Reporting and Editing Questions and Answers

Q: If an analysis of the death penalty is written soon after a murderer is sentenced to death, it is an example of :

It is an example of a backgrounder.A backgrounder is a story written soon after a news event to give readers the context they need to understand it: the history of the issue, the laws involved and the arguments on each side. An analysis of the death penalty published just after a death sentence uses the news as a peg to explain the wider issue.An in-depth story investigates a subject at length, a trend story reports a pattern emerging over time, and a theme story builds around a general theme, rather than explaining the background to a specific news event.

Q: What is an essay that breaks a work of non-fiction into parts and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect - whether to persuade, entertain or inform - called ?

Such an essay is a rhetorical analysis.Rhetorical analysis takes a non-fiction text, such as a speech, an editorial or an advertisement, breaks it into its parts (appeals to ethos, pathos and logos, structure, style, audience, purpose) and explains how those parts work together to persuade, entertain or inform.Discourse analysis studies language in use and the social meanings it carries, rather than how one text achieves its effect. Ethnographic content analysis is a qualitative way of studying documents, moving between data and concepts. Narrative analysis looks at how stories are structured and told.

Q: When was 'embedded journalists' the term first used ?

The term was first used during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.For the 2003 invasion the US Department of Defense placed several hundred reporters inside military units, where they lived, travelled and moved with the troops under agreed ground rules. The arrangement and the term 'embedded journalists' (embeds) date from that war, and it raised questions about how independent such reporting could be.Correspondents had accompanied armies earlier, in the First and Second World Wars and even the American Revolution, but they were called war correspondents. The word 'embedded' was not applied to them at the time.

Q: The news value 'timeliner' is said to be in which kind of story ?

The timeliness value is in a story that stresses events that occurred today or yesterday.Timeliness (printed 'timeliner') is the news value of recency: news is about what has just happened, and the fresher the event, the stronger its claim to space. A daily paper therefore stresses events of the past day or so.Events of the last month are too old to be news on timeliness alone. The other two options measure when the story was written or read, not when the event happened, which is what timeliness concerns, so a story written in the last six hours about an old event has no claim to it.

Q: In which of the following does the concept of proximity apply ?

Proximity applies when a news organisation carries a murder story because it was committed locally.Proximity is the news value of nearness. Readers care more about events close to them, geographically, and sometimes culturally or emotionally, so a local murder is more newsworthy to a local paper than a similar one far away.The other options name different news values. A murder chosen because it was unusual reflects novelty (oddity); one chosen because it happened today reflects timeliness; and one chosen because it involved a well-known person reflects prominence.

Q: When is a news story said to have a bias ?

A story is biased when a reporter relies on one source, especially in a controversy.In a dispute each side has its own version of events. A story built on only one of them presents that side's account as the truth, and leaves out the other side, which is the definition of a one-sided or biased story. Fairness requires seeking out and representing all the parties.Relying on multiple sources is the remedy for bias, not its cause. Writing on a subject one knows well is expertise, and writing about people one has known for some time raises a possible conflict of interest but does not by itself make the story biased.

Q: What is a universal practice among news organisations when it comes to covering rape cases ?

The practice is to withhold the name of the victim but publish the name of the suspect.News organisations protect the identity of rape survivors because of the stigma and further harm that publicity can bring. In India this is also the law: Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code made it an offence to print or publish the name or any matter that may make known the identity of a rape victim. The person accused, on the other hand, is normally named, as in any other criminal case.Publishing the victim's name, in either the second or third option, breaks that rule, and withholding both names is not the usual practice for the suspect.

Q: In a newspaper story, what is the explanatory paragraph, also called as a 'so what' paragraph, that follows the introductory lead block and explains the significance of the story called ?

It is called the nut graph (nut graf).In a feature-style or delayed-lead story, the nut graph comes after the introductory anecdote or scene and states in a nutshell what the story is about and why it matters to the reader, hence its other name, the 'so what' paragraph.'No bill' is a legal term for a grand jury's refusal to indict. 'Open record' refers to public records that anyone may inspect under freedom-of-information laws. Body copy is the main text of a story or an advertisement as a whole, not the particular paragraph that explains its significance.

Q: In writing news stories words like 'meanwhile, therefore, also, but' are used as :

Such words are used as transitions.Words and phrases like meanwhile, therefore, also and but link one sentence or paragraph to the next and show the relationship between ideas: time, cause, addition or contrast. In news writing they keep a story flowing smoothly from one fact to the next.They do not break paragraphs, they are not the body copy itself (the main text of a story or advertisement), and they are not themes, which are the central ideas of a story.

Q: How are 'Hard News' and 'Soft News' different ?

Hard news is about serious topics and recent events, and soft news about human interest stories.Hard news covers timely, consequential events such as politics, crime, the economy and disasters, reported quickly in an inverted-pyramid style. Soft news covers features, lifestyle, entertainment and human-interest pieces, where timeliness matters less and the writing can be more leisurely.The difference is one of subject and urgency, not of length or grammatical complexity, and hard news is not defined as 'convoluted' topics.

21.

If an analysis of the death penalty is written soon after a murderer is sentenced to death, it is an example of :

A.In-depth story
B.Trend story
C.Backgrounder
D.Theme story

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: C

It is an example of a backgrounder.

A backgrounder is a story written soon after a news event to give readers the context they need to understand it: the history of the issue, the laws involved and the arguments on each side. An analysis of the death penalty published just after a death sentence uses the news as a peg to explain the wider issue.

An in-depth story investigates a subject at length, a trend story reports a pattern emerging over time, and a theme story builds around a general theme, rather than explaining the background to a specific news event.

Discuss in Forum

22.

What is an essay that breaks a work of non-fiction into parts and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect - whether to persuade, entertain or inform - called ?

A.Discourse analysis
B.Ethnographic content analysis
C.Narrative analysis
D.Rhetorical analysis

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: D

Such an essay is a rhetorical analysis.

Rhetorical analysis takes a non-fiction text, such as a speech, an editorial or an advertisement, breaks it into its parts (appeals to ethos, pathos and logos, structure, style, audience, purpose) and explains how those parts work together to persuade, entertain or inform.

Discourse analysis studies language in use and the social meanings it carries, rather than how one text achieves its effect. Ethnographic content analysis is a qualitative way of studying documents, moving between data and concepts. Narrative analysis looks at how stories are structured and told.

Discuss in Forum

23.

When was 'embedded journalists' the term first used ?

A.The First World War
B.Invasion of Iraq in 2003
C.The Second World War
D.The American Revolution

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: B

The term was first used during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

For the 2003 invasion the US Department of Defense placed several hundred reporters inside military units, where they lived, travelled and moved with the troops under agreed ground rules. The arrangement and the term 'embedded journalists' (embeds) date from that war, and it raised questions about how independent such reporting could be.

Correspondents had accompanied armies earlier, in the First and Second World Wars and even the American Revolution, but they were called war correspondents. The word 'embedded' was not applied to them at the time.

Discuss in Forum

24.

The news value 'timeliner' is said to be in which kind of story ?

A.One that stresses events that have occurred in the last month
B.One that stresses events that occurred today or yesterday
C.One that has been written within the last six hours
D.One that has been read or written within the last six hours

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: B

The timeliness value is in a story that stresses events that occurred today or yesterday.

Timeliness (printed 'timeliner') is the news value of recency: news is about what has just happened, and the fresher the event, the stronger its claim to space. A daily paper therefore stresses events of the past day or so.

Events of the last month are too old to be news on timeliness alone. The other two options measure when the story was written or read, not when the event happened, which is what timeliness concerns, so a story written in the last six hours about an old event has no claim to it.

Discuss in Forum

25.

In which of the following does the concept of proximity apply ?

A.When a news organisation is likely to carry a murder story because it was unusual
B.When a news organisation is likely to carry a murder story because it occurred today
C.When a news organisation is likely to carry a murder story because it was commited locally
D.When a news organisation is likely to carry a murder story because it involved a well known person

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: C

Proximity applies when a news organisation carries a murder story because it was committed locally.

Proximity is the news value of nearness. Readers care more about events close to them, geographically, and sometimes culturally or emotionally, so a local murder is more newsworthy to a local paper than a similar one far away.

The other options name different news values. A murder chosen because it was unusual reflects novelty (oddity); one chosen because it happened today reflects timeliness; and one chosen because it involved a well-known person reflects prominence.

Discuss in Forum

26.

When is a news story said to have a bias ?

A.When a reporter writes about a topic he knows a lot about
B.When a reporter relies on one source, especially in a controversy
C.When a reporter relies on multiple sources, especially in a controversy
D.When a reporter writes about people he has known for sometimes

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: B

A story is biased when a reporter relies on one source, especially in a controversy.

In a dispute each side has its own version of events. A story built on only one of them presents that side's account as the truth, and leaves out the other side, which is the definition of a one-sided or biased story. Fairness requires seeking out and representing all the parties.

Relying on multiple sources is the remedy for bias, not its cause. Writing on a subject one knows well is expertise, and writing about people one has known for some time raises a possible conflict of interest but does not by itself make the story biased.

Discuss in Forum

27.

What is a universal practice among news organisations when it comes to covering rape cases ?

A.Withhold the name of the victim and suspect
B.Publish name of the victim and suspect
C.Publish name of the victim but withhold name of the suspect
D.Withhold name of the victim but publish name of the suspect

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: D

The practice is to withhold the name of the victim but publish the name of the suspect.

News organisations protect the identity of rape survivors because of the stigma and further harm that publicity can bring. In India this is also the law: Section 228A of the Indian Penal Code made it an offence to print or publish the name or any matter that may make known the identity of a rape victim. The person accused, on the other hand, is normally named, as in any other criminal case.

Publishing the victim's name, in either the second or third option, breaks that rule, and withholding both names is not the usual practice for the suspect.

Discuss in Forum

28.

In a newspaper story, what is the explanatory paragraph, also called as a 'so what' paragraph, that follows the introductory lead block and explains the significance of the story called ?

A.Nut graph
B.No bill
C.Open record
D.Body copy

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2021, SET Exam - 2021,

Answer: A

It is called the nut graph (nut graf).

In a feature-style or delayed-lead story, the nut graph comes after the introductory anecdote or scene and states in a nutshell what the story is about and why it matters to the reader, hence its other name, the 'so what' paragraph.

'No bill' is a legal term for a grand jury's refusal to indict. 'Open record' refers to public records that anyone may inspect under freedom-of-information laws. Body copy is the main text of a story or an advertisement as a whole, not the particular paragraph that explains its significance.

Discuss in Forum

29.

In writing news stories words like 'meanwhile, therefore, also, but' are used as :

A.Paragraph breakers
B.Body copy
C.Themes
D.Transitions

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: D

Such words are used as transitions.

Words and phrases like meanwhile, therefore, also and but link one sentence or paragraph to the next and show the relationship between ideas: time, cause, addition or contrast. In news writing they keep a story flowing smoothly from one fact to the next.

They do not break paragraphs, they are not the body copy itself (the main text of a story or advertisement), and they are not themes, which are the central ideas of a story.

Discuss in Forum

30.

How are 'Hard News' and 'Soft News' different ?

A.Hard news is about convoluted topics and soft news is about things like entertainment
B.Hard news is about serious topics and recent events and soft news is about human interest stories
C.Hard news stories are longer than soft news stories
D.Hard news stories have complex grammar, soft news stories are simple to understand

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2023, SET Exam - 2023,

Answer: B

Hard news is about serious topics and recent events, and soft news about human interest stories.

Hard news covers timely, consequential events such as politics, crime, the economy and disasters, reported quickly in an inverted-pyramid style. Soft news covers features, lifestyle, entertainment and human-interest pieces, where timeliness matters less and the writing can be more leisurely.

The difference is one of subject and urgency, not of length or grammatical complexity, and hard news is not defined as 'convoluted' topics.

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