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BJ (MC) 203 Unit 4
g) Op- Ed – These are articles that run opposite the editorial page.
They are a response to current editorials and typical subjects.
Political op-eds are the most common, but they do not have to
be limited to politics. They should however, reflect items that are
current and newsworthy.
h) Personal Experience – An article in which the writer recounts an
ordeal, process or event he has undergone.
i) Personality Profile – A personal or professional portrait –
sometimes both – of a particular individual.
j) Seasonal – An article written about a holiday, a season of the
year or a timely observance. This kind of article will be submitted
months in advance of the anticipated publication date.
k) Service Article – An article about a consumer product or service;
it outlines the characteristics of several versions of the same
type of commodity. The aim is to help a potential purchaser to
make the best selection possible.
l) Sidebar – It is a short feature that accompanies a news story, or
magazine article. It elaborates on human interest aspects of a
story and explains one important facet of the story in more depth
or provides additional factual information – such as list of name
and addresses – that would read awkwardly in the body of the
article. This can be found in a box, separated from the main
article on the side or bottom of the page.
m) Travel Literature – Travel articles inform and enlighten the
reader through facts about a region‘s landscape, scenery,
customs and atmosphere.
10.3 Backgrounder
It explains the history of an event of consequence. Backgrounder is

different from news because news is new and backgrounder is past
events. News updates and backgrounders take the readers back into
the past.
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BJ (MC) 203 Unit 4
∙ Backgrounder helps in writing the news.

∙ It is like a revision for the reports and the reporter can connect better
to the event because of the details provided by the backgrounder.
∙ A backgrounder is different from an article because it is not a
narrative write-up. It is a factual update.
∙ A backgrounder is not an analysis. It is just the chronological detail for
the particular event. Unlike an article it does not have a headline. It
provides reference material to the writers.
∙ A backgrounder is different from feature because a feature has a
headline but a backgrounder does not have a headline. Feature is
detailed interpretation of the event by co-relating the event to similar
events of the past. A feature may be a comparative study of two
similar sounding cases but a backgrounder is the basis on which
the difference is done.
∙ A backgrounder is different from an editorial because the editorial is
the mirror of the newspaper. It is the reflection of the ideologies of ∙ the
newspaper. Backgrounder is just a reference material which
helps the newspaper write the editorial. An editorial does not use
photographs whereas; a backgrounder may have many pictures to
support the material. Similarly, backgrounder does not have a
headline but an editorial does.
10.4 Article
It is a well researched write up that is supported with the help of facts

and figures. Article encompasses a whole range of publishing material
like News, Academic/Research Paper, Opinions, etc. An article has an
organized way of telling the information which includes a headline,
name of the writer, introduction, body, summary, conclusion etc.
77

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BJ(MC)- 104 Unit 1

1.2 Definition of Journalism

1.3 Who is a Journalist?

1.5.1 Class Assignment

1.5.2 Home Assignment

1.7 Suggested Further Reading

In Unit 1 of the course ‗Print Journalism I‘ we shall discuss importance of journalism,

In the present lesson we shall study definition and function of journalism.

After going through this lesson, you should be able to:

1.2 Definition of Journalism

As a term, journalism takes different meanings. It is a business, an industry, a

Journalism is instant history, an account of history as it is being made. It is a

The following definitions shall fully elucidate the meaning of journalism ∙

∙ According to Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Chairman of New York Times (1963)

Journalism as a craft, a profession and even as a trade or business is over

Journalism thus means communication of information about daily events

To Sum up, Journalism is:

1. Systematic and interesting way of publication of the daily events.

4. Making available the means of healthy recreation, which are

With printing, there was a revolution in the way communication developed.

1.3 Who is a Journalist?

Later, pamphlets, periodicals, gazettes, etc. came to be termed as ‗newspapers‘.

Thus, editors, correspondents, cartoonists, photographers, news-bloggers,

Journalists work in many areas of life, finding and presenting information.

The Working Journalists‘ Act (1955) defines a ‗working journalist‘ as:

―Working Journalist‖ means a person whose principal avocation is that of a

1. Define ‗Journalism‘? Discuss the scope of journalism.

1.5.2 Home Assignment

1. Dr. Ambrish Saxena: Fundamentals of reporting and editing- Kanishka

2. George A. Hough: News Writing

3. G.K Puri: A Complete Guide to Journalism for all

1.7 Suggested Further Reading

1. M.V. Kamath: Modern Journalism, Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi

LESSON 2- JOURNALISM AS FOURTH ESTATE

2.2 Journalism as the Fourth Estate

2.4.1 Class Assignment

2.4.2 Home Assignment

2.6 Suggested Further Reading

2. Journalism as Fourth Estate

After going through this lesson, you should be able to:

∙ describe journalism as fourth estate.

2.2 Journalism as the Fourth Estate

The Fourth Estate (or fourth estate) is a societal or political force or

According to the Indian Constitution, the three pillars of democracy are:

According to constitution, 3 pillars of

Malcolm X (Human Rights Activist) in context of media said,

investigative journalism. The advent of investigative journalism exposed Coalgate

Watchdog role of the press can function to promote government transparency,

1. What does ‗Journalism – the Fourth Estate‘ mean?

2.4.2 Home Assignment

2. George A. Hough: News Writing

3. G.K Puri: A Complete Guide to Journalism for all

2.6 Suggested Further Reading

1. M.V. Kamath: Modern Journalism, Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi

LESSON 3- ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A

3.2 Journalism as the Fourth Estate

3.3 Functions of Journalism

3.4 Objectives of Journalism

3.6.1 Class Assignment