Sub-editors are not always those creatures whose English can be termed ‘impeccable.’
Once, a sub-editor overlooked a reporter’s heading that read: JAYALALITHAA DISTRIBUTES AIDS.
Luckily, we changed the heading before it went for printing, but not before there were many off-colour jokes at the expense of Jayalalthaa and the reporter.
And then again there was the sub, who [...]
Archive for August 2nd, 2008
The Joke’s on us
Posted in Career listings, tagged actress Lakshmi, Cauvery issue, English, JAYALALITHA, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, News Today, newspaper, reporter, sub, Sub-editors on August 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A Journalist’s dictionary II – crime reporting
Posted in Career listings, tagged accused, Anna Nagar K4 police station, Asst Police Comissioner, boyfriends, case has been filed, city police stations, constables, crime reporting, deputed, dragnet, Encounter, Further investigations are on, Journalist's dictionary, lookout, mysterious death, Police teams, police version, policeman, rape, reporter, Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sexually assualted, sub-editor, top brass, vernacular newspaper, victim, word count on August 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A case has been filed: Its a normal day
The Anna Nagar K4 police station has registered the case under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)….: The reporter has a word count and he’s falling short
A case has been filed. Further investigations are on: The sub-editor need a few more words for the story [...]
A journalist’s dictionary
Posted in Career listings, tagged Accusation, Alleged, Breaking news, caught red-handed on TV, Civil war, competition, Controversial, exclusives, Flash news, follow-up story, journalist, Journalist's dictionary, Matinee idol, media reports, MTV, news agencies, News snippets, news wires, Peace treaty, Recently, Reliable source, Reliable sources, reported, Riot-torn, rumours, Said an official on conditions of anonymity, Said officials, Said top-officials, Scandal-plagued:, scandals, Shocking revelation, space constraints, Strong US military presence, sub-editor, Teen idol, Terrorist, Vogue, War-torn, Warning on August 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
If you ever find these words in a newspaper it can only mean
Alleged: The safety net to all rumours and scandals, if they turn out to be false
Breaking news: It’s on the news wires
Flash news: It’s sensational, but we have only a vague idea of what’s going on
News snippets: Its important, but space [...]
Pippa Passes
Posted in The Muses, tagged Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, P.G.Wodehouse, Robert Browning, Victoria Holt on August 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The year’s at the spring
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in his Heaven -
All’s right with the world!
Robert Browning
This poem holds special significance for me because its the theme of two of my favourite books – P.G.Wodehouse’s Joy in the Morning & Victoria [...]
Kissing Indian women a big ‘No’ for angrazis
Posted in The Muses, tagged IANS, UK India Business Council on August 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The IANS recently reported on etiquette classes being offered by the UK India Business Council
(UKIBC) for Britishmen conducting business in India.
The etiquette list for them reads:
Greet with a smile, handshake and small talk
Saying ‘Namaste’ with a slight bow and palms together will be appreciated.
This seems a bit outdated…but then I wouldn’t know what’s de’ rigour in business circles
With [...]
Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day?
Posted in The Muses, tagged William Shakespeare on August 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft’ is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d:
But [...]
