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Subediting and Page

Designing
Sadaf Zubair
sadaf.zubair@umt.edu.pk
Topic
Let’s talk about …

Principle of Editing
HEADLINE
LEAD
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The principles of Good News
Editing:
 Accuracy

 Attribution

 Balance and Fairness

 Brevity

 Clarity

 Readability

 Human interest and

 Sharp observation
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Principles of Editing

 ACCURACY: The sub editor should be obsessed with accuracy because

one mistake can destroy the reputation of a newspaper or magazine,
and it takes just fraction of a second to make one. Checking and
crosschecking names, figures and verifying facts are of utmost
importance

 ATTRIBUTION: Always attribute the news to the source so that readers

can judge its credibility. “ A highly placed Defense Personnel, Finance
Ministry Sources”, etc. are attributions that help readers to arrive at
their own conclusions.

 BALANCE AND FAIRNESS: Balance and fairness form the foundation

of good editing. Balance is giving both sides of the picture, while
fairness means not providing support to political parties, institutions,
communities or individuals, etc. through the columns of the newspaper.
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Principles of Editing

 BREVITY: Brevity is a great virtue in journalism appreciated by

readers and editors alike. It is telling a story to the point with
fewest words possible. It saves time and space. Be concise.

 CLARITY: Clarity is to make content easily understandable with

moderate sentences. Use simple words, short and simple
sentences.

 HUMAN INTEREST: Using a style that arouses human interest

is what the craft of editing is all about. Sub editors should see the
events from the readers’ point of view and write the news stories
keeping the reader ever in mind along with his hopes, fears and
aspirations.

 SHARP OBSERVATION: Sharp observation is the hallmark of

good communicator, particularly in the field of journalism. It
helps to produce real picture of the story.
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INTRODUCATION
 The title above a story in a newspaper, magazine, newsletter
or, for that matter, web site is called a headline, or "hed"
("head") in print journalism ("heading" in online pages).

 It has the same function in mass media writing as a lead, to

call attention to the story, to snare people in. I often say mass
media publications rely on four objects to entice readers into
a story, in this order:

 photo or illustration, to catch the reader's attention;

 headline;

 deck, pull quote, or other descriptive block;

 lead.
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HOW TO WRITE THE HEADLINE

Writings a good headline is 50%

depend on the text editor skills. It
should be brief and appealing.

The headline has two main qualities;

It attracts the readers towards story
Provide maximum information to
readers.
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KINDS OF HEADLINES

 Banner head

 Cross line head

 Flush left head

 Side heads

 Flush right head

 Kicker (eyebrow)
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 BANNER HEAD Banner headlines are attention
grabbers. They set the tone, and are used sparingly.
The banner head is set the full-page width at the top
of a news page to draw attention to the lead story of
that particular page.

 14. CROSSLINE HEAD It does not always span the

full width of the page, but does cover all the columns
of the story to which it pertains.

 15. FLUSH LEFT HEAD The flush left head is a two-

or three-line head with each line set flush left. The
lines do not have to be equal in width or set full.
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 HEADLINE VARIANTS Standing Head: A label used for regular
or recurring content, such as sports and film review columns. It
does not change from issue to issue. Eg: Film Review

 17. FEATURE HEADLINES Usually three words or more in

length but do not have a subject or verb. Dollars for Scholars
(article on scholarships) Cafeteria Blues (article on rule
changes in cafeteria)

 18. Hanging Indention: has at least three lines, second and

third line indented. Teachers Need Bigger Increase In Wage
Package

 19. CROSS LINE: a single line of type filling the column or

space. Example: (notice width) Wage increase breeds discontent
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Writings a good headline is 50% depend on

the text editor skills. It should be brief and
appealing.
The headline has two main qualities;
It attracts the readers towards story
Provide maximum information to readers.
•Use active voice and present tense.
•Avoid punctuation (commas and apostrophes)
•Avoid overflow of information
•Avoid terminologies; especially local.
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 CENTERED HEADLINE this type of headline is
centered above the column.
 22. KICKER Kicker, also known as a tag line, is
a line that introduces the headline, can be
underlined for emphasis. Example: Cold
weather hits… Temperature drops below
freezing
 23. HAMMER HEAD: Opposite of kicker.
Example: Drowning in “Purple Rain” Storm
delays Prince’s concert at Arena
 24. SIDESADDLE HEADS: Places the head to
the left of the story, rather than above. Example:
Turkey Day: Pioneers regain Bell
+  25. RULES FOR WRITING SENTENCE HEADLINES:

 Strive to make each one an attention grabber.

 Make sure each head fills the space allotted.

 Avoid repetition of words or phrases.

 Use single rather than double quotation marks.

 Avoid using a semicolon in a one line head. Example: Principal makes presentation;
discusses attendance policy Avoid beginning headline with a verb.

 Use only well known abbreviations. (YMCA, NBA, NFL) Don’t begin headline with
a number (spell out) Use information from your lead when writing a headline for a
feature story. Use active voice. Use full names unless the person is well known.

 DECK: a second headline under the first, smaller in size.

 Example: Pioneers down Lancers, 3-0, in muddy, defensive battle before standing-
room crowd Win Clinches district berth
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Let’s start at
the beginning
with … LEADS.
Let’s talk about

Leads
 Lead:
Most important information. Focus on newest
information. Focus on the future.

Question to ask yourself:

What do my readers need to know most???
 Leads
Lead or Lede – A lead or lede paragraph is
the opening paragraph of an article, essay,
news story or book chapter. Often called “the
lead”, it usually occurs together with the
headline or title. It precedes the main body of
the article, and it gives the reader the main
idea of the story.
 Leads
It is typically a one-sentence paragraph
that summarizes the basic facts of a story
and conveys to the reader what the reporter
found out in his/her reporting.
It provides answer to the five Ws and
one H of news reporting – who, what,
where, when, why and how. The Lead or.
One Story, Six Possible Leads
Who?…

The school board passed a resolution last night banning the

wearing of caps in all school buildings.

What?…

Cap wearing was banned in all school buildings last night

after the school board passed a new resolution
One Story, Six Possible Leads
Where?…

In St. Anthony’s College last night, the school board passed

a resolution to ban the wearing of caps in all school
buildings.

When?…

Last night, the school board passed a resolution banning cap

wearing in all school buildings.
One Story, Six Possible Leads
How?…
By a 9-1 margin last night, the school board passed
a resolution banning cap wearing inside the school
premises.
Why?…
Citing a pattern of early-onset baldness in St.
Anthony’s College students, the school board
last night passed a resolution that restricts cap
wearing in all school buildings.
How lead
Through a grass roots voting effort,
senior Gilbert Castillo won the mayoral
election to become the youngest mayor in
the city’s history.
Now that we know the type of lead
we are looking for, how do we write
a good lead?
• read the entire prompt
• find the newest information in the prompt
• beware of older, more controversial news
• write one to two sentences summarizing the
“new” news including as many other Ws and H
as possible
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Difference Between Lead and
Headline
Headline Lead
 The headline is the title of the  The lead is the first sentence
story. in the story.

 LEAD is the first paragraph of  HEADLINE summarize the

the story telling 5 W's(what, story in a brief statement
why, when, who, where) and 1 having large font.
H(how)