ASSIGNMENT/NEWS EDITOR:Accuracy, Fairness and Reliability, Conflict

<< DUTIES OF A NEWS PRODUCER

SHOOTING A NEWS FILM:The Influence of telecast News >>

TV News Reporting and Production MCM 516

LESSON 33

ASSIGNMENT/NEWS EDITOR

The assignment editor is one who assigns and monitors the activities of reporters, camera crew and

other people in the field, works closely with the news producer. Since speed id important in telecast

news, there is great pressure on the assignment editor to get crews to the story in the shortest amount of

time.

Then of course, there are the glamour jobs like on-air reporters and anchors. Most reporters in telecast

news function as general assignment reporters, although the large market stations might have one or two

regularly assigned to a beat, such as the entertainment scene. In many stations, anchors occasionally do

the field reports, but most of the times they perform their work in the studios, preparing the upcoming

newscast.

In addition to people seen on camera, there are quite a few workers whom no one sees or hears.

Photographers or cameramen accompany reporters to shoot the videos. Tape editors trim the footage

into the segments that fit within the time allotted to the story. Big stations also have news writers and

production assistants who pull slides and arrange other visual needed during the news cast.

Obviously the chain of gatekeepers in the telecast news is a long and complicated one, starting from the

assignment editor and ending with the anchor, usually more than a half-dozen people have some say, so

over the final shape of the newscast.

Sometimes, the way a story ends up might be drastically different from the way it started at he

beginning of the gatekeeper chain, it is not unusual for a reporter to work all day on a story and then be

told by a producer that the story will get only seconds of airtime.

News editor is one who supervises all the producers in the news room. Typically producers are assigned

to the early morning, morning, noon, evening, night, and late-night newscast. In addition to looking

after the producer, News editor might also produce the evening news, typically the stations most

important programme.

Organization of a TV news room

News director

Executive producer

Assignment editor

Producers

Reporters

Editors

An assignment editor has to take care of all the preparation of news, so while writing news following

points should be remembered.

Accuracy

The first essential of news writing is accuracy.

Fairness and Reliability

Every reporter should remember that a news channel reputation for fairness and reliable rests upon an

accurate presentation of the facts.

Factual position

The number and class of people who would be interested in them as well as the need for telecasting

them while they still have news value should also be kept in mind.

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TV News Reporting and Production MCM 516

Nearness and proximity

The geographical nearness of an event does add to interest.

Conflict

The readers have a lot of interest in all sorts of conflict or contests.

Suspense and mystery

The suspense and mystery also keeps the viewers glued to the television channels.

Oddity and novelty

The odd and novel news items have more human interest.

Prominence

The big names make big news, is the key rule while selecting the news items.

Consequence

The result of a particular event on public or a specific group of people makes the news mention-worthy.

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