ROLES OF SUB-EDITOR

“The Sub’s job is to check and edit stories for publication, (aiming to) improve them, to make them more readable, to get rid of useless wordage, and to reshape the story if necessary so that it becomes a lively, interesting news item capable of being easily understood and followed by anyone who may read it.”
                            -Allen Hutt on Newspaper Design.

INTRODUCTION

The sub-editor has the power of life or death over all the newspaper’s material that reaches him. Thus, the responsibility of the sub-editor is really enormous. A newspaper receives its copy from a variety of sources like reporters, correspondents, telephones, news agency reports and verbal communications. All this information is filtered by the sub-editor. The sub-editor has to take into consideration the policy of his newspaper before allowing a news item to be published. He has to breathe life into some dead matter lying before him so that the story is made lively. Sometimes, he tones down a story, if it is too dangerous, to make it safe. There is no doubt that the make-up of a newspaper is the reflection of the sub-editor’s appreciation of news value.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF SUB-EDITOR

The principal test of sub-editorial capacity in the art of make­up is, of course, the appearance of the main news page. It is the page which the majority of the readers read first of all. Some very busy readers only read this page and no more—they simply turn the other pages.

FORMAT OF THE PAPER

The sub-editor is actually responsible, more than any other person for what the paper looks like and stands for to the readers. The format of a paper is in reality determined by the sub-editor. The sub-editor has the nose for selecting the right type of news.

DECISION-MAKING

It is the task of the sub-editor to decide as to what is going in for tomorrow’s newspaper and in what form. In fact, the sub-editor with a wide experience in his work is the most suitable person to become the editor in due course of time.

VALUE FOR PHOTOGRAPHS 

Sub-editing also involves responsibility for the use of pictures on pages. It would be difficult to over-estimate the value of pictures – or the skill required to use them to their best advantage. A picture is worth a thousand words. It’s only worth including them if they are relevant, chosen properly and appropriately displayed. The sub-editor should also be acquainted with the important photographers and photographic agencies which supply photographs of important events and news items to his newspaper in fact; now-a-days every big newspaper has its own staff photographers, who cover the special functions and events for their newspaper.

WRITING HEADLINES

The next job for the sub is to write a headline – those vital words that attract the reader’s attention to the story. It is a skill which requires some understanding of typography – the choice and use of typefaces. The main purpose of a headline is to make the reader want to read the story. By knowing these sources of news as photographs, a sub-editor can contact them in case of any contingency without any difficulty.

MAKING SENSE

The first task is to check the story for accuracy and to ensure that it makes sense. All names, dates, titles, figures, place names or any suspect point must be checked against the many sources of reference available; and spelling. Stories which have been well written will require only the minimum of attention: it is no part of the sub-editor’s job to re-write a story which does not require that kind of treatment; apart from the effect it will have on the writer who will quite rightly query why his style is not acceptable.

COORDINATING REPORTERS AND WRITERS

It is the duty of sub-editor to maintain positive-relationship with the writers and the reporters as they are the backbone of the new-generating system. A good coordination allows credibility.

  QUALITIES OF A SUB-EDITOR

A variety of knowledge and these skills are required so that the sub-editor can help every reader of the publication to understand quickly and easily what a story is about. The sub-editor is in the middle between the reporter or writer and the reader and if he is uncertain as to what the story means you can be sure that the reader will be too. A sub-editor needs to have:
a very good command of English and spelling, and the ability to write clearly
an obsession with accuracy
a wide general knowledge
an orderly mind
a good working knowledge of typography and newspaper production
the ability to work accurately at speed and under pressure
respect for the writer/reporter
a good knowledge of the law affecting publications
the ability to visualise
a sense of humour
To be a good sub-editor you’ll need an excellent eye for detail, the ability to liaise with journalists and other editors and the creativity to write compelling headlines

CHALLENGES FACED BY SUB-EDITOR 

WORD-DIFFICULTY

How can a sub-editor be sure that a word -will have meaning and above all, the meaning he intends to convey for a hypothetical average reader? One way of exami­ning the question is the matter of word frequency. How frequently does it appear in the written language? Clearly this is a clue to word difficulty.

SENTENCE-DIFFICULTY

Sub-editors have been unani­mous in identifying word difficulty as a basic source of reading difficulty. They have been equally unanimous in the matter of sentence difficult. Writing in which simple sentences predominated was more readable than the writing which in­cluded a high proportion of compound, complex, and compound complex sentences. The sub-editor can improve the readability of newspaper writing by converting long and difficult sentences into shorter and easier ones. He cannot perform this task arbitrarily; he must consi­der the total effect of such changes; he must realize that sentence length and/or complexity is not the only basis of reading ease.

CONCLUSION

Press sub-editors, or subs, check the written text of newspapers, magazines or websites before they’re published. They’re responsible for ensuring the correct grammar, spelling, house style and tone of published work. Subs make sure that the copy is factually correct and suits its target market. They also lay out the story on the page, write headings and captions, and may be involved with overall page design.
Like other journalism roles, sub-editing is demanding and requires constant attention to detail in a fast-paced working environment.

REFERENCES:

https://www.shareyouressays.com/knowledge/duties-and-responsibilities-of-a-newspaper-sub-editor-explained/104038

https://work.chron.com/responsibilities-copy-editor-13554.html

www.masscommunicationtalk.com

www.mediabistro.com 

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/press-sub-editor

Surbhi Gupta
Department of Journalism 
Lady Shri Ram College
Batch of 2022

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13 Responses

  1. Hi Surbhi!
    This is an amazing article and a very well informed one!
    I'd like to add that the responsibilities of a sub-editor and a copy writer are somewhat similar; so a difference can be added.
    Moreover, the ethics involved in the job of a sub-editor can also be mentioned.
    Lastly, the relationship between a sub-editor and an editor of a newspaper is quite complex and often tested at a competitive level.
    Here is an article to refer:
    https://oldmatemedia.com/hiring-an-editor-guide/

    Thankyou!
    Agrima Gulati
    Journalism'22

  2. Quite an informative article on the roles and responsibilities of the sub-editors, Surbhi! I will be sure to check some of the references you have listed with your article for further reading on this topic.
    – Mamta K

  3. This is a very good article, Surbhi! Precise and detailed both as and when needed. I would suggest you to please add and explain a little more in detail how the duties of a sub editor vary from the chief editor.

  4. Information article on sub editor but more could have been emphasized on importance of sub editor in journalism and the qualities expected, further the article could have elaborated on historical aspect as well, otherwise good to read.

    Riya Verma

  5. This is a very good article, Surbhi! Precise and detailed both as and when needed. Information article on sub-editor but more could have been emphasized on the importance of sub-editor in journalism and the qualities expected, further, the article could have elaborated on the historical aspect as well, otherwise good to read.

  6. Great Share! Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing like this additionally – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article but what can I say I procrastinate alot and by no means seem to get something done.

  7. It’s really a great and helpful piece of info. I am satisfied that you simply shared this useful information with us. Please stay us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

  8. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

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