What sort of people are journalists? What qualities and qualifications do they possess

A person who has not this interest in other people will never make a good journalist

Let us look at the qualifications a journalist needs. Obviously he must be well enough educated to be able to write fairly clearly in whatever language it is he hopes to work in.¹³ The best journalists write simple, plain, direct English, generally preferring short words to long ones.

Often it is the pupil who was fairly good at five or six subjects, and not brilliant at just one, who makes the best journalist. These sort of people seem rather better balanced,¹⁴ as it were,¹⁵ for the sort of life a journalist leads - often with a nose in half a dozen things in one day - than the spe­cialist, who was so interested in, say, biology, that he never took much interest in history, geography, literature and other subjects.

But of course, nobody can say exactly what the best qualifications for a career in journalism are. They will vary enormously, according to the individual. There are plenty of highly successful journalists who were generally at the bottom of the class when they were at school, while many a man¹⁶ with a university degree has failed to make any mark in journalism.¹⁷

. You should of course be willing to work hard. You should have not only an ordinary education but an extraordinary broad one. On top of this you should have a pleasant personality, be sincere, enthusiastic, have a sense of humour, be dependable, sensitive, idealistic, dedicated, open- minded and responsible.

quality - качество

genuine - подлинный, истинный, настоящий;

genuine interest - искренний интерес

famous - знаменитый

humble - скромный

issue - 1. спорный вопрос, предмет обсуждения; 2. выпуск, издание, номер, экземпляр (газеты, журнала и т.п.)

to inquire - спрашивать, узнавать;

inquiring mind - пыт­ливый ум

humility – скромность

obviously - явно, ясно, очевидно

qualification - квалификация, подготовленность;

educational qualifications -профессиональная подготовка

educated - образованный; развитой;

educated mind - развитой ум;

educated taste - развитой вкус

Unit 2

JOURNALISM IS A HARD LIFE

What sort of people are journalists? What qualities and qualifications do they possess

Journalism is a hard life. It can be exciting, but it can be sometimes boring. It can be frustrating, too. It can be demanding and so make it dif­ficult or impossible for you to do a lot of things that other people do in their spare time.,.It can separate you from your family for a great amount of your time; some journalists see their school-going children only at weekends. It can cut you off from a good deal of social life with your friends, and it can make it almost impossible for you to know when you will be free and what time you will have to call your own.

Despite this, those who are journalists can imagine few ways of life that are more rewarding, despite the drawbacks and frustrations of their profession. Most sub-editors, particularly night sub-editors, lead a hard life, shut off from personal contact with the outside world; but many of them have been reporters and have known the thrill of meeting important people and of writing a good story - the excitement of being a journalist.

To be a good journalist you must have a great deal of curiosity. You must like people and be interested in what they do; you must be able to get on easy and friendly terms with men and women of all sorts, however much they may differ from each other or from you. Journalism is no place for the shy person who finds it difficult to talk to strangers. He must be able to write, not necessarily at the standard of great writers, but in a simple and lucid fashion and, above all, quickly, and in short sen­tences which convey concisely what is meant

But the chief of staff is not with him when he is reporting the pro­ceedings of Parliament or some meeting; not with him when he is inter­viewing an important person; not with him when he is reporting an event involving loss of life, a bushfire or a flood

A good journalist is not easily re­buffed. He must have a good deal of selF-reliance and push and energy and initiative

to fascinate - очаровывать, приводить в восхищение, пленять fascination - обаяние, очарование

advantage - преимущество, превосходство. editor - редактор; sub-editor - редактор отдела, заместитель редактора

сору - 1. рукопись, материал для печатания, фотография; 2. эк­земпляр

copy-boy — а person who carries copy from desk to desk and does numerous similar jobs in the newsroom - мальчик, который носит рукописи, материалы из отдела в отдел

desk - division or department of an organization or office; the city desk of a newspaper - отдел городских новостей; ам. редакция газеты desk-work - редакторская работа, работа в редакции (в отличие от репортерской)

newsroom - a room in a newspaper office, a television studio, or the like, dealing exclusively with the collection, analysis, and presentation of news

assignment - журналистское задание;

to cover assignments – выполнять задания

teletype machine - телетайп

composing room - наборный цех

editorial conference - совещание сотрудников редакции

outsider - посторонний человек

page-proof - пробный оттиск страницы

press - печатный станок

edition - выпуск газеты

Unit 3

WORK OF THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT

The life and work of the Foreign Correspondent have a strong appeal¹ for most young men and women in journalism. To cover the world's news² from China to Peru, from Moscow to Cape Town; to send back dispatches³ under date-lines from "faraway places with strange-sounding names" is the secret dream of many a cub-reporter⁴ with which he spends dull hours in the local police court or council chamber

The work of the Foreign Correspondent is something much wider than the mere reporting of events. He must give his readers at home a complete background service⁵ explaining and interpreting the news, pro­viding eye-witness descriptions⁶ of scenes and happenings, conjuring up the atmosphere⁷ in which events are taking place, mailing informative articles⁸ periodically which will make newspaper readers familiar with the background to men and affairsThe would-be foreign representative must study world geography and get a thorough knowledge of modern history and current affairs, besides making a special study of the history, manners, customs, political system etc., of those countries where he hopes to work. If he is to write authori­tatively¹⁷ on foreign affairs he must himself be an authority.

But first and foremost¹⁸ he is, and must remain, a reporter, seeking and reporting news

NOTES

2. appeal n - привлекательность, очарование; to appeal v - привлекать, нравиться

3. to cover the news — освещать новости

4. dispatch n - депеша; news dispatch - корреспонденция

5. a cub-reporter - in the professional jargon of journalists means a beginner - начинающий репортер

6. to give a complete background service - зд. дать исчерпываю­щее разъяснение подоплеки событий

7. to provide eye-witness descriptions - описывать события как очевидец

8. to conjure up the atmosphere ['aetmasfia] - воссоздавать атмосферу,

9. an informative article - содержательная статья

10. a first-rate general reporter - первоклассный репортер, выпол­няющий общие задания

11. a nose for the news - зд. «нюх» на новости,

12. a keenly developed sense of news values - остро развитое чувст­во значимости новостей

13. to favour somebody with one's confidence - оказать кому-л. доверие

a good mixer - общительный человек; a bad mixer - необщи­тельный человек

¹⁴ anxious adj - стремящийся к чему-л., желающий чего-л.; anxious for success (for peace) - стремящийся к успеху (к миру); to be anxious to do something

⁵ equipment -зд. знание языков

14. a nodding acquaintance with grammar - «шапочное» знакомство с грамматикой

15. authority - авторитет, специалист, знаток; to be an authority on politics; authoritatively - авторитетно

16. first and foremost - прежде всего

U n it 4

JOURNALISM IS INFORMATION

What is journalism? Journalism is information. It is communication. It is the events of the day distilled into a few words, sounds or pictures, processed by the mechanics of communication to satisfy the human curi­osity of the world that is always eager to know what's new

The cave-man drawing a buffalo on the wall of his home did so to give other hunters the news that buffaloes were nearby. The town-crier reciting the news in the market-place provided a convenient way in which a number of people could simultaneously learn facts affecting all their lives.

Today the news media³ are swamped by the very availability of news. There is simply more of it than ever before - unimaginably more, avail­able to many more people. This is a transformation that has been achieved in a little over 100 years

Journalism is about people. It is produced for people. So how has the ordinary man's receptivity to journalism changed in twenty years?

Fifty years ago, a family might listen to a news bulletin on the living- room radio over breakfast. Father would read his morning paper over breakfast or on the bus or train going to work. After work, he would buy an evening paper and read it on the way home, handing it over to his wife who would read it when she had washed up after the evening meal. Then they might listen to the BBC nine o'clock radio news.

What happens now? The bedside transistor radio switches itself on with the alarm. Mother has her radio on in the kitchen as she cooks, breakfast. The kids have their radios switched to Radio One with its mixture of pop music and news flashes.⁶ Father glances at the morning paper over breakfast, then gets into the car and turns on "Today" as he drives to work

The newspaperman has to be aware of the changes in the lives of his readers. It is not enough for him to print the "hard news"⁹ of the evening before (most national newspapers start printing their major editions around 10 pm, with further editions for the city in which they are pro­duced coming up until 4 am), since his readers who look at the paper over breakfast will have heard most of that and seen many of the public figures and significant events on television the night before

The press has been slow to catch on to this change and to revise its methods of operation so that the newspaper still has a function. That it has a function, there can be no doubt: for the television or radio news bulletin is tightly encapsulated, containing only a few of the main facts in a highly abbreviated form.

Newspapers are archives, objects of record. They can be referred to, checked back on, in a way that the television or radio news cannot. They can describe events at greater length, add more relevant detail, give authoritative comment from people in a.position to detect trends and the likely lines in which a news stoiy will develop.

⁹

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY

to entertain развлекать, забавлять;

entertainment развлечение;

en­tertainment programme развлекательная программа

television picture телевизионное изображение

a matter of seconds дело нескольких секунд

small-town radio station радиостанция в маленьком городке

to present news подавать, преподносить новости

channel канал

service служба; broadcasting service служба вещания;

national service национальная служба;

nation-wide service общенацио­нальная служба;

news service служба новостей;

regional service региональная служба;

television service телевизионная служба;

to establish television service/to launch television service организовать телевизионную службу;

to take service принимать передачи

broadcast v передавать по радио, телевидению; n широковещание, передача, вещание;

educational broadcast образовательная передача;

outside broadcast внестудийная передача;

political broadcast политическая передача;

produce television (radio) broadcast подготовить, выпустить телеви­зионную (радио) передачу;

live news broadcast «живая» передача новостей, эфирная передача новостей, прямой эфир (remember the pronunciation of the word live adj [laiv] живой)

broadcasting вещание, широковещание;

direct satellite broadcasting непосредственное вещание через спутник Земли;

domestic broadcasting внутреннее вещание;

radio broadcasting радио­вещание;

television broadcasting телевизионное вещание

bulletin бюллетень, сводка;

news bulletin сводка новостей

headline заголовок

Unit 5

WHAT IS NEWS?

The nature of news is a favourite subject of discussion among jour­nalists. Some place the emphasis on one aspect, some on another but it is generally agreed that the essence of news is topicality, novelty and gen­eral interest. To be news an item of information must have a bearing on the affairs of the moment, it must be new to those who hear or read it, and it must arouse the interest of a considerable number of those hearers or readers.

Above all, he must have his finger on the pulse of current thought and public opinion; he must.be aware of what the great mass of men and women around him are thinking and feeling; he must never lose "the common touch", for although he himself may move in a circle whose interests are specialised, what he writes must appeal to the man in the street.

The collection of news has a highly organised business. There is hardly a corner of the world today which is not covered by the gigantic network of news-gatherers employed by the local and national newspa­pers and the great news agencies.

Very briefly, the system operates thus. Local news is collected by the reporters and district representatives of provincial newspapers, and by the local staff correspondents of the national dailies. Events of national importance are covered by staff reporters of the national dailies and by special correspondents of both the national and provincial Press.

In addition, home news is reported by district correspondents of the news agencies, notably the Press Association, the Exchange Telegraph and Central News. Foreign news is gathered by Reuters news agency and by the foreign correspondents employed by the national dailies and some of the larger provincial papers. Items of interest to particular sections of the community (e.g. trade and technical news) are gathered by a number of smaller news agencies operating in different parts of the country.

ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY

topic n тема; the topic of the day злободневная тема; the topic of conversation тема разговора

topical adj 1. актуальный, животрепещущий; a topical question злободневный вопрос;

to be of topical interest представлять злободневный интерес; 2. тематический; a topical article on medicine статья на медицинскую тему

topical п документальный фильм, хроникальный фильм, кино­репортаж

topicality п актуальность

topically adv 1. актуально; 2. тематически

priority 1. приоритет, старшинство, первенство; 2. поря­док очередности; first priority первоочередность; of high prior­ity первоочередной, неотложный, срочный; priority number one самое главное, самое срочное; to give priority to smth придавать первостепенное значение чему-л.

background 1. задний план, фон; to stay in the back­ground оставаться в тени, на заднем плане; 2. кинообстановка,; место действия, предметы или действующие лица, расположен­ные в глубине кадра; 3. подоплека; the background of the deal was easy to explain подоплека этой сделки была легко объяс­нима; the background of the event предыстория события; 4. под­готовка, образование, квалификация; educational background; social background; he has the right background for the job у него хорошая подготовка для этой работы; to look up smb's background наводить справки о ком-л. (о чьем-л. происхож­дении, моральном облике, связях); What's his background? Что он собой представляет? background music музыкальный фон; background noise посторонний шум

to select [si'lekt]/gather/collect [ka'lekt] news собирать информа­цию, новости; the art of news-gathering искусство сбора информации (новостей); news-gatherer репортер; newsworthy _s достойный освещения в печати

agency n агентство, представительство; news agency информационное агентство; wire news agency телеграфное агентство

correspondent n корреспондент; a staff correspon­dent штатный корреспондент

Unit 6

THE KEY WORD IS "DEADLINE"

News is one of the most vital products we consume. It is also one of the most perishable. The worker who contributes to the making of a car, bridge, house, or even a pair of shoes knows his effort has produced something that will endure - perhaps beyond his life-time. Not so with the news worker. The story on which he laboured so hard and which he wrote so eloquently will be on its way to the recycling machine¹ a day later - if it is not used to wrap fishThe fleeting quality of news helps in explaining how it is obtained, written, edited, printed and distributed. This process continues twenty- four hours a day to satisfy a worldwide demand for fresh information. On the basis of the news we get, we vote, buy, sell, make or change plans, carry an umbrella to work, attend the theatre, go to a meeting, or write a letter to the mayor. Thus, the newspaper at the breakfast table and the eleven o'clock TV news shows are part of our lives. We want to know what's going on. The news media tell us

The key word is "deadline". News is gathered under deadline pres­sure. The reporter is always aware that his story must be in the hands of his editor by a rigidly prescribed time. The editor, in turn, knows that the edited copy must be in the print shop by a specific time if it is to get into the paper. Newsmen work by the clock. As the newspapers roll off the press, circulation trucks are waiting to carry them to various parts of the city and to trains and planes that will take them to more distant points. The same pressure applies to broadcasting. A television news crew must have its film and tape at the studio by a certain time if the spot³ is to be aired that evening. Even magazines have to meet deadlines, although not as tight ones.

But remember,' editors and reporters are meeting the public demand for news shortly after events happen. They are dealing in instant history. The news in perspective, the background details, and so forth can be handled, by the columnists, in editorials and in long interpretive or "think" pieces in the Sunday paper. Daily newspapers also carry a feature story. As for accu­racy, studies have shown that newspapers and wire services have a high batting average on this score considering the hectic⁵ pace at which news is produced. But this does not give the news media a blanket excuse to com­mit errors.

NOTES

¹ recycling machine - машина для переработки вторичного сырья

² by the same token - к тому же, кроме того

³ spot - жарг. короткая, рекламная или информационная переда­ча; экстренное сообщение (по радио, телевидению)

⁴ tie up loose ends - зд. охватить все детали

⁵ hectic adj - разг. лихорадочный, возбужденный, горячий; hectic time - горячее время.

⁶ Life has become somewhat hectic nowaday. - Жизнь стала какая-то суматошная сейчас.

Unit 7

TRAINING FOR JOURNALISM IN BRITAIN

One reason why journalism used to appeal so much to young people as a career was that it did not seem to need long and boring periods of study. After all, what more does a reporter need than a nose for news,¹ a notebook and pencil, and ambition?

But today it is not so simple. Would-be journalists need a higher stan­dard of school qualifications before they can get a job in the first place. And then they must agree to follow a. course of training laid down by the National Council for the Training of Journalists,⁴ and they must pass their examinations before they can be sure of holding onto their jobs.

The NCTJ operates in Britain, but there are similar bodies being estab­lished in most countries.⁵ In those countries, such as the United States, where a high proportion of youngsters go on from school to college, there are university courses in journalism and the best jobs go to graduates. Though there is only one embryo course in journalism in a British univer­sity (at Cardiff), more graduates are entering the profession and as training schemes become more formalised, the chances in journalism for a boy or girl who dislikes school and cannot study or pass exams are very slight.

Training for journalism in Britain is organized by the National Coun­cil for the Training of Journalists which was set up in 1952 as a result of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Press (1949).⁶ The Council has representatives from newspaper and journalist organizations and four educational representatives, one nominated by the Department of Education and Science

There are basically two ways of entering the training schemes or­ganized by the NCTJ: either by getting a job on a newspaper and then applying to enter the training scheme which combines practical journal­ism with part-time study,¹⁴ or by taking the one-year full-time course¹⁵ organized by the NCTJ.

NOTES

¹ a nose for news - умение оценить новость; «нюх» на новости

² they talked themselves on to some small-town newspaper - они уговаривали редактора какой-нибудь небольшой городской газеты взять их на работу

³ as they went along - зд. в процессе работы

⁴ the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) - Национальный совет по подготовке журналистов

there are similar bodies being established in most countries - в большинстве стран создаются подобные организации (being estab­lished - Present Participle Passive употреблен здесь в функции определения)

⁶ the Royal Commission on the Press (a body of persons intrusted by British sovereign with duties and powers of holding an inquiry about the press and issuing a report) - Королевская комиссия по делам печати назначается монархом по рекомендации правительства из числа наиболее авторитетных лиц для изучения какого-либо вопроса и представления рекомендаций правительству

⁷ Department of Education and Science - Министерство образо­вания и науки

⁸ under the auspices - под эгидой

⁹ five-member international executive committee - международный исполнительный комитет, состоящий из пяти членов

¹⁰ keep in touch - поддерживать связь

¹¹ local education authorities - местные органы народ­ного образования

¹² vocational training - профессиональное обучение

¹³ proficiency tests - тесты на профессиональную пригодность

¹⁴ part-time study - обучение без отрыва от производства

¹⁵ one-year full-time course - одногодичные курсы с отрывом от производства

U n it 8

SUCCESS IN INTERVIEWING

Newspaper reporters not only have risked and lost their lives in the front lines during warfare, but they have braved danger in peace time to cover floods, hurricanes, fires, strikes, crimes and many other kinds of sto­ries. No editor expects a reporter to place himself in unreasonable jeop­ardy,¹ but he does drill into every cub the fact that² there always is more than one way to get any story The best kind of interview is that which proceeds in a natural, friendly, informal way. The reporter may inspire confidence and make himself attractive by not coming to the point of his visit at once, but by beginning the conversation with some general comment. If he can get his subject chatting about another matter, he may be able to lead the inter­view easily into the channel that he wishes it to take.

It is wise to take as few notes as possible during an interview of this kind. Often it may be disastrous to take a single note. If the reporter can get his subject to forget⁷ that he is speaking for publication, he will ob­tain much more than if the person is constantly reminded that the inter­viewer is taking down verbatim what he is saying.

Sometimes the interviewee requests the reporter to take verbatim notes. Or the reporter at the end of an interview may remark: "By the way, would you mind spelling that name for me?" Or he may ask for ex­act figures, addresses, etc., which the interviewee will be glad to have him get correctly.⁸ The reporter must be careful in asking for such infor­mation, because he should not suggest to the interviewee that he had better start pointing out clearly which of his remarks are for publication and which not.

The reporter must train his memory to recall, an hour or so afterward, all the important remarks of the interviewee. He should make immediate mental note of any startling statement which he will want to use verba­tim, and should keep turning it over in his mind during the rest of the in­terview. He should seize the first opportunity after leaving the scene of the interview to write down such statements and to make any other nec­essary notes. If he has an hour or so before he must write his story, he will be surprised to find that, bit by bit, virtually the entire interview will come back to him.

In writing an opinion interview, it is often wise, for the sake of authority, to mention that the statements were made during an interview. So, "Mr. White stated in his interview today" is better than "Mr. White told a News repoA musician, scientist, writer, politician or any other person who has become prominent, despises the reporter who betrays ignorance of his activities and reputation. Anyone with a speciality, furthermore, is bored to have to talk to another who is utterly uninformed concerning that field of interest. There are numerous biographical reference books which the reporter may consult to learn the outstanding facts about a person's life and achievements. The newspaper's reference department usually can supply clippings related to what the person has done recentlyrter today"

The reporter should go to his interview with a number of possible questions memorized. These should be related to the interviewee's field of interest and yet should not be too elementary or questions which it is reasonable to suppose the person has been asked time and time again. The reporter should try to find some new angle of approach, some fresh subject upon which the person interviewed will be able to speak.