UNIT V

News Editing

Course contents
 News editing
 Editing skills: appropriate order, emphasis on news judgment, fairness, accuracy,
editorial balance, grammar, style, language fluency, legal concerns and ethics in the
newsroom;
 writing headlines and cutline;
 ethical considerations in editing and maintaining deadline.

NEWS EDITING

INTRODUCTION
In a news organization, editing plays a vital role. News reports written in a hurry by reporters
have to be checked and improved by a team of editors. These copies are checked for grammar,
syntax, facts, figures and sense. Editing is tailoring news items or a news story to the required
shape and size using the right kind of expressions and symbols. A copy is edited to highlight the
‘news sense’ in a story and to bring uniformity of language and style in an issue of a newspaper.
Editors look out for certain news values in a copy like proximity, timeliness, prominence,
consequence and human interest while selecting a news item for publication. A news item is
selected keeping in view its interest to a large number of readers and its impact on them.

In the editing process, each newspaper has its own set of rules that are enforced. These rules are
contained in a small book called the stylebook. The copy editor handling a news copy also has to
write the headline for it, using limited words within the allotted space. Similarly, layout editors
have to allot space for photographs, maps, charts and graphs to go along with the news items.
The language of photo captions, maps, graphs and charts are different from the language used in
the text and headline and have to be mastered. A copy editor has to be well-versed in editing
symbols to correct the copy, besides, he should be capable of rewriting a poorly written story if it
is of interest to the readers.

WHAT IS EDITING

As you know that editing is a tailoring news item or a news story to the required shape and size
using the right kind of expressions and symbols, so let us now take a quick recap on editing and
its intricacies? On the new desk all incoming news items are sorted by a senior journalist to
achieve a balance between news originating within the organization and those pouring in from
outside. In the process, unwanted copies get weeded out. Only copies having news value are
selected. These are checked for grammar, syntax, facts, figures, sense and are improved upon
and condensed for economy of space. A copy is edited to highlight the ‘news sense’ in a story
and to bring uniformity of language and style. If you refresh your learning of the previous
course, you may recall that news has a number of characteristic elements.

Five conventional determinants of news values are:

1. Proximity: The nearer the origin of news, that is, the closer it is to home, the more is its
impact.
2. Timeliness: News grows old quickly. The more recent its occurrence, the worthier it is.
3. Prominence: Names make news and newspapers like to use as many local names as
possible. News about public figures and celebrities make more, interesting reading.
4. Consequence: A reader’s interest is aroused if an event or occurrence affects him. He is
eager to know how it will affect him and his family. Say for instance a news item on
proposed hike in fuel prices.
5. Human interest: Any interesting story about people and their peculiarities make for
wider readership.

A news story has to be newsworthy and interest a large member of readers. A story’s
worth is determined by its impact on the readers. All these factors have to be kept in mind
while editing. In the next section, we will discuss about editing from the point of view of
language.

DEFINITION
 The Advanced Learner’ Dictionary of Current English defines editing as ‘preparing,
(another person’s writing) for publication (especially in a newspaper or other periodical);
doing the work of planning and directing the publication of a newspaper, magazine,
encyclopedia etc.; preparing a cinema film, tape recording by putting together parts in a
suitable sequence.’

 Prominent American theorist and Editor-at-large of American monthly magazine

‘commentary’ Norman Podhoretz says ‘editing is to improve an essentially well-written
piece or to turn a clumsily written one into, at the very least, a beautifully shaped
effective essay which remains true to the author’s intention and which realizes that
intention more fully than he himself is able to do.’

NEWS ROOM SET-UP

The news room is headed by an editor or editor-in-chief or chief editor. The editor-in-chief is the
leader of the editorial as well as the reporting team. In addition to the Editor, many news
organizations also appoint a Chief Editor, Managing Editor or an Executive Editor to look after
important policy decisions of the organization and carry out other important activities that come
under the purview of the editor. The person next in line after the editor is the News editor.

The News editor is assisted in turn by a number of sub-editors or copy editors. Sometimes there
might be senior sub editors also. There are usually different copy editors for different pages like
page 1, sports page, international page, national page, city page, business page, entertainment
page etc. There are also different sub editors responsible for different editions of the newspaper
and for different supplements.

The reporters responsible for different beats report back to the concerned copy editor for their
beats.

A flow chart representing the new room set up has been provided below for your better
understanding.

ROLE OF EDITORS
The Editor:
It is the editor who is responsible for the entire content of a newspaper. He also takes the
responsibilities of planning and directing various operations that are carried out in a day. Being
the leader of the entire team of news men, the editor has to shoulder huge responsibilities. He not
only has to plan, direct, supervise and take important decisions, but also has to ensure smooth
functioning of different activities in a news organization. He also should be aware of the taste of
the readers and shape the content of the paper according to the reader’s taste and needs.

The image creation of the newspaper is in the hands of the Editor. He should be able to enhance
the acceptability, credibility and popularity of the paper and contribute towards increasing the
readership base of the newspaper.

The editor also writes the editorial for the newspaper through which he needs to reflect the
editorial policies and ensure respectability of the paper among the masses. The editor has to
strive to create and enhance the newspaper’s brand loyalty among its readers and often decide
the paper’s editorial policy keeping this factor in mind.

The News Editor:

The News Editor plays the most important role in the shaping of a newspaper after the editor. A
News Editor’s responsibilities are quite important as he or she is supposed to be in the overall
charge of making sure that no important item is missing from the newspaper or the bulletin at
any cost. He or she is also responsible for maintaining a steady and continuous flow of up-to-the-
minute news items. He must get the best out of the news agencies and his own correspondents
and see that they do not miss important news. He has to coordinate the activities of the
newspaper in its various sections like reporters, the different news desks and the picture and
feature departments. Usually, this position is reserved for someone with long years of experience
and a lot of ‘connections and sources’ in the field of news gathering. This is because he or she
bears the ultimate responsibility for adequate coverage of all important news items.

The News editor must be able to spot an interesting news item when others may have failed.
Then again, even if the reporters or other journalists of that organization miss anything of
importance, it is the responsibility of this person to spot it and instruct his or her colleagues for
getting the news out from the potential sources.

A person in this position has to be literally ‘on his toes’ round the clock as anything may break
out at any moment of the day. He must also keep a watch on what appears in the rival
newspapers and evaluate the performance of his newspaper in relation to those newspapers. The
news editor has to play the role of the eyes and ears of the Editor and act as a liaison between
him and the newsroom.

Sub-Editor / Copy-Editor:
The sub-editor or the copy editor is by far the most hard- working person in a newspaper. It is the
sub-editor through whom all news, articles and features meant for the newspaper passes and it is
the job of the subeditor to sift through all the material, discard unnecessary copy, select
important and relevant matter and finally edit the copy to create the readable and publishable
news content. The sub-editor has to rewrite defective passages, reduce lengthy reports to precise
matter, and write proper headlines and leads. The sub-editor has to be well versed with the
newspaper’s style book and ensure that every news report fits this prescribed style.

The sub-editor must have the stamina and the speed to be able to meet deadlines.

The job of the sub-editor can be summarized in the following points:

1. He reads the story for clarity of language and meaning and rewrites whenever necessary.
2. He shortens the story while retaining the essentials and maintaining consistency.
3. He combines several reports from different sources to produce a single intelligible report.
4. He corrects grammatical mistakes and implements the house style.
5. He checks for errors of facts and figures.
6. He checks for legal errors like libel, contempt of court etc. which could land the
newspaper in trouble.
7. He adds important background information to place the story in a context.
8. He writes headlines and sub-headlines, when necessary,

QUALITIES OF AN EDITOR
The editorship is not a bed of roses and has never been. Easy as his life may seem, he works
under all manners of pressures and not all necessarily coming from the management. Because it
is the final responsibility in bringing out the paper he has to bear the brunt of wrath whether of
advertisers or existing governments.

So, to run the organization smoothly, editor needs a few qualities-

 He should be well read
 He should have strong current affair knowledge.
 He should know the readers’ interest, of the circulation area
 He should have an analytical mind
 He should have the capacity to visualize the story developing idea as well as its impact on
the readership.
 He should have the idea on news production
 He should have an eye for accuracy and authenticity of news
 He should have the readership quality and comprehensible capacity
 He should have a good grasp of press laws/ laws and legal provisions.
 He should have command over language, as many as possible, along with the writing
skills
 He should have the quality to organize and manage his institution
 He should have an infinitive capacity for taking pains and doing hard work. Develop
ability to persuade people by cogent reasoning
 He should be honest, hardworking and sincere to his job
 He should have the quality to research into the public opinion, attitudes and expectations
 He should be able to establish and sustain a two-way relationship among the employees,
management and the target audience
 Taking care of the organizational house policy, interest, profit, he should also have the
capacity to maintain his social responsibility
 He should have the capacity to take immediate decision if required
  He should be witty and wise
 He should have far sightedness
 He should have tremendous will power
 He should have the capacity to manage the crisis situation and to uphold the team spirit at
that particular time

CONCEPT OF NEWS EDITING

Editing is the process of preparing language, images or sound for presentation through
correction, condensation, organization and other modification.
The Advanced Learner’ Dictionary of Current English defines editing as ‘preparing, (another
person’s writing) for publication (especially in a newspaper or other periodical); doing the work
of planning and directing the publication of a newspaper, magazine, encyclopedia etc.; preparing
a cinema film, tape recording by putting together parts in a suitable sequence.’

Prominent American theorist and Editor-at-large of American monthly magazine ‘commentary’

Norman Podhoretz says ‘editing is to improve an essentially well-written piece or to turn a
clumsily written one into, at the very least, a beautifully shaped effective essay which remains
true to the author’s intention and which realizes that intention more fully than he himself is able
to do.’

As veteran journalist Dasu krishnamoorty puts it, ‘Editing is a whole concept around which a
message is conceived, perceived, designed and communicated.’ It is a chain of activities that
starts with the assigning of beats to the reporters and culminates in the final publication of the
newspaper. News editing is all about building bridges with mass audiences by eliminating blocks
in that process. Editing makes the copy suitable for publication.

COPY EDITING

Copy editing is the process by which an editor makes formatting changes and other
improvements to the text. A person who performs the task of copy editing is called a copy editor.
A copy editor mostly reviews and edits reporters copy for accuracy, content, grammar and style.
They also provide catchy headlines for the story. The following tasks are their responsibilities
1. Ensuring accuracy
2. Trimming unnecessary words
3. Polishing the language
4. Correcting inconsistencies
5. Making the story conform to style and editorial policy
6. Eliminating passages in poor taste
7. Eliminating libelous statements
8. making certain the story is readable and complete.
.
The exercise of editing, especially in print media, can broadly be divided into four stages:
 Conceptualization and planning
 Visualization
 Dummy Preparation
  Handling of copy

Of the four stages, the most exhaustive stage is the fourth stage, i.e., handling of copy. It
involves the following:
1. Selection of news items
2. Cutting and pruning
3. Removal of mistakes
4. Rewriting when necessary
5. Headlining

Newspaper offices receive news from various sources. Reporters and correspondents are
positioned at various important places by the organizations for the purpose of collecting news.
The newspaper offices also receive a bulk of news from different news agencies whose task is to
supply up-to-date information round the clock.

Then, there are other sources as well, from where the newspaper offices get the information. The
volume of incoming news items far exceeds what can be actually accommodated in the
newspaper and not all of these are truly newsworthy.
Therefore, the first activity, i.e., selection, is basically a gate keeping process. It involves sifting
through the entire incoming news items, i.e., the copy and sorting out the newsworthy stories in
accordance with the newspaper’s editorial policy.

The second, third, fourth and fifth stages together form what is popularly known as copy editing.
It includes cutting the news, tailoring and shaping them for publication. It also includes checking
for inadequacies in grammar, syntax, facts and figures and, of course, news sense. It is also the
job of the copy editor to cross-check facts. If required, corrections are made and at times the
story is even rewritten.

Finally, the news report is topped with a suitable headline. (Headlining has been discussed in
detail in the next unit).

In a publication house, copies are filed by different reporters with non-uniform writing skills.
Therefore, an important function of copy editing is to bring uniformity of language and style in
conformity with the stylebook, so that readers get a uniform reading experience.

The desk people are highly skilled in carrying out this specific job of editing. They sit at the desk
or in the office and work in shifts. Their role is very specialized and demands immense creativity
and concentration. It is because of their contribution that news becomes worthy of publication.
They scan through all the news items, select the ones that are newsworthy and relevant for their
readers, look for factual and qualitative errors, correct them, cut them to fit into the limited space
without tampering the actual meaning of the news and finally give the news the shape and style
that is followed by their newspaper. Therefore, the newsroom is the hub of the entire activities,
and the Editorial Desk (also known as the Editorial Department or Copy Desk or News Desk) is
the nerve center of a newsroom.

Editing process
The main consideration in editing is to tell the story in fewest words possible. Basic principles of
editing lie in its processes.

The process of editing consists three phases namely, selection, correction and rewriting.
1. Selection
The selection of news to be covered is based on the editor’s personal and professional
judgment. The main factor in that judgment can be summed up in a single word:
Newsworthiness. Newsworthy stories are generally those that offer the most information
with the most urgency to the most people.
2. Correction
Another consideration is respect for accuracy. It means looking out for small factual
errors, which disfigure an otherwise good story. Editing involves making sure words are
spelled correctly, language is used properly, punctuation is in the right places and
spelling is accurate.
3. Rewriting
Don’t be afraid to ask for a re-write. Try not to rewrite the entire article. Only the
presentation style, language and structure of the story is rewritten

PRINCIPLES OF COPY (NEWS) EDITING

In the previous sections, you have received some basic idea about what editing is, who
constitutes the editorial team and what is the role of each person. Let us now study the basic
principles of editing. We shall begin with the principles of writing headlines.

Headline:
Headline writing is perhaps the most difficult part of news editing. Most stories come without a
proper headline, and providing the appropriate headline which not just truly represents the story,
but also catches the eye of the reader is indeed a challenge. While explaining the story
accurately, the headline must also fit into a limited space. Some copy editors approach headline
writing by looking for a key word or two that expresses the high point of the story. Then they
add other words until they have a headline.

Other copy editors begin by forming a sentence that contains the essential elements of the story.
Then they edit out excess words (adverbs, adjectives, articles, and so forth) and minor details
until all that is left is a well-tailored headline that tells the story’s essentials.

A headline has to be appropriate not just in terms of sentence construction or being suitable for
the news story, but even from the point of view of typography and layout considerations. And it
is the copy editor’s responsibility to ensure this. Earlier, during the period of letterpress
printing, headlines had specific word counts and had to be written and sized keeping in mind the
availability of space. However, with the changed scenario of computerized newsroom, the editor
is no more faced with such constraints.
Here are a few more simple points for editors to keep in mind for writing satisfactory headlines:
 It must be appropriate
 It must tell a story
 It must conform to the paper’s standard
 It must not just be a label
  It must not commit the paper to an opinion
Lead:
As discussed in the earlier units, the ‘lead’ is written in an inverted pyramid style,
accommodating the most important points in it followed by the lesser important details. No
matter how the reporter has written the copy, the sub-editor handling the copy has to arrange the
lead in that manner after extracting the main points of the news. The lead should contain all the 5
W’s and 1 H that we have discussed in the previous unit. But in case of a major story when it
becomes difficult to club all the W’s and H, then at least the lead should answer what, when and
where. The rest of the elements should be dealt with in the subsequent paragraphs.

In writing the lead, the copy editor has to keep in mind the economy of words. Ideally a lead
should not contain more than 30 to 35 words and each sentence should not exceed more than 15
words.

The lead should be short, crisp and precise. It, however, does not mean that the lead should be
devoid of facts. The lead should contain limited words within which the most important facts
should be carried.

Types of lead
a. Summary lead/ news lead/ multiple element lead

Ideally the lead should give the summary of what has happened in a nutshell. The reader
should get the entire information in the lead itself, at least the crux of the story. It enables
the hurried readers to get the main essence of the story in the first paragraph, without
needing to go further. This kind of lead which summarizes the story is called the
summary lead or news lead or multiple element lead.

A short lead, telling all the vital points, using simplest possible words and maintaining
the order of importance, is the key to the success of a story.
b. Narrative lead
Apart from the normal summary lead, the copy editor can also, make use of different
other kinds of lead for special impact in case of certain stories. For instance, the
narrative lead (also known as descriptive lead or picture lead) can be used in order to
attract the reader’s attention by drawing a vivid picture of a particular situation, place,
person, object or unusual phase of action that the story may deal with.
c. Staccato lead
Again, if in a news story, the time element consists of fast action or the intervals are
separated by a series of related events, which needs to be emphasized, then the staccato
lead can be used. It consists of several small broken sentences punctuated either by
periods or dashes.
d. Contrast lead
Again if the news story deals with a situation that presents some kind of contrast, say a
contrast between the present and former situations, two people or say, between two
events happening in two different places, then the contrast lead can be used.

e. Question lead
 Sometimes, the lead can start with a question (question lead) and sometimes the reader
can be directly addressed in the lead (directly addressed lead). While reporting
important speeches or public statements by important people, the lead may begin with a
quote. This is called quotation lead. So, in this way, different types of leads can be used
to enhance the impact of the story.

Body:
The body elaborates what has been established in the lead. Points which have not been
accommodated in the lead are elaborated in the body.

Mostly the body deals with the element of ‘how’. But while constructing the body the sub editor
should remember that he maintains the logical order of facts in the body. Or in other words he
has to follow the inverted pyramid style of news writing. In case of features, on the other hand,
the pyramid style is used.

Conclusion:
As mentioned earlier, a hard news story does not have a conclusion. Mostly, in case of soft news
stories the conclusion is an essential element. Nevertheless, in the conclusion part the sub editor
should weave out the vital points of the entire story and give a suitable conclusion.

HEADLINES
HEADLINE TYPES AND STYLES
The ability to write good, appropriate and catchy headlines is certainly a valuable skill for an
editor. However, headline writing is not merely about using the right words in the right order to
frame the sentence but also about the physical placement of the headline on the page in the story
and distribution of the constituent words, attributing it with the proper length, font, font size etc,
keeping in mind the factors like the type of the story (Hard news? Soft news? Feature? Article?) ,
relative importance of the story compared to other stories, the space the story has occupied etc.
As such, there are a number of ways in which a headline can be written. While some of these are
stylistic devices (font type, style and size, font colour, use of artwork in headlines etc.) used in
order to make the headline catchier, some others are used to make the headline fit within the
available space. There are some headline styles and types commonly seen in the newspapers.
Headlines are classified based on number of lines used, alignment of the lines, and special
headlines which use different stylistic devices to achieve different purposes. These categories are
not independent of each other and the definitions are overlapping. Almost every headline will
have one of the characteristics of each of the categories.

A. BASED ON NUMBER OF LINES

1. SINGLE LINE HEADLINE
When the headline contains just one sentence and extends along the same line only, then
it is called a single-line headline.
2. DOUBLE- LINE HEADLINE
In case of some headline, the sentence extends to two lines. This type of headline is
called double-line headline.
3. MULTIPLE LINE HEADLINE
 When the same sentence extends to three lines or more, then it is called a multiple line
headline.

B. BASED ON ALIGNMENT
1. FLUSH LEFT HEADLINE
When a single or multiple line headlines is aligned to the left margin, it is called a
flush left headline. The white space at the right is considered enhancing, because it
allows “air” into the otherwise stuffy column spaces and makes it more pleasing to
the eye. Flush left is the most commonly used headline today. When in a flush left
headline, every next line is longer than the previous one; it is called a stepped
headline.
2. FLUSH RIGHT HEADLINE/ REVERSE STEP HEADLINE
It is reverse of the flush left head. Here the lines are pushed against the right margin
to create a stepped effect on the left. It is not a very commonly used headline.
3. FLUSH CENTRE HEADLINE/ CENTRED HEADLINE
This is also a headline of more than one line where all the lines are center aligned.
4. INVERTED PYRAMID HEADLINE
This is a headline style of three or four lines aligned center, where each successive
line is shorter than the one above. Its use is relatively less.

C. SPECIAL HEADLINES

1. BANNER HEADLINE
The banner headline is a large headline of one or more lines extending across the entire
page. It is so called because this headline looks like the banner or flag of the newspaper.
It is also known as the streamer. It is used only in case of very important news in order to
draw attention. Now-a-days some feature stories also use this kind of headline.
In very rare cases the banner headline runs above the flag. It is called the skyline. It is
used sparingly and the news has to be really very big to merit such a headline.
2. CROSSLINE OR BLANKET HEADLINE
The cross line head is very similar to a banner headline but it does not cover the full
width of the page. It however covers all the columns of the story.
3. KICKER
When two important pieces of information are to be carried in the headline, then the
headline is broken into two sentences. The second line of the headlines is apparently
bolder and bigger in size. Above this there is another sub-ordinate headline which is half
the size of the one below and also with different font style. It is called kicker or eyebrow
line or strapline. It adds a new thought but does not repeat the words or information in
the main line below. To add white space, the kicker is always underlined.
4. REVERSE KICKER OR HAMMER HEADLINE
As the name suggests, this headline is exactly the reverse of the kicker headline. Here the
kicker over line is set twice the size of the hammer headline below. Although the over
line is bigger than the hammer, the hammer is still considered to be the main headline.
This headline was originally used mainly in feature stories only, but now-a-days it is used
for hard news stories as well.
5. TRIPOD HEADLINE
The tripod head is a single, short line of larger type set to the left of two or three lines of
smaller type. The tripod portion (larger wording) should be twice the size of the
definition or main headline. For example, a 36-point tripod would dictate that the main
head be set in 18-point type to give the true tripod appearance. Punctuation in the form of
a colon is required when the tripod conveys a separate thought.
6. WICKET HEAD
The wicket head is a tripod in reverse — short line of larger type set to the right of two or
three (or more) lines of smaller type. The colon is not used in the wicket. This headline is
seldom used and its actual design varies from newspaper to newspaper
7. NOVELTY HEAD
The novelty head features typographical tricks, such as setting part of the head upside
down, using an ornate typeface or substituting artwork as characters. It is used sparingly
and is appropriate for feature articles only.
8. SIDE HEAD
The side head is a headline form that runs alongside a story. It is normally three or four
lines and looks best when set flush right. A side head is usually placed slightly above the
center of the story.
9. JUMP HEAD
This headline is designed to help the reader find a portion of a story continued from
another page. The jump head uses one or two key words from the headline that
introduced the story. It is set flush left followed by the words “Continued from Page ##,”
usually set in boldface body type or at times in italics.
10. STANDING HEAD
The standing head is essentially a label used for regular or recurring content, such as
sports, science columns etc. It does not change from issue to issue.

Skills in editing

Editing involves carefully reviewing material before it is published and suggesting or

making changes to correct or improve it. The editor must communicate clearly and
tactfully with all team members, and clearly mark and convey changes, suggestions, and
directions. In all cases, the editor should strive to make all changes without altering
intended meaning or introducing errors. The editor should also be aware of the legal and
ethical dimensions of the publishing process, including issues involving copyright,
plagiarism, libel, privacy protection, and confidentiality, and the need to address biased,
non-inclusive, and offensive material. People who edit use a broad range of terms to
describe what they do.

The following are definitions of the skills most commonly required for editing

a. (Emphasis on) News judgement

The editor has to make a good judgement over the news. He should pay more attention on
the level/ standard of the news, the source of news, the significance of news, and the
balance of news. There may be possibility of repetition of news of formal programs. So
he has to be careful about it. Besides, whether the news is timely relevant or not is also to
be noticed by editor.

b. Legal provision/ concerns and ethics in News room-

The editor should be careful about whether the news has met legal provisions or not.
While editing the news, he has to be very much conscious about the contempt of court,
the libel or libelous statement, defamation, person quoted in the news, the name and
address of them etc.

Media of our country are governed by certain laws framed by the parliament and the
legislative bodies. Media content must remain within the parameters of the law. For
example, the law of sedition prohibits publishing anything against national security or
national integrity. The official secrets act also prohibits publication of any such
information which is an official secret. The constitution of Nepal provides the right to
freedom of speech and expression to the citizens which is applicable to the journalists all
well. However, it is the editor’s duty to constantly vigil that the right is subject to
reasonable restrictions hence the media just cannot publish or express whatever it feels
like.

The Press Council of Nepal has laid down the norms of journalistic conduct, which is a
code of ethics to be followed by the journalists. They should not be biased and should
report it in an objective manner. The language should also not cross the limit of decency
and the photographs published in a newspaper should be in sync with the cultural value
of the society. These are areas where the editor has to be absolutely alert and has to pass
on clear instructions to his editorial team. The credibility of a newspaper is directly
associated with its objectivity.

Editor should respect the laws of the countries where they work and must not resort to
illegal means such as theft, misrepresentation, stealing of passwords, hacking or
electronic surveillance to obtain information. We can report on material whose origin is
legally questionable such as leaked classified documents, but we must take care to ensure
that we are not leaving ourselves open to potential legal action. In such cases, the editor
should contact the chief editor who will consult with the legal department if necessary.

c. Maintaining fairness, accuracy and balance

Fairness
It means that reporters covering a story must remember there are usually two sides – and
often more – to most issues, and that those differing viewpoints should be given roughly
equal space in any news story. Let’s say the local school board is debating whether to ban
certain books from the school libraries. Many residents representing both sides of the
issue are there. The reporter may have strong feelings about the subject. Nevertheless, he
should interview citizens who support the ban, and those who oppose it. And when he
writes his story, he should convey both arguments in a neutral language, giving both sides
roughly equal space.

Practicing fairness

There are several ways you can allow personal bias to destroy objectivity and impartiality
in the way you handle news. You should be aware of the dangers at each stage of the
process of news production, from the first decision to cover a story through to its
presentation on a page or in a bulletin.

1. Selection of news

Busy newsrooms constantly have to make decisions about which stories to cover and
which to ignore. The selection of stories can introduce a very basic bias if it is not done
objectively. Simply because you disagree with a government, a group or an individual
does not mean that you can suppress all stories which show the good side of them and
cover only those which show them unfavorably. You should be even-handed. This is
particularly important at such times as election campaigns. Your decisions on which
stories to cover should be made on the principles which govern what makes news. News
should be new, unusual, interesting, significant and about people. The exact balance of
these criteria may vary depending on your audience. If you work for a scientific
magazine, you may select different stories to a journalist who works in the newsroom of a
pop music radio station. You must develop an accurate understanding of what is news to
your audience, then be fair and consistent in the selection of every story.

2. Choice of sources

Even if you have to overcome a personal prejudice and decide to cover a story you find
disagreeable, you must still take care that you are fair in your choice of sources of
information. It is not fair to choose to interview an attractive personality for a cause you
support but an unattractive or muddled person for a cause you oppose. There is also the
danger that, if you are asked to cover a story you dislike doing, you will fail to put
enough energy into finding interviewees and arranging to talk to them. For example,
someone you dislike may not want to talk to you. You must not say: “Oh well, let’s
forget him.” You should try your hardest to get an interview or at least a comment. If you
want to be a good journalist, you should put your best effort into every story. That way
you produce a good product and help objectivity. In some cases, people will be unwilling
or unable to give an interview. Maybe they are just too busy, maybe they hate the sound
of their own voice. Of course, you should try your very best to convince them they should
do the interview. You should still try for balance, even if it means finding someone else
to speak for them or writing about their previous position on the issue. (Be careful,
though, that your story makes clear that this is not a response to the present issue.)
Always try to get some comment because using phrases like “declined to comment”
shows that you are unable to present a fair and balanced report. If this happens too often,
your reputation as a fair and honest reporter will suffer. But remember this: To maintain
balance, you do not need to present both sides of an argument in one story, even though it
is preferable. Balance will be achieved if you give an opposing view in the follow-up
story.

3. Interviewing techniques

Do not abandon objectivity when you conduct the interview. It may be difficult to
interview someone who stands for something you oppose or who has done something you
dislike, but you must continue to be fair and accurate. For example, if you are
interviewing a drug addict or a thief, remember you are not there as a policeman or
prosecutor. Do not demand answers in an aggressive tone. Keep your temper. The golden
rule of all interviewing is to be polite but persistent. Questions should be fair and you
must take as much care when taking notes or recording as for any interview. If
accusations have been made against the interviewee, do not make them sound like your
accusations. Instead of saying: “You ran away from your responsibilities, didn’t you?”
you should say: “Critics say that you ran away from your responsibilities. Did you?” The
outcome is the same, only the tone is fairer. This advice applies particularly to broadcast
journalists, some of whom like to ask aggressive questions for dramatic effect - the so-
called tough interviewer. If that is your style, you must use it with everyone, not just the
people you dislike.

4. Selecting material

Having conducted your interviews, you now have to put your material together into a
story. Whether working for newspapers, magazines, radio or television, you have to
select which facts and quotes to include and which to leave out. You will probably write
your story in the usual inverted pyramid, with the most important things at the start. Here
again, you must be fair in choosing material. There are usually two sides to every
argument, so do not be one-sided in choosing what facts to include or which words to
quote. If your interviewee has said: “I support the present government, but with some
serious reservations”, it would be wrong to use only the quote: “I support the present
government.” Be fair and quote accurately, making sure that the meaning of each
comment is put in context with what else is being said. If the person you have
interviewed stressed the importance of one particular aspect, do not omit it simply
because you disagree with what was said. You should judge each comment independently
under the criteria for what is news. That way you maintain objectivity.

5. Language

Clear and lucid language should be used in the news so as to make the target readers easy
to understand. As grammar is the backbone of language, the editor must be linguistically
expert, may it be English or Nepali.

The language in which a story is written is very important. It is quite easy to change the
whole of a sentence by adding one or two words loaded with a particular meaning. For
example, your interviewee might have made some remarks quite forcefully. It would be
wrong to describe them as “firm” simply because you liked him, or “harsh” because you
did not. Stick to facts. If he moved his finger as he made certain remarks, you can
mention it but remember that there is a lot of difference between such words as “waved”
(which some people do with their fingers naturally while speaking), “wagged” (which
people usually do while telling someone off) and “jabbed” (which is used to make a
forceful point or accusation). In fact, it is better to keep such descriptions out of news
stories, although they can be used when writing features to show something about the
person involved.

Any words you use instead of the verb “said” when attributing facts and opinions can add
a bias to your reporting. Journalists often like to find alternatives for the word “said”,
because they think that repetition becomes boring. If you do use alternatives, you must
recognize that some imply that you believe the person quoted while others imply that you
do not believe them.

Many journalists use a thesaurus to find alternative words to enliven their copy. A
thesaurus should only be used if you have a very good understanding of the language. It
is much better to use a dictionary to find the exact meaning of a word. If you use clear
and simple language and leave out as many adjectives and adverbs as possible, you will
limit the chance of bias entering into your copy. Once again, if your interviewee accuses
someone, you must make it clear that they are the interviewee’s words, not your own. For
example, if he says that the regime in Tilapia is brutal, attribute the remark to him, either
in reported speech or in a quote. Do not allow it to be seen as your own comment.
Remember, one man’s regime is another man’s government. One man’s cabinet is
another man’s junta. There are also good legal reasons for choosing your words carefully.
In most countries you can be prosecuted for making false statements about someone
which causes them harm. You should not blemish a person’s name without a special
reason, even though what you say is factually correct. There is no need to call a person
who kills his daughter “a beast”. If he has not been tried it is for the courts to decide his
guilt or innocence. If he has been found guilty, your story will be stronger if you carefully
and accurately record the facts without gory details and personal judgments. It will also
keep your reputation as an objective journalist.

6. Placing the story/ appropriate order and the priority

If you are a sub-editor in a newsroom, you should be fair where you place a story in the
paper or bulletin. Do not let personal feelings interfere with your news judgment. Just
because you are strongly opposed to deer hunting, you cannot choose to lead with that
and put the story about the Prime Minister’s assassination further down if they are both
new. There is no excuse for hiding a story down the page or bulletin simply because you
do not like what is said. Your readers or listeners may disagree with you over the order in
which you rank stories because they also have special likes and dislikes. But if you are
fair and follow the guidelines of news value, you will be able to defend your news
judgment against all sides.
The editor has to consider about what sort of news should be given first priority. Along
with this, he has to pay attention on the following things to know whether these aspects
of news story are appropriately written or not. They are-
a. Headline
b. Byline
c. Dateline
d. Lead
e. Body
f. Column

d. MAINTAINING ACCURACY, BALANCE AND FAIRNESS

Accuracy:

The accuracy of news is in fact taken for granted by the news consumers. Readers should
have a feeling that whatever they are being presented is the overcome of an honest and
dedicated effort of the writer. The readers should never be given an opportunity to say
that they never believed what appeared in the papers. News item should be accepted by
readers without questions. What factual accuracy really means is that every statement in
news items every name and date and age, quotation every definite word or expression or
sentence must be precise and presentation of the true facts. Accuracy means correctness
not merely in general impression but also in details, hastily accuracy is to a newspaper
what virtue is to a lady

Accuracy and truth

As journalists, we must report the facts accurately in a proper context without selective
use of material or deliberate omissions. We must separate fact from opinion and not
report rumors as fact. We must maintain the highest standards of verification. The
headline and the lead paragraph must be supported by the story and we must ensure that
background information is correct.

Every story must be correctly, precisely and transparently sourced. We should only use
anonymous sources if we have no alternative or for security reasons and the story is
sufficiently important to justify it.

Datelines must be honest, and bylined writers must be where they say they are. Photos
and videos must not be staged, manipulated or edited to give a misleading or false picture
of events. Graphics must be scaled correctly to avoid giving a distorted comparison of
data. Information used in graphics must come from trustworthy sources and be
thoroughly checked.

We must not be influenced by the hype or publicity surrounding an event and should
never exaggerate. We treat superlative claims such as first, biggest, best and worst with
the skepticism they deserve.
We have a duty to seek the truth and not passively report information as it is presented to
us. We must challenge our sources. We can accurately quote a politician, but is he or she
giving correct facts or telling the truth? Where did the aid worker learn the casualty toll?
Are the numbers cited in a speech correct?

We have a duty to report the news but should draw attention to any inconsistencies and
inaccuracies in a newsmaker’s comments. In other words, we must do everything we can
to provide as clear and truthful coverage of events as possible.

With the amount of rumor and noise circulating online and on social networks, our role of
providing accurate and verified news, via identified and reliable sources, has never been
more important.

Balance (editorial balance):

News is to be balanced though it is not an easy task to write news which is balanced in
every respects, a severe effort must be made by a reporter to render the account of any
event in the best possible manners. The reporter has to write all the specific facts
correctly, fairly and accurately and objectively. He has to put all the facts together in a
manner that his report conveys the correct and factual impression. He has to give a fair
picture of the event as it takes place. In order to be fair both to the audience and about the
gentleman about whom news is given it is necessary that the news is balanced in content
and meaning. News should be balanced in the matter of emphasis and complements. As a
reporter he must constantly strive to give each fact its proper emphasis and to put it in
proper relation to every other fact and to give those facts the relative importance to the
meaning of the story as a whole. A reporter has to narrate every last circumstance of the
story in pause taking details. A reporter has to select and arrange facts in a manner so as
to give a balanced view of the whole situation.

e. Strong Grammar Skills

Even if you are writing with the assistance of an editor, you must make your points clear.
As such, you cannot write well if you do not have a good grasp of spelling, sentence
structure, punctuation, and all that good grammar entails. Automatic spell-checkers and
similar software aids are useful, but they aren’t fully reliable. If you are familiar with a
specific usage style, such as The Chicago Manual of Style or Associated Press,
put that down. And if you're trained in other style guides such as medical or legal,
mention those as well. You must be aware of appropriate use of followings-
1. Proofreading
2. Revising
3. Drafting
4. Spelling
5. Structure
6. Style
7. Punctuation
8. Strong Vocabulary
9. Using the Rhetorical Triangle
10. Devise Structure
11. Establish Tone
12. Forming a Thesis
13. Planning
14. Building
15. Outlines

f. Presentation and style

There is a significant role of your presentation and writing style of news. The reader finds
the news material with a good style cum presentation more impressive. The editor should
have the ability to play with the language with impressive style so that the presentation of
the news become more interesting. His style should have clear presentation. The readers’
level of interest also influences the presentation. Thus the editor should consider whether
the news delivered is easily understood by the reader or not. For this, he should have
sound style and presentation.

g. Writing headlines and cutline

HEADLINES
A headline is catch line or a marketing sentence of the news item of a newspapers/News
channels.

Headline is, in fact, the lead (intro) punchy or dramatic words which attracts the readers /
viewers.

Writing headings is an art.

Headline job is to help the reader to decide whether or not to read the story or buy a
newspaper.

Good Vocabulary of a sub editor can be helpful in writing the attractive headlines.

Effective headlines are those which have the following characteristics.

1. In present tense
2. In active voice
3. With a personal tone
4. Simple
5. Precise
6. Positive

As an example of present tense we can see the following.

 The President signs the legislation at noon (active)

 At noon, the legislation will be signed by the president (passive)
  How an economy of words can be done in headline? - Two buses get in to each
other’s (accident)

In headlines avoid Jargon.

Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity

Sometime phrasing jargon would attract reader to read the news.

Cut lines:

cut lines (at newspapers and some magazines) are the words (under the caption, if there is
one) describing the photograph or illustration.

When writing a cutline with or without a caption, it is useful to have clearly in mind the
typical reader behavior when “using” a photograph and accompanying text:

A. First, the reader looks at the photo, mentally capturing all or most of the most obvious
visual information available. Often this reader look is merely a glance, so subtle
aspects of the picture may not register with many readers.
B. When that look at the photo sparks any interest, the reader typically looks just below
the photo for information that helps explain the photo. That's when captions and cut
lines must perform.
C. Then, typically, the reader, after digesting the information, goes back to the photo (so
be sure you enhance the experience and explain anything that needs explaining). The
specific information required can vary from one photo to the next. But for most
pictures a reader wants to know such information as:

 Who is that? (And, in most cases, identify people from left to right unless the
action in the photograph demands otherwise.)
 Why is this picture in the paper?
 What's going on?
 When and where was this?
 Why does he/she/it/they look that way?
 How did this occur?

Simply stated, cut lines should explain the picture so that readers are satisfied with their
understanding of the picture. They need not —and should not —tell what the picture has
made obvious. It should supply vital information that the picture cannot. For example, a
picture can show a football player leaping to catch a pass, but it likely does not show that
the result was the winning touchdown. The cutline should give that information.

cut lines should be as concise as possible, but they should not sound like telegrams or
machine guns. Unlike headlines (and caption lines), they should contain all articles and
conjunctions, just as do sentences in news stories. News picture cut lines should be
straightforward and clear.

Trite writing should be avoided. Do not point out the obvious by using such phrases as
“looks on,” “is shown” and “pictured above.”

Don't editorialize. The cutline writer should never make assumptions about what
someone in a picture is thinking or try to interpret the person's feelings from his or her
expression. The reader should be given the facts and allowed to decide for herself or
himself what the feelings or emotions are.

Avoid the known; explain the unknown. The cutline writer should avoid characterizing a
picture as beautiful, dramatic, and grisly or other such descriptive terms that should be
evident in the photograph. If it's not evident in the photograph, you’re telling the reader
won't make it happen. However, the cutline should explain something about how the
picture was taken if it shows something not normally observable by the human eye. For
example, was a wide-angle lens used? Or time-lapse photography? Explanations also are
needed for special effects, such as the use of an inset or a picture sequence.

Reflect the image. Cutline writers should make sure that the words accurately reflect the
picture. If a picture shows two or more people, the cutline writer should count the number
of identifiable people in the photo and check the number and sex of the people identified
in the cutline to make certain that they match. Special precautions should be taken to
make sure that the cutline does not include someone who has been cropped out of the
original photo.

Always, always, always check spelling. The cutline writer should check the spelling of
names in the story against the names that a photographer has provided to see if there are
discrepancies. The editor also should be sure that names in the cutline are the same names
used in the story.

“Wild art.” Photographs that do not accompany stories often are termed “wild art.” The
cut lines for wild art should provide the same basic information that a story does. Such
things as the “five W's” (who, what, when, where and why) are good to remember when
writing such cut lines. If you don't have all the information you need, get on the phone
and get the information. Don't try writing the cutline without needed facts. Sometimes,
wild art is used on a cover page to tease (refer) the reader to a story inside. But, unlike
television, don't tease the reader in the cutline. Give as complete a story as possible,
giving the reader the option of going inside for more details.

Accompanying art

If a picture is running with a story, a lengthy cutline is usually not needed. Sometimes a
single line is sufficient to identify the people or situation shown in the picture and to
make clear their relationship to the story. Remember that most cutline readers have not
yet read the story. Many of them will read nothing but the cutline and the headline. So the
 cutline must strike a delicate balance between telling enough information for the reader to
understand the photo and its context while being as crisp and brief as possible.

Shorter is better.

Cutline writing triggers a temptation to use long sentences. Avoid that temptation.

Cut lines, according to research are read more than stories, and should not be ignored by
journalists. One study found that cut lines were read 10 to 15% more than stories. Writing
better cut lines requires a system in which the person who edits the story and writes the
headlines also writes the cutline (some editors write cut lines without even seeing the
photos).

Cut lines, headlines and photos should complement each other in telling and selling the
story. The cutline should not only tell readers what they need to know about the photo,
but also include something from the text to tease them into reading the story. Cut lines
should not contain what is already in the headline or pullouts.

Cut lines may be only a line, but every newspaper needs a text cutline format. A text
cutline is used when a picture needs larger explanation. Cut lines, like stories, should
answer the five Ws and an H. They ought to be concise, direct and simple. Cut lines
should specify the dates, and avoid saying today, yesterday. Hardly would a picture
appear the day it was taken.

Here are points to consider when writing cut lines-

 Cut lines can convey non-visual senses better than photos: hearing, touch, small, taste.
 Cut lines can tell time, temperature and size better than photos.
 Cut lines can identify people and their relationships, photos can’t.
 Cut lines can explain the causes or consequences of what the photos show.
 Cutline can prevent possible misunderstanding of photos.
 Cut lines can call attention to something which might be overlooked in photos.
 Cut lines should explain any techniques used to create special effect. Even if it’s a
natural phenomenon such as light source, explain it.
 Cut lines should entice people to read the accompanying story but should not repeat
information in the headlines or pullouts.
 Cut lines should match the mood of the photo. They should be accurate, check the
names, address and numbers in the cut lines against the story. Count the number of
names in the cutline against the number of faces in the photo.
 Crop the photo before you write the cut lines. It will save you the embarrassment of
identifying someone not in the photo.
 Don’t state the obvious: “kisses the trophy” or “grimaces.”
 Don’t editorialize, don’t attribute human characteristic to animals and don’t put words
into people’s mouth or thoughts into their heads (“Jones must have been unhappy.”
  Be succinct. Use ‘from left’ instead of ‘starting from left to right.’
 Omit needless phrases, such as pictured here’ and above’.
 Although journalistic tradition calls for cut lines to be written in the present tense to
convey a sense of immediacy, writers are to use the past tense in the sentence in which
the date is reported. That is to avoid such nonsensical statements as ‘Jordan scores a
basket Sunday’. This is a curious jumbling of past with present and readers know that the
action must have happened.
 Cut lines types should be larger than text type and should offer contrast of race, serifs or
sans serif, or at least form. Because text type is usually serif, sans serif can work well in
cut lines.
 The newspaper should use standardized text cutline settings for the width of the picture.
Text cutline in the 10 to 12 range, generally, should not exceed 25 picas in width. Gutter
should be the same as that used elsewhere. One way to build whitespaces into the paper
is to set cutline narrower than the width of the picture. This permits extra whitespace at
either side of the cutline. The cutline can extend the width of picture when it is one-line
format-in 13 or 14 type.
 Cutline should be placed underneath the pictures. Occasionally, they are placed to the
right or left. It such a case, they should line up with the bottom of the picture to make it
easy for readers to find it. Grouped cut lines irritate readers because they have to work
harder to match the text information with the appropriate photo. Most reader will not
work that hard. Grouped cut lines, therefore, infuriate readers. Placing the cut lines
anywhere except underneath the picture should be an exception.
 In group photos, identify key figures by name and find a common word that identify
others
 Mug shots and head shots should not use cut lines that exceed one line of text. If the
photo occupies just half a column width, only the last name of the subject in the photo
should be used. Photos bigger than mud shots should have credit lines, i.e., the name or
identification of the photographer. Credit lines appear below just before or after the
cutline usually in small print.

Ethical principle and responsibilities for editorials

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF JOURNALISM
A former correspondent of the Associated Press of America, Wes Gallagher, has laid down-the
following principle: "Journalism requires a discipline of mind. It requires a sympathetic’
understanding of mankind, and also a cold objective analysis of how mankind meets the problem
of this age".
"Facts are sacred, comment is free". That is what the great editor of The Manchester Guardian,
C.P. Scott had said. Facts must not be tampered with. News must be reported with complete
objectivity. without any distortion. A journalist should not mix news and views. He must be
careful enough to clearly distinguish between the two. A well-known American journalist,
Leonard Silk, commenting on The New York Times, wrote: "Everybody talks about the
separation of the Church and the State, and at The Times Church refers to the editorial page and
State to the news department.
Maintenance of high professional standards is certainly a major responsibility of the publisher
and the editor. On the one hand journalists ought to be vigilant to safeguard the freedom of the
press and on the other thy must see that this freedom is used and never misused, that they always
act with a great sense of responsibility.
Editor's ethical Responsibilities
To what extent did you hold the editor of the newspaper responsible for the nature of coverage
specified in Activity? Here, we shall enumerate the responsibilities of an editor.
The editor has to assume responsibility for all matter published in the newspaper: news, views
and advertisements. Editors in Nepal, as elsewhere, have a duty to maintain the highest
professional and ethical standards. They shall provide independent and accurate news and
information with integrity, remaining accountable for their actions, neutral in their position and
keeping the national interest foremost in their minds at all times. They shall, accordingly,
conduct themselves in consonance with the following principles and observe these principles
both in letter and in spirit.
A. Professional Integrity/dignity and behavior
The editor shall

i. present the news with integrity and decency, avoiding real or perceived conflicts of
interest, and respect the dignity and intelligence of the audience as well as the subjects of
news;
ii. not use any information or materials, obtained for public information, for personal use
and interest;
iii. not function or operate while under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other intoxicants
that might undermine the objectivity of the news and information;
iv. clearly label opinion and commentary;
v. guard against extended coverage of events or individuals that fail to significantly advance
a story, place the event in context, or add to the public knowledge
vi. refrain from contacting participants in violent situations while the situation is in progress
vii. refrain from accepting gifts, favors, compensation or any other form of entertainment
from those who might seek to influence coverage
viii. not engage in activities that may compromise his integrity or independence;
ix. always disclose any personal pecuniary or other interest that he may have in any matter
which is the subject of any report or story written by him. Where a journalist comes
across any information, for example concerning a commercial enterprise, in advance of it
being put in the public domain, he shall refrain from using such information for his own
private profit;
x. recognize that he is accountable for his actions to the public and to the profession;
xi. respond to public concerns and sensitivity.
xii. Investigate complaints and correct errors promptly and with as much prominence as the
original report;
xiii. explain journalistic processes to the public, especially when practices spark
questions or controversy;
xiv. encourage employees to raise professional objections and create conducive
environments in which such objections and discussions are encouraged;
xv. seek support for and provide opportunities to train employees in professional decision-
making;
xvi. refrain from ordering or encouraging courses of action that would force
employees to commit an unethical act;
xvii. not use identification, special licenses or any other press privileges except in the
conduct of his profession;
xviii. protect the identity of children in case their parents or family members are
involved in crimes; and
xix. not publish judicial proceedings that might affect or alter the trial unfairly.
xx. not offer or make payments to any person who has been accused or convicted of a crime
or any person who is, or is likely to become, a witness in a criminal trial, unless it can
clearly and objectively be demonstrated that there is an overriding public interest in doing
so. The onus of demonstrating the overriding public interest shall be on the journalist.
B. Social Responsibility
He shall:
i. recognize their obligation to the public and to the country;
ii. believe in the freedom of media as an overriding right to honor the public’s right to know
and thus shall pledge themselves to promote, guard and defend this freedom both from
internal or external influences and interferences;
iii. understand that any commitment other than service to the public and the country
undermines trust and credibility;
iv. provide a full range of information to enable the public to make enlightened decisions;
v. apply for accreditation while also encouraging other professionals to be accredited; and
vi. not publish any matter which offends against good taste and decency. In particular, he
shall avoid publishing matter which is:
a. obscene, vulgar or sexually explicit; or
b. culturally insensitive, having no regard to the norms of Nepalese society and its
values;
c. or which has the effect of glamourizing or glorifying:
1. gratuitous violence;
2. gambling; or
3. the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.
C. The Right to Truth
He shall:
i. pursue the truth at all times and not publish false, inaccurate, misleading or distorted
material. He shall ensure that, as far as possible, every story he writes is thoroughly
 researched. In particular, he shall clearly distinguish between fact, comment and
conjecture. Where, despite due diligence in researching a story, he publishes an
inaccurate fact, he shall ensure that a correction, and a suitable apology, is published as
soon as possible after the inaccuracy has been brought to his attention;
ii. avoid or resist distortions that obscure the importance of events;
iii. disclose the origin of information unless the source demands otherwise;
iv. not publish anything known to be false or re-enacted;
v. not manipulate images or sounds in any way that can mislead the public; and
vi. not engage in plagiarism of other people’s work, and he shall ensure that, where he
quotes from other published or non-published sources, such sources are clearly and fully
identified.
D. Non – Discrimination
He shall:
i. defend the independence of all journalists from those seeking influence or control over
news content and gather and report news without fear or favor, and vigorously resist
undue influence from any outside forces, including advertisers, sources, story subjects,
powerful individuals, and special interest groups;
ii. stand by the principle that all persons are equal before law and hence shall not be swayed
by any political, economic, business or other social prejudice;
iii. resist those who would seek to buy or politically influence news contents or who seek to
intimidate those who gather and disseminate news;
iv. determine news contents solely through editorial judgment and not as a result of outside
influence;
v. resist any self-interest or peer pressure that might erode journalistic duty and service to
the public and to the country;
vi. recognize that sponsorship of the news will not be used in any way to determine, restrict,
or manipulate contents;
vii. refuse to allow the interests of ownership or management to influence news judgment and
contents inappropriately;
viii. defend the rights of the free press for all journalists, recognizing that any
professional or government licensing of journalists is a violation of that freedom;
ix. present the news fairly and impartially, placing primary value on significance and
relevance;
x. not guise his participation in prohibited activity by using a proxy. This, however, does
not prohibit his relatives from taking part in any political, financial, commercial, religious
or civic activity allowed under any laws of Nepal;
xi. treat all subjects of news coverage with respect and dignity, showing particular
compassion to victims of crime or tragedy;
xii. present analytical reporting based on professional perspective, not personal bias; and
xiii. avoid taking sides in political debates.
xiv. The coverage of any Journalists shall not in any case glamorize or discriminate
against any political parties, organizations, individuals or the government, except as
provided by any laws of Nepal.
xv. A Journalist shall not publish any prejudicial references to a person’s sex, race, color,
national or ethnic origin, linguistic background, religion, or any physical or mental illness
or disability unless there are compelling reasons, such as relevance to the story being
published, for doing so.
xvi. Where any person or organization has been inaccurately portrayed or quoted in
any news report or story, or where the news report or story presents an unfairly slanted
account, the Journalist responsible shall provide such person or organization a reasonable
opportunity to reply or to have their version of events conveyed to the audience to whom
the original report or story was published.
E. Sensationalism
He shall
i. avoid sensationalism in the editing of events and take all possible precautions to ensure
that anything published by him does not have the effect of inciting people into violence
or other illegal acts.
ii. show utmost sensitivity relating to children or other young persons. In particular, they
shall not interview a child or other young persons under the age of sixteen in the absence
of, or without the consent of, his parent(s), or publish any story about such child or young
person solely for reasons of the fame, notoriety or position of his parent(s). Where a child
or young person is involved in court proceedings, a journalist shall not ordinarily publish
any matter which would have the effect of identifying the child to the reader. In cases
involving sexual offences against a child or young person, a journalist shall ensure that
the identity of the child or young person is not revealed, although he may reveal the
identities of any adult(s) who may be involved in such cases, if allowed by the law.
F. Protection of confidential Sources
He shall
I. ordinarily protect the confidentiality of his sources. He may, however, reveal the
identity of a source where he has obtained the consent of the source or where the
law requires him to do so.
II. quoted for the reliability of the news. However, while quoting the source, the
name and identity of such source should be kept confidential so to avoid any
serious damage to the source.
III. republish, broadcast or disseminate by citing main source while utilizing any
material already published or broadcasted from other mass media.

G. Respect for Human Rights, International Relations and Right to Information:

He shall
i. enhance the protection and promotion of democracy, justice, equality, freedom, inclusion,
humanity, peace and international understanding and fraternity among friendly nations,
while at the same time respecting the rights and values guaranteed by the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights instruments.
ii. always remain active and dedicated to safeguarding citizens’ rights to be well-informed.
 H. Respect for Right to Privacy:
He shall
i. respect individual’s right to privacy. But, the dissemination of any such
information or materials on public interest should not be considered against
this right.
ii. not publish anything that is defamatory of any person or organization;
iii. not invade the privacy of any person without his consent and shall respect his
private and family life, home, health and correspondence, except in
circumstances where it can clearly and objectively be demonstrated that there
was an overriding public interest in the invasion of his privacy. The onus of
demonstrating the overriding public interest shall be on the journalist;
iv. not publish any matter which would have the effect of identifying any person
who is the complainant in a case involving sexual offences, except with the
written consent of such person, or under an order or direction from a court of
competent jurisdiction;
v. respect the sentiments and the privacy of persons who may have suffered grief
or shock. Where a journalist needs to carry out enquiries in such
circumstances, he shall do so with utmost sensitivity; and
vi. not identify relatives or friends of any person accused or convicted of crime,
or imply guilt by association in relation to such relatives or friends, unless
there are compelling reasons, such as relevance to the story being published,
or evidence that might reasonably point to such guilt.

I. Respect for Editorial Freedom:

He shall

i. Have responsibility and authority for the collection, editing or production, presentation
and dissemination of news lies with the editor. On the basis of this universally accepted
principle of editorial freedom, journalists and mass media should collect information and
publish or broadcast news, views and comment independently remaining free from any
pressure and influence.

H. Competition and Fairness

He shall:
a. adhere to the spirit of free competition in the Nepalese media and shall not, at any time,
monopolize or attempt to monopolize the market by using power, influence, authority,
money or by any others means; and
b. maintain a healthy, professional, courteous, and harmonious relationships among fellow
journalists and media persons.
J. National Interest
He shall
i. place the national interest and security above everything.
ii. maintain special sensitivity and alertness on issues such as difficulty over human lives,
public safety, public health, social courtesy by showing endurance while collecting and
disseminating information on natural disaster, sensitive condition or incident.
K. Alertness in Opinion Survey:
He shall
i. mention the research methodology while preparing news or news materials of
any opinion survey or research oriented materials.  Sponsor, rationale and
background of the survey should be presented as far as possible while carrying
out such survey. However, any opinion survey or material contrary to national
sovereignty, indivisibility, national security and social harmony, shall not be
published or broadcasted.
ii. refrain from news publish on anything that might:
a. incite religious, ethnic, regional or communal conflicts;
b. undermine the sovereignty and integrity of the nation;
c. breach or compromise the security of the country
L. Protection and Promotion of Press Freedom:
He shall
i. always disseminate factual information for the protection and promotion of
citizen’s fundamental rights and the freedom of expression and opinion.