The Hindu : Opinion / News Analysis : Motivation, the key to better quality

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 29, 2006

Opinion

Opinion - News Analysis

Motivation, the key to better quality

Call it a quirk, an accident or a coincidence — on the day my column on why errors occur in newspapers appeared (May 15), The Hindu "goofed up," as one reader put it: a long interview with Dr. M. Anandakrishnan, Chairman, Madras Institute of Development Studies, appeared on two pages of the (Chennai) city edition. One had a colour picture, the other a black and white one; the rest was more or less the same.

On the same day, I read Thomas Friedman's tribute to his mentor, Abe Rosenthal of The New York Times, who died on May 9. Friedman said: "His journalistic daring and the passion he wore on his sleeve are still so compelling to me, especially today, when newsrooms resemble sterile insurance companies ... As editor he was obsessed with keeping The Times `straight,' as he would say, with no reporters' or Editor's thumbs on the scale ... . (For Abe) there are no stars at The Times. The newspaper is the star — and not only must you never forget that, you must always treat working here as a privilege and a huge responsibility."

The next day brought a response to my column from a perspicacious observer of the functioning of The Hindu's editorial department. He posed some questions: Has The Hindu put in place any system to prevent errors? How are the facts in any report verified, and by whom? Are there style rules and are they followed? Is there anyone to point out mistakes in usage and is anyone pulled up for mistakes?

These questions and Mr. Friedman's observations set me thinking. In the "sterile" rooms lie the clue to why things happen as they do. The passion, the excitement, and the accompanying chaos; the joy of creation and the pride of achievement; the thrill of scoring over a competitor and the sense of loss when you are the loser: Where have all these gone?

So also the feeling of privilege and responsibility that Mr. Friedman refers to. When I joined The Hindu more than fifty years ago, there were stars, many of them; they were stars only to us within and did not shine outside. Yet their collective output gave the paper a voice and an image far beyond that of a southern journal which it then was. Responsible for that was the greatest star of them all, Kasturi Srinivasan, who kept the paper "straight," as Rosenthal did (much later).

Mr. Srinivasan's obsession for standards was brought home to me the day he interviewed me for the job: more than an interview, it was a lecture to me on the declining standards of English among graduates (this was in 1955!). And his eye for detail and penchant for accuracy were made clear to me when I got a note, in my very early days, in the Editor's familiar red pencil: "Ask sub-editor to explain." This was for a heading I had given, "No merger of AI and IA," omitting the word "now" which was in the Minister's reply in Parliament. (Fifty years later, this issue is still being discussed!)

That was not an error, but an inaccuracy. As readers keep pointing out, much worse gets into the paper today. Many cite typographical errors, which are unavoidable, given the speed involved in newspaper production. But what is really worrisome are the wrong syntax, construction and facts in reports. These are fundamental faults that need radical correction.

Duplication or repetition of reports, which is happening all too frequently, are the result partly of structural gaps and partly of the demands of a vastly expanded circulation base. In the old days, there was the practice of the Chief Proof Examiner looking at the first copies as they rolled off the press, to spot bloomers if any. And one day he detected a lead heading reading, "gulfing the bridge." The press was halted, the correction made, and a few thousand copies were destroyed. Of course, duplication of the sort that happens now was impossible then because it was hard metal — which, once locked up, could not be reused.

But such checking is easier now — even when each centre handles dozens of pages — because all the pages for one edition can be seen together on one computer screen. What is needed is a coordinator who can take an overall view of the whole paper. This is the structural gap. The task is now split among a few with no centralised checking. Some reorientation, accompanied by accountability, is the solution.

Now for the questions raised by the reader, which relate to the basics of journalistic practice. Unfortunately, the answers to all the questions have to be in the negative. There is no system in place to monitor the whole paper on a regular basis for errors. A few concerned individuals do scan parts of the paper under them, but there is no overall view. Verification of facts, when so many resources are at one's fingertips, is rarely done; daily examples prove this. As for style, usage and punctuation, a style book has been prepared, but awaits final clearance. The new editorial entrants — and there is a large number of them — have no clue to the practices of the paper: they need guides, who should not only point out deviations but ensure adherence to the regulations.

Computer-aided technologies are an invaluable tool for the journalist. But how they are used depends on the person and his or her motivation. This is the key to better quality. Editing — or what is called a desk job — is today a discounted, devalued aspect of newspaper production. It is no longer "the last gate" to be cleared by a news item. Odd working hours, anonymity, the lack of the glamour and the perks of reporting — these make newcomers shy away from the desk. Even premier journalism education courses pay inadequate attention to editing skills and emphasise writing.

The cumulative effect is on the final product that goes to millions of readers (over three million in the case of The Hindu). What is to be done? I have referred to the gaps that need attention. Add to that the creation of a sense of "privilege and huge responsibility," as Rosenthal describes it, which a journalist's job in The Hindu means.

readerseditor@thehindu.co.in

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