OUR Scottish Office will warn you of the danger
– especially to reporters and writers – of this Basic Newspaper Text Handling (sub-editing) course not being what you are looking for. Training guru and earth mother Angela Austin (right) will keep you posted.

However, let’s reiterate that the course is all about the ART of putting words into a fit state for newspaper publication, be it for a tabloid or a broadsheet. The principles are the same.

It is not about using computers. It is about how to process raw material into copy that is aimed at the type of readership a publication has, is intelligible, attractive, accurate, fits its allotted space and carries eye-catching, apt headings, subheadings and captions.
A simple objective, but not as easy to achieve as some think.

Here’s a summary of how it progresses:

We kick off with a wide-ranging discussion of the qualities needed to be a good
sub-editor, including sticking to the NUJ Code of Conduct. Then we analyse a piece of copy which should never have seen the light of day in the form that it did. General story construction is dealt with next and we rewrite a short piece (a) for a local publication and (b) for one of the national papers. This is assessed and new material added later.

There are intense sessions on introductory paragraphs in stories, the importance of publication style and things that should set off warning bells in a sub-editor’s mind. Important points are raised about the use of grammar and punctuation in publications and the need for far greater care than is generally demanded these days – sadly even for secondary school Higher English. Hands-on story processing continues.

We then deal with more aspects of text – clichés, automatic adjectives, circumlocutions, jargon etc – and move on to the art of writing headlines and the even more difficult art of picture caption writing.

Next, we talk about publications and the law.

There is a session on crunching down stories and this is followed by a discussion on “dressing up”.

Stories, that is. What do you think we’re running here?

Next stage is a “stress” session that involves applying all the learned skills to a “beat the clock” situation. Then things calm down with a finale that is as close as we get to an exam. This is the “flagship” of our several interactive exercises and is designed to look and feel like subbing a page lead for one of the national newspapers.

On this Burns Night, the official launch of the course, I thank the following people: David Foulis, James Wilson, Jack Myles, Alex Williamson, Angela Austin,
Liz Howie, Mairianne Mackenzie, Jack Ferguson, Val McNulty and Janet Foley.

PROF JACK

January 25, 2004

Jack Foley will be be NOT be held legally responsible, directly or vicariously, for any alterations in content or form made to the website after May 1, 2006.