Two sides of a coin

Even though I have done a number of reporting assignments, I have always been associated with the editorial department. This is a side of journalism not visible to the outside world. So much so that I have difficulty introducing myself. The first question people ask me is: what do you write on? What is your area of specialisation? Writing news items is not my job, but sitting on judgement on news items is.

The layperson knows only the reporter. The image the word journalism brings to an ordinary person is that of an reporter sticking out a mike or busy jotting down notes. But journalism is much beyond a reporter.

To make it very simple: a journalist is broadly either a reporter or a sub-editor. They are the two sides of the journalism coin. One difference is while a report is written by one person, the reporter; the report is processed not by one person, but by a group of persons who belong to the editorial desk.

After the reporter writes the report and gives it to the editorial desk -- commonly referred to as just desk -- the report passes through a number of stages before it finally appears in print. Some of the stages are:

* Its importance or newsworthiness is assessed

* It is edited for clarity, coherence, accuracy of facts, language, conformity to laws etc

* A headline is given

* It is slotted on a page

This blog will, in coming days, attempt to discuss various roles of both the reporter and editorial desk.