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1) In what different circumstances and manners a news is encountered?
A news is recording and communication of a happening which is different from regular and even flow of life. A news is encountered in case of events like experimental performance ex. Launching of a satellite, sting operation etc, events which are entirely accidental, unusual. Events which are culmination of certain pursuits, events which are planned manifestation of certain existing affairs.
2) Briefly write on Science Reporting down the ages and in modern times? The tradition of Science Reporting is very old in India. The topics of medicine, astronomy, mathematics, mathematics, metallurgy, agriculture, botany, meteorology etc have been the subject matter of reporting in many of ancient books of India though it had a different colour in ancient times. In recent past, after the advent of western thought, also there have been noteworthy efforts in field of Science Reporting. In modern times, there has been a considerable amount of scientific reporting. It has had a significant impact upon awareness and interest among masses of all age groups and various walks of life. The sphere of science reporting is growing and diversifying in proportion to the advancement in science in our country. It covers topics from origins and evolution of the universe to space, energy, bio technology, nuclear science, laser, medicine and health, agriculture, engineering, oceanology, innovative technologies and so on endlessly. 3) Note on channels, modes, challenges and scope of science reporting. Channels : Channels : In modern times t imes there are numerous channels of news collection. For the most part media establishments, print and electronic, non government and government sponsored, local, regional, national, international have their own network of reporters spread up to remote corners. One also finds news bureaus, agencies and syndicates who sell the News. Modes : There have been various modes of Science Reporting :
Field Reporting – Hunting down the a news at t he place of occurrence.
Desk Reporting : Accessing information from R & D establishments, libraries, museums, science centres, University departments etc.
Seminars and conferences are also another good source news reporting.
Collecting news from one language to translate t he same in the required language.
Challenges : There are also some challenges t o face. Fidelity and reliability must be maintained. The science journalist should shun exaggeration, suppression, misrepresentation, misrepresentation, sensationalism, and dramatization. Verification of facts, statistics and data should be done
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assiduously. Whatever is purveyed should be strictly authentic and authoritative. A contrary conduct amounts to betrayal of his profession. Scope of science reporting: An alert and imaginative science journalist has a lot of scope in exploring and presenting the events of scientific nature affecting day to day life. There are topics from origins and evolution of the uni verse to space, energy, bio technology, nuclear science, laser, medicine and health, agriculture, engineering, oceanology, innovative technologies and so on endlessly. Even from an apparently irrelevant event of hunger strike, a reporter can produce an article on physiological effects of starvation. His i nventiveness can make him see science in a lot of events from regular life. The territory of science news has become very pervasive since today science has access to all the areas of life.
4) How is popular science writing different from academic science writing?
Academic Science Writing is generally followed by o riginal scientific research output. It is the presentation of original research findings. It has got fixed format in the following order : Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, Summery guidelines. Popular Science Writing is an exposition of a scientific idea or topic to the common people in a lucid and intelligible manner. It doesn’t have any fixed format of writing but there are certain conventions used like giving a catching caption or composing an arresting introduction so that a common reader finds it motivating to read the full article.
5) What are causes for and effects of poor showing of science news?
When science news is presented to the people as dull and drab content in a language not intelligible to them, then it has its poor effect on the public. As a result the people lose interest in science news and show no inclinations to know it further. 6) Briefly describe the two main components of professional skills.
Two main components of professional skills : 1) Reporting : A News reporters doesn’t only has to collect the field inputs but also needs to have a skill to process them and pr esent them in the newspaper. The news is presented before the readers in a proper format and language, sometimes accompanied by appropriate notes. The news also carries a c atchy caption. To present the matter in r eadable form, it is necessary to select, trim and organize it in a manner that it may be free from ambiguities, repetitions, verbosities, contradictions and so on. Reporting encompasses all these skills. 2) Editing : Editing plays a crucial role in t he production of a good news paper. A news paper establishment cannot ignore the editing function since it is a key component in the chain of the production of a finished news paper. The News Room belongs to the sub editors working under the chief sub editor. News inputs from all sources are received here, duly
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processed and the finished product is delivered to the press or the printer. Hence after received the field reports, a vital task of editing starts before the printing of the news.
7) Write a note on the administrative department . In medium and large type News Paper o rganization, one finds a well organized Administrative Department. The basic staff, the department functions through, is as follows : 1) The Principal Publisher / Managing Director/ Publisher : He/ She is responsible for the implementation of the policies and ensuring an effectively functional administration by keeping the whole team in fine fe ttle for maximum efficiency and accuracy. 2) The General Manager : is responsible for the coordinated working of all the departments. He looks after the Human Resource requirements, selection and recruitment, general operation and marketing. 3) The Manager Personnel : takes care of appointments and service conditions, service contracts control and administration of staff, payment of salaries and other e ntitlements, staff welfare, retirement etc. and providing healthy working environment and workeremployer relations. He also looks after in service capacity enhancement programmes. 4) The Manager Finance and Accounts : is re sponsible for planning and implementing financial out lay, controlling receipts and expenditure, creating and m aintaining regular and updated financial records, application of co mpany’s finances in appropriate and designated heads and ensuring economic profitability and viability, and timely fulfillment of legal obligations. 8) What is understood by the word ‘news’? The word ‘news’ can be explained as an acronym, each letter of the same respectively stands for
North, East, West and South. It also reflects the all pervasive nature of NEWS. 9) What are the essentials of Reporting and writing a Reportage?
Reporting : Ordinary reporting can be made by describing 5 Ws (What, When, Why, W here, Who) and 1 H (How). Reporters develop an eye and a nose for the news. They c ultivate the faculty to spot the news. A story is created and delivered to the News Room for editing. Science reporting has some additional features like awareness in use of language, capturing its seriousness, yet make it interesting and comprehensible. Reportage : When you give your report a creative touch, it is called reportage. Reportage is focused on happening and revolves around the news only. Reportage deal with Scientific manifestations, Industrial exhibitions, Seminars, Release of scientific or technical books. There is no fixed formula for Reportage. It is left to the imagination and creativity of the writer. At the end it must be balanced, interesting and absorbing.
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10) Bring out the different between Report, Reportage and Feature. Report Report in general is straight forward, terse , trim-expressed in minimum words.
Reportage Reportage has got a creative touch with the imagination and creativity of the writer. It is focused on happening and revolves around the news only.
Feature Feature is a little dramatized in nature and there is a projection of all aspects of the happening. It is wider in coverage, interpretative, explanatory and extensive.
11) What principles of translations should be followed by a science journalist?
The following principles of translations should be followed by a science journalist : 1) The authenticity of facts in the o riginal work should be preserved. The translation has to follow closely the original text and the use of liberal translation cannot be allowed. 2) The linguistic equivalents of technical terms have to be taken from standard dictionaries. 3) The original text can be edited discretely for the different type of readership. 4) Besides the command of the language , the translator should have in depth understanding of the science subject dealt with. 5) In case of translation of Headings or S ub headings, it is always better to r ecast them. 12) Write a note on small, medium and large news papers . The Registrar of News Papers or Press Information Department has categorized news papers into three categories depending upon various parameters. The complexities of t he organization and management and problems increase proportionately to the size of the news paper. These categories are : 1) Small : The papers are one man show type and have hardly any organization. The size of production and circulation is minimum. 2) Medium : Production, Circulation and Capital is much more than the Small Category News Paper. The organization is well knit and coordinated with specialized workers, run on professionalized lines, observance of the approved canons of management and relevant rules, regulations and laws. The organization is divided into the following departments : Administrative, Editorial, Production and Printing, Commercial and Advertisement, Sales and Circulation. 3) Large : In this category of the News Paper, the factors mentioned in Medium Paper operate on even larger scale.
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13) What are main aspects of organization of news paper?
The Main Divisions of News Paper Organization are as follows : 1. Administrative : To maintain the functional capacities, the organisation has a basic staff like The Principal Publisher, The General Manager, The Personnel Manager, The Manager of Finance and Accounts. 2. Editorial : The editorial staff is the very blood of the Paper. The editorial team comprises of The Editor, The Joint Editor, The Assistant Editors, The News Editor, The Special Correspondent, Sub Editors, Reporters and Proof Readers. 3. Advertisement : It is the most important and substantial source of income. There are different categories of advertisements like Classified advertisements, notices, contract advertisements, display advertisements etc. 4. Circulation : Here the organisation has an efficient system o f distribution of news papers to ensure timely delivery. 5. Printing : This department gives a concrete shape to the News Paper. The departme nt generally consists of The Press Manager, The Foremen, The Binder.
14) What is understood by element of readability in context of science journalism?
A Science Journalist should make his/her content readable by simplifying matter, making it relevant to life and it should have an element of human interest. A Journalist should remove all mysteries around the topic and present the scientific event or fact in a simple, lucid manner. It will make his content readable to the peo ple. 15) Write a note describing the full chain of News paper production.
The collection and compilation of News is done by the reporter. The news is passé on to the news room where editorial staff takes the control of further processing and refinement of the news. In the afternoon all the field reporters file their stories, either directly to the concerned sub editor or through the chief sub editor, who in turn directs the report to the sub editor of the concerned slot. The stories are almost in the proper format, because the reporters and sub editors enjoy equal skills. In fact they some t imes can replace each other. The inputs are put in a tray by the side of the chief, who takes them out one by one and distributes them to the concerned sub. The redundant or rejecte d matter is put on a spike. The sub drafts the news or writes the ‘copy’ and returns it to the chief.
The News Room belongs to sub editors working under their leader, the chief sub editor. News inputs from all sources are received here, duly processed, and the finished product is delivered to the press or the printer, through another senior sub editor, known as the stone editor. A number of desk sub editors assist the chief sub, for ‘testing’ or ‘revising’. Customarily the
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whole team of sub editors sits around a semi circular table in their appointed slots, where as the chief sub, also known as the chief sl ots man, sits at the head. The Copies refined and written finally are handed over to the ‘stone’ sub or the chief sub editor ‘make up’ for printing. As the copies are delivered to the printing department, the compositors set the matter in type according to the instructions noted on the copy and take out the first impressions or the galley proof. The proof readers and their assistants (copy holders) compare it with the sub’s copies and make necessary corrections. The corrected copies are sent back to the news room, where they are checked and corrected by the ‘authors’ and finally by the chief sub. The corrections and changes are duly incorporated in the printing section. In these days of computers, there is an option to adopt paperless procedures. The sub editors can type out the copy on the word processor, and the chief sub can check it on the monitor. But still majority practice is to carry out this exercise in the form of hard copies. All changes and corrections are recorded on the pae4r based copies. People find it more helpful to have the changes and corrections on paper. By this time he has before him the lay out plan of the pages. This is done in tandem with the ‘stone’ sub or the makeup chief sub. Sel ection of headings, sub headings, side headings is also an important part of news presentation. The editor also has to look after the placement of the news and the layout of the page and adjustment of photographs and advertisements. Printing Section gives a concrete shape of a marketable commodity. A representative of this section is also involved with the editor in designing the lay out, making the dummy, and finalizing the get up before i t goes on production line. Various processes of printing range from the letter press on t readle or cylinder or rotary, mono type or lino type composition, off set or photo setting. To day computerized composing and electronic reproduction is the common method. The printing mode also influences the quality of the product, and efficiency of production.
The production of a news paper is a very complicated affair. It n eeds finely coordinated functioning of a number of departments, like, Editorial including the Reporting, Advertisement, Printing, Distribution or circulation, Marketing, Financial control and staff management. One important task is the recruitment and training of staff. Market research, market promotion etc. are also necessary and important aspects. Some times this work is assigned to specialized agencies. Last but not the least, is the coordination with the management or proprietors.
16) What is the role of the administrative department? Should it have an overriding control on all other departments?
The administrative department deals with the functional aspect of the organization. It controls, coordinates towards using the whole workforce for the maximum efficiency and accuracy. It also
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includes human resource management and finance management. It should have an overriding control on all other departments. 17) Who are journalists and who are non journalist workers?
The people who are part of t he Editorial Staff are called Journalist. The Editorial Staff includes the editor, the joint editor, the assistant editors, the news editors, the special correspondents, sub editors, reporters, proof readers. The rest of the staff is considered as non journalist workers.
18) Make a tour of Newspaper establishment and write a note on it. 19) Define translation.
Translation means to convey the message from the original language to any other language in oral or written form. 20) Importance of editorials and their writings.
The editorial is the soul and voice of t he paper. It is the projection of the individuality of the paper. It is in the nature of deep reflection of crucial contemporary issues and provides insights into certain weighty matters before the nation and the world and a vision for the future shape of things. The tone and temper of editorials in varying degre e reflect the policy attitudes of the management of the organization. The editorials are expected t o manifest the qualities of Effectiveness, Contemporary relevance, Objectivity, Credibility, Precision and Terseness. The editorials written within these parameters serve the society and nation in true sense and they will also uphold the reputation of the paper. 21) What is the role of management in journalism?
The management takes care of the functional aspect of the News Paper Organization. The management is responsible for the implementation of the news paper policies and ensuring an effectively functional administration by keeping the whole team in fine fettle for max imum efficiency and accuracy. It does coordination for working of all the departments looking after Human Resource requirements, selection and recruitment, gene ral operation and marketing. The management is also responsible for planning and implementing financial out lay, controlling receipts and expenditure, creating and maintaining regular and updated financial records, ensuring economic profitability and viability as well as timely fulfillment of legal obligations. 22) What is copy writing?
Copy writing is a specialized art and is performed by the Chief Editor. It consists of checking the contents of news from all aspects. The Chief Editor goes over the news critically. He examines the contents and the facts and sometimes verifies them to correct. He checks the matter from
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precision and clarity to legal concerns and decency. The editor ensures that the matter is properly introduced, logically developed and concluded. 23) What is understood by the terms ‘make up’ and ‘lay out’?
Make up is the arrangement of the matter on the page as per the layout. Layout is the map of each page for the day. 24) What is the object of page ‘make up’? what are the elements of ‘lay out’? There are following objects of page ‘make up’ :
1. Innovative presentations to make the paper more attractive. 2. Determine appropriate placement and column size according to the relative importance. 3. Instill and develop liveliness in the page to make its personality appealing to the reader. 4. Systematically arrange the news pieces so as to facilitate reader in locating the desired items. 5. Encourage wholesome competition among the contemporary papers. The Layout is the art of arranging on different pages news, captions, pictures, advertisements, features. Lead write-ups, cartoons i.e. all the materials to be published. It gives the page such looks which charm the heart and mind of the reader. In Journalism page layout occupies the same position as the art of architect i n building construction. Page Layout gives variety to the looks of the page and makes it attractive. Proper arrangement of matter helps the reader in l ocating matter of his choice.
25) Write a note on elements of lay out and different practices of lay out.
The following things should be kept in mind while making page lay out : 1) Balance : It refers to even distribution of matter on a page which gives it a distinguished,
appealing and credible look. 2) Contrast : Focusing attention on a particular thing b y making it stand out. 3) Focal Point : It is the spot where the attention of the readers is habitually led in the very beginning. 4) Movement of sight : This is the process of eyes naturally taking a certain li ne of movement in scanning through a page. This is psychologically related to the lay out design of the page. Harmony - All the factors described above, i.e., balance, contrast, focus etc and certain elements of design, when coordinated aesthetically create a holistic impression of visual appeal.
There are different practices of lay out as mentioned below :
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1. Circus lay out - This refers to a bold experiment wherein all the conventional norms of lay out are thrown to winds. Such rebelli ous experiments do create an impact but in the hands of exceptionally talented editors only. It takes resort to contrasting and clashing composition with heavy black face types. There i s no set rule for such original effects. 2. Broken page make up - In this method page is not treated as a harmonious whole, but almost all the news items claim equal attention. It has no distinct focus. Every piece of news seems to be screaming for attention. Its aim is to startle the reader. Papers putting up a sensational stance generally rely on it. 3. Tabloid lay out - These are smaller in size and cater to local news or rather gossip. Its coverage is mostly the local social circuit. It has a di fferent code of ethics. The front and the last page publish the main news. It is easily susceptible to yellow journalism. 4. Modernistic lay out - A revolt against traditions, conventions and orthodoxy is the driving force of the modern l ife style. This spirit has started influencing the news paper make up also. The established practices and principles are disdainfully rejected. Even the banner or the mast head or t he name plate of the paper is evicted from the head of the front page. Editorials and lead articles have become migratory from one page to another and fro the customary column to other places. Time dead lines and fast moving life are gi ven as an excuse. But in fact it is a reflection of the rebellion against all the respected norms. Of course use of i nnovative type faces, sleek formatting, trim make up etc are plus point. Some times such a product has the charm of novelty. But the arbitrariness of the editor is the final guide.
26) How is the placement of news dealt with?
The following guidelines are followed in placement of news :
1. The most important news of the day should be given the first place. 2. The type size used for heading should be according to the importance of the news. 3. Placement of different headings on a page should show some coordination and 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
balance. Types used for heading and the news body should show a difference. In a lengthy news item sub headings be provided on two sticks in order to retain interest. A boxed news item should not be adjacent to a photograph or an advertisement. In case there are no pictures on the page, one or two boxed news items break the monotony. According to the principles of looking, the left hand upper part of a page is important, therefore, important news should be placed there. In case of a broken news piece, the residual matter should always be taken to any subsequent or following pages or column. It is absurd to place the residual on any earlier page.
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10. The pictorial and the textual should be seen as complementing each other. The pictures are not only decorative, but illustrative and an effective medium to display the reality eloquently. The looks of a page can be enhanced by exercising discretion in choice of picture, its size, its placement and the degree of prominence given to i t.
27) Explain the contribution of science journalism in spreading scientific awareness and temper. Science Journalism is a vital tool in spreading scientific awareness and tem per among the people. Science Journalism gives objectively analyzed representation of the observed life, phenomena or the world. Though its main purpose is represent information, it has to appeal to the taste of and match the intelligence of a layman. This way Science Journalism will instill the Scientific Temper in the common people. An alert and imaginative Science Journalist can always impart scientific meaning to even the ordinary ever yday life activities. At this point the Journalist can converse with the people at large and successfully spread scientific awareness among them. 28) In case of science journalists or science popular writers, what is the part played by natural talent and by professional training?
In Science Journalism, the liking for S cience Topics is necessary. Natural talent do play a role here but with professional training the art of S cience Reporting can be achieved by hard work, studies, contemplation , analysis, logical arrangement and expression of the matter on the part of the Journalist. The Journalist needs to understand the scientific topic himself and then express the same in the language intelligible and interesting to the common people.
29) Write a note on principles and process of translation.
Principles of Translation : A deep understanding of the subject to be translated is an indispensable prerequisite for the process of translation. The subtlety of the translation process requires a critical grasp of the subject and its absorption so that the t ranslation may amount to recreation and reproduction. The translator need have a deep and empathetic comprehension of the original text. He should absorb it before transforming it into another language. But ultimately there should be accuracy of facts, and clarity of expression. The language should be simple, intelligible, and suitable for the l evel of the target readership.
The translator should have the aptitude to go behind the words and understand the subject. Word to word translation will produce something distasteful to the reader. In translation, the larger sentences can be broken into smaller ones ensuring there is no vagueness. Words, technical terms, formulae, symbols, concepts, definitions in internationally accepted form should be retained’
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30) Explain the problems and difficulties of scientific translation. The main problem faced/confronted in translation is that of appropriate transformation of the style of original writing. The task of the translator is not only to fully comprehend the intentions of the original author, but also t o capture and transform the stylistic attributes/peculiarities. For a competent translation one has t o have the aptitude to grasp the stylistic qualities of the original writer. The translator should fully absorb the stylistic peculiarities of the original before embarking upon the job. The language of science is in itself difficult. This is not because it uses di fficult words, but because the translator is committed to use the selected terminologies with exactitude. This can be illustrated by following examples. The common reader is hardly aware of the distinction between ‘speed’ and ‘velocity, or between ‘revolution’ and ‘rotation’. Such distinctions come into play in the use of the same word in context of different sciences. For example, the word ‘frequency’ has a different meaning in physics and a different meaning in statistics. This specificity in connotation of words makes the task very difficult. Notwithstanding differences between liberal and popular translation on the one hand and the main translation on the other, the difficulty i n the use of technical words remains same. In a liberal translation, the translator understands the facts in the light of his interpretation of the original text. But in case of main translation the obscurity of the language poses the main difficulty. Even if the English may suffer from long involved sentences and difficult technical vocabulary, but it does have the capacity to convey much in a few words.
31) Discuss the future scope and possibilities of scientific translation. Though the original writing is rated higher than a translation, but the volume of new knowledge is increasing at such a fast pace that producing original books on them i s difficult. Hence, the need for translation. Presently there are several institutions which are engaged in the translation of English literature on science. The p rominent among them are the Central Directorate of Hindi, Granth Academies of Hindi speaking states, CSIR, IARC and several Agriculture or Technical universities. Besides certain private publi shing houses are also engaged in such work with the support of Central Hindi Directorate under its assistance scheme. The directorate of Information and publications has brought out a list of Hindi standard equivalents as prepared by CSIR. This Directorate undertakes translation work on payment basis for the CSIR. A similar list of terminologies has been prepared by the IARC. Almost all research organizations have established Hindi departments, where they have appointed Hindi officers and translators. A central bureau of translation has been established under the official (national) language department. In order to promoting use of Hindi, has been established a Central
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Secretariat Hindi Board and its branches.
32) Comment on the standard practice and innovative efforts in News Papers. There are two styles or modes of functioning i n News Papers. One is the ‘standard practice’ i.e., the conventional style or the orthodox mode. Other is the innovative or the experimental mode. The standard practice appears during the early or formative stages of journalism. Certain conventional practices were evolved particularly by the English Press. These had been followed by successive generations of the news papers, even the vernacular press. Of late, the craze for innovation, for experimenting, for rebelling against conventions has invaded the press. It seems to have no other rationale. It is a matter of serious market research and survey as to how far this has left the news room as well as the reader inconvenienced.
