Qualities and Functions of a

Sub-editor

MD RAISUL ISLAM
 
Sub-editor

Sub-editor is a person who collects reports from reporters and prepares

the report to publish or broadcast. He also corrects and checks articles in
a newspaper before they are printed. A big newspaper or magazine
would employ several news/feature/sports editors assign work and edit a
reporter/writers material for accuracy, content, grammar, and style.
QUALITIES OF A SUB-EDITOR
NEWS SENSE

News sense is the basic quality of newsmen. News sense is essential for a
sub-editor. He has to have news sense or nose for news to distinguish news
from non-news. He is the first reader of a reporter’s copy and if the reporter
has made a mistake he has to correct it. A bad copy may have the most
important element of the story buried in the fourth paragraph. It will be left
to the sub-editor’s nose for news to bring that to the first paragraph. He
should be able to compare various news values and decide where to begin
his story and should not miss important details
CLARITY

A sub-editor should have clarity of mind and expression. A person who

is confused himself cannot tell a story to others. Only clarity of mind is
not enough unless it is accompanied by clarity of expression. Without
clarity of expression clarity of mind has no meaning. Sub-editor is the
judge of clarity of the copy a good sub­editor will never allow a copy
escape him unless the meaning is crystal clear. He has every right to
make life miserable for a reporter who is not clear and does not write
in simple language.
ALERTNESS

A sub-editor should always be alert while dealing with his subjects.

Many major news breaks in the past were possible because of alertness
of reporters. Scoops don’t walk into newspaper offices alert reporters
catch them in air and pursue. A sub-editor has to be alert while working
on news-desk. Lack of alertness of a sub-editor can be seen by readers
in the morning for he will be leaving or introducing mistakes for
everybody to see.
SPEED

A person who cannot work fast cannot be a good sub-editor. A sub-

editor has to work with speed. He cannot sit with a copy for long. He
has to do swiftly whatever is required of him for a lot more copy is
waiting for him. He should think fast, decide fast and write or type fast
for he has to meet deadlines or may have to go to another assignment.
A slow sub-editor is a curse at the news desk and is treated with
contempt. Some people are misfits in the profession.
CURIOSITY

Sub-editors should have an insatiable curiosity. This characteristic will

keep on improving a sub-editor for with every passing day a curious sub­
editor will have a better background to do his job the next day.
Reporters and sub-editors should read as much as possible to
constantly improve their awareness level.
BI-FOCAL MINDED

Sub-editor must be a bi-focal mind. By bi-focal mind we mean that a

person observe a fact in two ways one from very close and other far
from sight. It means that the sub-editor should have the ability to catch
any mistake in a story.
Skepticism

It is another necessary quality which a sub­editor should cultivate. He

should not take anything for granted. He should have an unwavering
posture of doubt until faced with undeniable proof. Reporters should be
more vigilant for many forces constantly try to use them, and through them
their paper. Many people try to plant on reporters a wrong story for their
own ends. Sub-editors should also be careful for some clever politicians,
public relations men and product advertisers keep on trying to take them
for a ride. They should not fail to check even reporters, copy for such foul
play.
OBJECTIVITY

Sub-editor should aim at objectivity while dealing with a story. They

should not allow their personal bias or ideas to creep into a story. They
should not take sides but try to cover all the different viewpoints to
achieve balance in the story.
ACCURACY

A sub-editor should strive for accuracy. He should check and re-check

his facts till he is satisfied that he has them accurate. The role of a sub-
editor is to check for accuracy. It is particularly important when
background is involved. In the case of dates and names the reporter
may rely on his memory but the sub-editor must check them from
reference material available in the newspaper office. When there is a
doubt he should leave it out—this is the golden rule of journalism. It is
better not to say a thing than to say it wrong.
PUNCTUALITY

It is a good habit. It is always better to be punctual and then wait than

reach late and ask others—a rival may misinform you or hide some
important information. At the desk too punctuality pays. If a sub-editor
is punctual he will be treated with respect by his co-workers. If he is
late he will irritate them and spoil the working atmosphere. Besides he
may have to face the problem of backlog of copy which he will have to
clear under the pressure of deadline.
VAST KNOWLEDGE

All other things being equal reporters need additional qualities to deal
effectively with all sorts of people they meet in the field. Sub-editors
should have better command over language as they improve what
reporters write. An intelligent envisioning of the future helps newsmen in
general. The quality helps them in identifying processes and people who
will be important in future. The sub-editors should keep up-date
information and vast knowledge about home and abroad. Keep up to date
with sector issues, by reading related publications. Adapt all these skills for
a publication’s website.
CREDIBILITY

A report should be credible. Before writing or editing, the sub-editor

should crosscheck the facts and figures. Mistakes can creep in when
work is done in haste. It is always better to revise the copy before
sending to publish or broadcast. If the story can be improved, it should
be rewritten.
IMAGINATION

This basic mental faculty helps reporters in writing better stories that
retain the reader’s interest. For a sub-editor this creative faculty is very
useful as he can add sparkle to somebody else copy and make it lively.
Besides, imaginative headlines attract the reader and improve the
quality of a newspaper.
TACTFULNESS

A sub-editor should be tactful. He should have the ability to handle

sensitive people and situations gracefully without causing hurt or angry
feelings. He should be considerate of others and should be careful not
to embarrass, upset or offend them. He should have an understanding
of human behavior and emotions. This will help him in developing
contacts that are so essential for news gathering & writing.
SELF-DISCIPLINE

One can achieve a degree of proficiency in sub-editing or reporting by

systematic effort and self-control. In this sense self- discipline suggests
dedication and firm commitment. It helps in journalism as in any other
field.
Imagination

This basic mental faculty helps reporters in writing better stories that
retain the reader’s interest.
For a sub-editor this creative faculty is very useful as he can add sparkle
to somebody else’s copy and make it lively. Besides, imaginative
headlines attract the reader and improve the quality of a newspaper.
Integrity:
It is a virtue in itself and implies undeviating honesty and strict
adherence to a stern code of ethics. This human quality is important for
journalists. It is more important for reporters for they are more
exposed to temptation as compared to sub-editors.
FEARLESSNESS AND FRANKNESS

These qualities help sub-editor in asking unpleasant questions and

taking risks to find out truth. Nobody gives a story on a platter. He will
have to probe, question, authenticate and exercise his power of
deduction to write a good story.
FUNCTIONS OF A SUB-EDITOR
COPY EDIT AND DEVELOPMENT

Sub-editor edits copy, written by reporters or features writers, to

remove spelling mistakes and grammatical errors then construct a
develop story. The reporter’s job is to write the story as quickly as
possible with all the facts and figures. In their hurry, they may not be in
a position to polish the language. So the first job of a sub editor is to
see that the report is in good language and there are no mistakes.
There can be spelling mistakes, mistakes in sentence construction,
grammar and factual mistakes. If the sub editor finds a portion of the
report ambiguous or incorrect or doubtful he has to cross check it with
the reporter. Edit reports and press releases.
WRITE A HEADLINE

The sub editor then has to find a good headline for the story and
writing headlines that capture the essence of the story or are clever or
amusing. The headline should be sharp, attractive, crisp and convey the
spirit of the story. The headline should compel the reader to stop and
read the whole story.
FOLLOW IN HOUSE POLICY

Sub-editors are responsible for overseeing the content, accuracy, layout

and design of newspaper and magazine articles and making sure that
they are in keeping with house style. Every media house has its own
policy and ethics. The media house contains and maintains their own
goals, rules, and regulation. Every media follows their several news,
advertisement, and page makeup policy. They oriented by their own
policy. So the sub-editor should follow and fulfill the in house policy.
PAGE MAKEUP/LAYOUT OF PAGES

Page layout or page make up is an art. Each newspaper has a different

layout though all have eight columns in each page. Types or fonts used
by newspapers also differ from paper to paper. Every sub editor has to
learn the typefaces available in the paper and the layout pattern
adopted. Preparing the page of the newspaper is called page making.
Earlier sub editors used to do it on dummy pages. Now a day they are
doing it on the computer screen.
USE PICTURE PHOTOGRAPH OR GRAPH

The sub editor now has to see if there is a possibility for including
photographs along with the news item. Pictures or graphs can improve
the visual quality of a report. Photography is an integral part of the
media.
WRITE CAPTION

When you see a photo in the newspaper you look for what is written
under it. This writing under a photo is called the catchword or caption.
When photographers file photos, it is the job of the sub editor to write
the appropriate caption. Cropping photos and deciding where to use
them for best effect, and writing picture captions. A good caption can
improve the impact of the picture.
CONDENSATION

Condensation is a task that the sub editor has to do. Reporters

generally file lengthy stories. Only the sub editor will be able to know
about the availability of space in the newspaper. If the full story written
by a correspondent will not squeeze into the space available, it is the
job of the sub editor to condense it by rewriting or editing. If one word
can substitute for a number of words that definitely should be done.
RE-WRITE NEWS STORY

Rewriting material needs that it flows or reads better and adheres to the
house style of a particular publication. Ensuring that, a story fits a particular
word count by cutting or expanding materials as necessary. Checking facts
and stories to ensure they are accurate, adhere to copyright laws, are not
libelous or go against the publication’s policy. Working to a page, plan to
ensure that the right stories appear in the correct place on each page. If the
sub-editor find any mistakes in a reporters copy he should correct the copy.
If he think that the story needs to add some information or develop the
story then he should re-write the story.
GIVE A BYLINE

Another important decision an editor has to take is about giving a

byline or credit to the story. Normally bylines are not given for
particular stories. But if a reporter files an exclusive story then it should
appear with his byline or name so that he gets individual credit for the
story. The decision of giving a byline to a reporter for a particular story
is taken by the news editor. But a sub editor who edits the story can
always suggest to the news editor about giving that story a byline.
PROOF READING

Proofreading complete pages produced by other sub-editors using the

main basic proofing symbols. Checking facts and stories to ensure they
are accurate, adhere to copyright laws, are not libelous or go against
the publication’s policy. When a news ready to go for publication the
sub-editor should check the spelling, grammar, punctuation and so on.
TRANSLATE THE STORY

Translation a copy is a vital job for the sub-editor. To translate the news
story is a significant function of a sub-editor. There are many news
sources, news agencies and institutions around the world from where
the news media collect information to publish or broadcast. This type
of information usually written in English. Besides this the press note,
press releases are almost publish in English. The sub-editor needs to
translate these types of information for the readers benefit.