The Editor

- Mohan Sinha

Responsible for formulating editorial policies of the newspaper along with the management. He should: Maintain the level of common

decency; publish the newspaper that is welcome to a home.

Tell the essential news; select it well for news is the basis of opinion in a republic

The functions of an Editor

Be honest and fair; remember that there are two sides to every question. Make fair play the standard of news presentation.

Be willing to hear the voice of the appraised; be tolerant.

Uphold the laws of the country, its Constitution, the state laws and the laws of the municipality in which the newspaper is published

The functions of an Editor

Remember that the news should be fair, accurate, unbiased, and impersonal.

Endeavour to bring out the constructive point of view in dealing with the community.

Act with moderation in conducting the newspaper.

Adopt a broad social policy, remembering that sympathetic understanding is the language of all humanity.

Recognize the place of individual leadership and social responsibility resting upon the shoulders of all.

Be loyal; be willing to fight for honest conviction.

The functions of an Editor

Public Relations Team Building Leadership Planning Organizing the desk

The functions of an Editor

◦ He should be an excellent communicator◦ He should be a good partner◦ He should be an efficient administrator◦ He should be an efficient coordinator◦ He should be a delectable leader◦ He should have a sensitive feel for typography,

good newspaper design and good news photographs

◦ He should maintain cordial relations with leaders and public in every walk of life, but not to succumb to blandishments

Qualification of an Editor

Guardians - ◦ At the most fundamental level, editors are

guardians -- guardians of the way we communicate.

◦ This means that editors should be careful of trendy or faddish words that only a limited few will understand.

◦ Being guardians means that grammatical principles are consistently followed, that words are chosen carefully, that a publication's style is observed (but not blindly so) and that words are spelled correctly.

Editors are also:

Newsrooms often see a lot of churn, especially among the reporter ranks. With reporters moving in and out so much, how can they understand the context in which the news happens?

Editors need to know their communities and their states, they need to know what has happened there recently and what happened there long ago, and they need to bring that perspective to their news reports.

Audiences will not trust or respect a news publication that does not understand the history that has shaped their communities.

Editors are Historians

◦ Have a "a built-in bullshit detector." ◦ An editor needs to be able to sense when somebody

is being less-than-forthcoming or self-serving. ◦ Because accuracy in journalism is paramount.

Although there's an implicit trust between editors and reporters, editors must constantly be asking, "How do we know this?"

◦ If a reporter understands that this comes from a perspective that values the need for accuracy, rather than from an air of distrust, he or she will look forward to such exchanges.

◦ Even on the copy desk, editors must always be questioning whether facts are correct.

Editors are Questioners

◦ "Who wrote this piece of garbage?!" ◦ The essence of coaching involves allowing

reporters to maintain ownership of their work. ◦ By acting as a coach, rather than autocratic

manager, the editor helps the reporter to conceptualize a story and works with him or her through the reporting, writing and editing of the story.

◦ And using such an approach may -– heaven forbid! –- help the reporter to get better.

Editors are Coaches

◦Going hand in hand with the editor as a coach is the editor as a teacher.

◦Most editors start their careers as reporters.

◦What they learned along the way, they pass along to the newer folks who come along. Many editors act as mentors to young reporters –- and to new editors, too.

Editors are Teachers

Editors are leaders in their newsrooms. They set the tone. They formulate the mission and make sure everyone knows it.

They set the example for others. They inspire newspersons to do their best and to understand the importance of what they do.

In a sense, they are visionaries, knowing where the newsroom is and where they want it to go.

Editors are Leaders

There's so much, so much, so much information out there that somebody needs to decide what's fit for publication or broadcast and what's not.

That's the gate-keeping function of editors -- deciding what's newsworthy.

Editors are Gatekeepers

Although reporters on the beat should be generating the most story ideas for their publications, editors themselves are always inquisitive.

What does the audience need to know about -- or want to know about?

How do news events affect the audience? What's under the surface that we need to

get at?

Editors are Thinkers

Editors are advocates for their writers, for their newsrooms, for freedom of expression, for the importance of journalism in Indian society.

Editors are Advocates

Editors are writers, whether they're helping reporters rework their stories or writing headlines or creating photo captions or graphics.

Editors are Writers

They don't just work with words, but with the entire presentation.

They coordinate with photojournalists and graphic artists.

They select pictures and edit informational graphics.

They design pages. You need more than just words to tell the

story.

Editors are Artists

They keep track of budgets and fight for as many resources as possible to cover the news.

They hire and evaluate staffers and set work schedules.

For better or worse, editors are managers.

Editors are Managers

They are constantly attuned to the potential problems that news reporting can create and to the potential for harm that journalism can inflict.

Editors work to minimize such harm and to make sure that their colleagues follow the norms of the profession.

Editors are Ethicists

democrats with a lowercase "D." Editors understand the importance of

journalism in a self-governing society like ours.

That's the notion of providing people with the information they need in order to elect public officials and make other decisions about their lives.

It's the notion that those in power -- whether political power or economic power -- are to be held accountable.

Editors are Democrats

... And finally an Editor is artist, chef, butcher, shoemaker, barber and tailor all rolled into one

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, spy…