Editorial page

The Editorial Page

An editorial is defined as “a write-up usually done by the Editor, his deputy or assistant editor/editors. Unlike a news story, it contains comments, usually on a current situation or development”. (Dictionary of Media and Journalism, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi) The editorial usually reflects the policy of a particular newspaper or magazine. The editorial is either written by the editor himself or by an established columnist. It is can at times be an article written by an assistant editor and signed by the editor or written by one of his principal editorial writers.

Depending on the kind of topics dealt, the editorials have been classified as follows:

1.      The Informative or interpretative editorial

2.      The Appreciative or Critical editorial

3.      The Human Interest editorial  

In the beginning editorial was a platform where the learned editors put forth their views and opinions about a contemporary issue. And the editors made no bones when they were criticizing something very caustically.

Presently, there is a debate going around if the editorials are losing importance in the daily press. With enormous transformation and diversification of the news and features carried in newspapers the editorial page and editorial columns have become a very small part of the total editorial operations of the press.  But, despite the growth of activities and interests in an increasingly complex society with its national and international ramifications, the editorial continues to occupy a significant position in nearly all the well-established newspapers, whether in the West or in India. In many newspapers the central column on the editorial page is often important thus testifying the value attached by the readers in general to anything that emanates from a recognizable writer, whether it is the editor himself or someone else.  

Nevertheless the editorial has survived as the expression of the newspaper’s views on current affairs, primarily because there is a strong feeling among those who conduct newspapers that the general readers attach value to the impersonal judgments and opinions expressed in the editorials. The readers even expect some lead from their favourite newspapers even on other subjects they may care to read or attach much importance to what the newspapers say. It is also one of the constant problems of the press to determine what influence editorials have on readers. Some studies made in India and elsewhere have shown that most readers are influenced to greater extent by what they read in the news columns than by the opinion expressed in the editorial columns. The readers tend to form their own judgment from the facts they gather from their newspapers, rather than from the views expressed by editorial writers or by others.     

Prominence must be given to the quality and content of the editorials as much as they attach to other sections of the newspaper. In fact greater importance must be given to the editorials because it is regarded as expressing the considered view of the newspaper.

A newspaper editorial is not always an index of public opinion but to the extent the readership of that newspaper does not express open disagreement with the views expressed by the newspaper. There are occasions when the editor of a newspaper feels so strongly on a subject that he does not hesitate to express views which may not be in accord with the strongly-held opinions or prejudices of its readers. Such occasions are a test of the courage and integrity of the editor of a newspaper are manifested. To plead strongly for causes which are not quite popular requires courage of conviction on the part of the editor. Concurrently, it requires a high sense of commitment to the public interest on the part of the management of newspaper to permit the editor to express such views, when the newspaper runs the risk of losing some of its readership. 

Integrity and courage are qualities which ultimately determine the status and esteem which newspaper commands in the community which it seeks to serve. While these qualities have to be displayed in the conduct of a newspaper as a whole, they have to be particularly manifested in the editorial columns of a newspaper, where the personality of the editor is reflected. The great newspapers in all countries, which have commanded prestige over long periods, have earned this distinction primarily by the independence, integrity and freedom from pressures of all kinds which they have displayed in their editorial columns.

There was a time when the editorial was almost entirely the work of the editor. Readers could easily identify the views expressed in the editorial with the opinions propagated by the editor himself. This identification of the editorial with the editor has long ceased to be true, for the simple reason that no editor, however competent and versatile he may be, can deal with the varied subjects which have to be dealt with in the editorial columns in a modern society. The number of editorial writers in a newspaper has varied according to the resources of the newspaper, the value it attaches to the editorials and the availability of   competent writers. 

Some newspapers with meager resources, especially in the Indian languages, have managed to get on with one or two persons. Some of the major English dailies in India even have eight or nine editorial writers. This allows considerable specialization in the editorial. There are thus editorial writers specializing on foreign affairs, national politics, civic problems, economic affairs and the like. While the editor has the final say on the views of the specialists he or she may choose to write the editorial himself.

The qualities that make for a good editorial are in a sense common to all good writing. Sincerity of conviction, fairness to all the points of view involved in the matter, scrupulous regard for facts and effective presentation of one’s arguments- all these make for a good editorial. Every editorial is primarily an essay in persuasion. If it does not succeed in projecting the point of clearly and convincingly to the reader, it would be failing in its purpose.  Even if it serves to provoke the reader into thinking on the subject on the lines the editor desires, it would have served some purpose.

There have been crusading editors, for whom the editorial column is a platform for projecting their special interests in a particular cause. In pre-independent India, there was a general devotion to the nationalist cause among newspapers owned or edited by Indians. It was widely believed that most of the pre-independence Indian newspapers were run by editors who fired with a missionary zeal and who had no pecuniary motives in running the newspapers. This is not entirely correct. Even in those pre-independence days the newspapers had to be run as commercial enterprises and had to interest readers.

It is equally unfair if the editors and journalists of independent India are said to have lost the missionary spirit. In fact, most of the new generation journalists have brought as much zeal and competence as might be expected in the new political conditions under which they have had to function.

Editorial writing in post-independent India calls for greater competence and understanding than during the days of foreign rule, when denunciation could serve as an effective substitute for reasoned and informed argument. And in the largest democracy like us continuous conflicts are an inherent feature and almost every issue becomes a matter of controversy on which there can be a variety of views.

Many issues that come up for editorial comment call for an understanding of complicated constitutional, political, economic or social matters. The editorial writer has to develop a comprehensive knowledge of the subject he has to deal with and he has to bear in mind the inter-relationship between economic and political issues and the relevance of international reactions to national decisions. Therefore mastering effective editorial writing in the contemporary situation is much greater than what was perhaps required in pre-independence days.

Ideally an editor has the decisive voice in the making of editorial policy. But in actual practice editorial policy is not a simple reflection of the personal views of the editor. Where a large number of senior assistant editors are also engaged in editorial writing, the normal procedure in a newspaper is for important issues to be discussed at the editorial conference. 

In the dynamics of national and international affairs, situations frequently develop which call for a fresh look at problems. For instance, the  Indian press has had to deal with the agitation in Assam over the inclusion of “foreigners” in the voters’ list assumes importance on such occasions because different points of view may be expressed at the conference and the editor’s own views may not decide the final stand to be taken by the newspaper.  Similarly when there was a furore over the nationality of Sonia Gandhi and her candidature for India’s prime ministerial post. There were lots of public discussions where the newspapers were required to take a stand on the issue. 

Of course while editorializing various issues the editor may have to be at loggerheads with the management of the newspaper too. The two may not see eye to eye on an issue. Then the editor’s independence would be curbed by the managerial pressures thus affecting the real cause too. Thus there is no safeguard for an editor who sticks to his guns when writing for a good public cause.                                              

The relationship between the management and the editor must be based on mutual confidence since there are so many issues on which editors decide day to day policy. Then much clash between the management’s perspectives and that of the editor need not unnecessarily clash. It would also ensure enough independence for the editor to execute his duty unreservedly.

Writing the Editorial:

There are no hard and fast rules in the techniques of editorial writing. The styles in editorial writing vary greatly since there is any number of gifted editorial writers. The style of editorials can be described as the argumentative, the persuasive the expository and the pedantic, the hortatory, the denunciatory or the vituperative. But the rarest type of editorial is the one which combines persuasion with wit and humour.

Editorial is invariably written in a race against time. The marvelous thing about a good editorial is that it has been written in a hurry to conform to the newspaper’s relentless time schedule. The greatness of the editorial lies in the exceptional competence, knowledge and gifted literary skills of the writers. In fact, such editorial pieces are examples of high literary quality too! 

The beginner or a novice intending to master the writing of editorial must start comparing the editorials on the same subject in different newspapers as well as get familiar with famous editorials in the well-known newspapers. Editorial writing is an art which must be cultivated as rigorously as any other art. Some of the rules to be observed are:

1.      One must have a good knowledge of the subject on which one writes.

2.      The writer must have some strength of conviction about the views he wishes to express.

3.      He must express the case in as persuasive and convincing a manner as he can.

If these three conditions are satisfied, the resulting product will be a good editorial even if it does not reach the heights of good literature. The literary quality of an editorial depends upon many factors including the personality and the style of the writer himself.

One of the risks that may well be avoided in editorial writing is the habit of rushing to express an opinion on vital issue on the basis of misleading or inadequate reports. Since editorials are respected as the well-considered judgement of the editor, impulsive and hurried opinions based on inadequate information or a superficial study of the problem must not be resorted to.  It is true that a newspaper must keep in pace with the rival newspapers who may be quick to express their views on anything and everything under the sun. Instead of feeling compelled to “keep up with the Joneses” a newspaper which chooses to comment after a proper consideration of the matter which may be delayed by a day or so would win an enduring respect and confidence of its readers than a newspaper which hastens to spout anything at the drop of the hat and off the cuff comments.

But there are many occasions when the newspapers have very little time to consider. Example: during the presentation of the Central Budget. There will be hardly any time to consider all the budget proposals and comment on them in time for the morning edition. In such cases, especially when the readers are perhaps eagerly expecting the newspaper’s comments on the Budget, it might be necessary to give a quick preliminary reaction to the Budget, to be followed by one or more considered editorials on various aspects of the subject on subsequent days.

There is a distinct style of editorial that stands out in very special occasions in India like a war emergency or a general election of special importance. It is the signed editorial. This signed editorial appearing on the front page was employed by the late Frank Moraes as a means of focusing the readers’ attention on the outstanding issues dealt with in the editorials. Obviously, such signed editorials appearing on the front page derived their importance as much from the personality of Moraes himself as from the fact that they were featured on the front page. It is a technique which has relevance on exceptional occasions when it may be expected that the entire readership of a newspaper is deeply concerned about the issues dealt with in the editorials. Such signed editorials have to present a very strong and distinctive point of view in a forceful style if they are to interest the readers. Obviously they cannot be adopted as a regular form of editorial writing.

Some well-known Editorials: A column in the editorial page by the editor under his own name stands on a different footing from signed editorials. Depending primarily on the quality of the writing and the personality of the editor himself, the signed column may acquire special importance for the readers of a newspaper. And there is any number of legends about renowned editors, their peculiarities and characteristic features.

One of the most widely read features in The Times of India or the Indian Express when Frank Moraes was its editor was his weekly signed columns. It was eagerly looked forward to because of Moraes’ uncanny capacity to impart a punch to his writing. He was unsparing in his comments on the lapses of personalities, however high or eminent. He could describe an entire Cabinet as: “a bunch of duffers” or  characterize Mrs. Gandhi as “the only man in her Government”. He described the Swatantra party as “boneless wonder”. It is such unforgettable phrases and epithets which made Moraes’s weekly column a unique feature in Indian journalism. Another famous editor who made his signed column the most attractive feature in the newspaper was Pothan Joseph. His “Over a cup of Tea” – which many knew was written over something stronger than the cup that cheers but does not inebriate – was always delightful for its biting sarcasm, its ribald humour and its delightful for its biting sarcasm, its ribald humour and its witty bonmots. Joseph had a genius for looking at the funny side of things.

And Annie Besant, who edited the New India in the early decades of twentieth century, was scrupulous in leaving the editorials written by her assistant editors unaltered except for minimum corrections relating to grammar or idiom.  She used to say that every piece of writing is a reflection of the creative spirit of the author and the product of everyone’s creative activity should be respected as such.
Source: Internet