Editing and headlines

In short

Editing is the process of checking, correcting, condensing, verifying and presenting a reporter's copy so that it is accurate, legally safe, readable and fits the available space or airtime; headline writing is the editor's most visible skill — compressing a story into a few words that attract and inform without distorting. In an Indian newsroom this work is done by the sub-editor (sub), senior sub, chief sub and news editor on the desk, and today also by digital producers who write SEO and social-card headlines. It is examined in every BJMC/BA(JMC) syllabus as a paper on Editing/Desk Work or Newspaper Production, and tested practically in placement rounds at The Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan, Dainik Bhaskar, Amar Ujala, PTI, ANI, NDTV, India Today and digital newsrooms, where candidates are given raw copy or a PTI take and asked to edit it and write three headlines in a fixed count.

Explained

What editing is and who does it

• Editing - reading copy for facts, language, law, style, structure and length, then rewriting as much as needed. Copy editing is sentence-level correction; substantive (structural) editing reorganises the story; proofreading is the final check of typeset pages for typographical slips only.
• Desk hierarchy: reporter/correspondent → sub-editor (corrects, trims, writes headline and caption) → senior sub/chief sub (checks the sub's work, decides play) → news editor (allots stories, decides page priorities) → editor (overall editorial responsibility and policy) → resident editor (edition-level).
• Rim and slot: the old copy-desk layout — subs sat around the rim of a horseshoe table, the slotman at the centre distributing copy. The terms survive for "desk hand" and "desk in charge".
• Editor's legal position: under the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 (which replaced the PRB Act, 1867), the printer/publisher details and the editor's name must be declared and printed; the person declared as editor is presumed responsible for the selection of matter published, so desk decisions carry legal consequence.
• Functions of editing: gate-keeping (what runs), accuracy, brevity, clarity, legality, consistency of style, attribution, structure, visual fit, and headline/display.

Steps in editing a piece of copy

1. Read once fully before touching anything, to grasp the news point.
2. Check the intro (lead): does the first 25-35 words carry the newest, most important fact? Shift the news point up if it is buried.
3. Verify facts: names, designations, spellings, dates, figures, places, percentages, totals, acronyms at first mention, currency in rupees (use ₹ crore/lakh consistently). Cross-check against agency takes and official releases.
4. Check attribution: every claim, allegation and opinion must be sourced; convert "sources say" into the most specific attribution available.
5. Language: cut jargon, officialese, tautology and adjectives; prefer the active voice, short sentences (average 18-22 words), one idea per paragraph (2-3 sentences).
6. Structure: confirm the inverted pyramid - most important first, descending detail - so the story can be cut from the bottom without loss of sense.
7. Legal and ethical scan: defamation, contempt of court, sub judice matter, identity of rape survivors and children (prohibited by the Indian Penal Code successor provisions in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, by the POCSO Act, 2012 and by the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015), communal labelling, suicide-reporting norms, official secrets, election silence period.
8. Trim to length: cut to the given count in words, lines, column centimetres (print) or seconds (broadcast).
9. Write the display matter: headline, deck/strap, kicker, byline/credit line, dateline, captions, pull-quote, box.
10. Final proof: read the typeset page/CMS preview for widows, broken words, wrong folios, caption-photo mismatch and headline overlap.

House style, style sheets and Indian practice

• A style sheet / style book fixes house decisions: spelling (Indian English, -ise not -ize in most Indian papers), numerals (one to nine in words, 10 upwards in figures), dates (November 4, 2026 or 4 November 2026 - one form only), titles, capitalisation, abbreviation on second mention, place names (Bengaluru, Mumbai, Prayagraj) and transliteration.
• Indian references in common use: the PTI Stylebook, *The Hindu* and *Indian Express* style guides, *The Times of India* style sheet; internationally the AP Stylebook and *The Economist* style guide. Agencies and papers differ, so the house sheet always prevails.
• Numbers and money: Indian papers use lakh and crore for domestic figures and million/billion for international ones, with conversions where needed (₹1 crore = ₹10 million).
• Language desks: Hindi and regional desks edit in Unicode Devanagari/Indic scripts (Mangal, Kruti Dev legacy conversion), watch *matra* and *nukta* errors, *anuswar/chandrabindu*, and avoid literal translation of English idiom - "mahanagar palika" style official words are replaced by plain Hindi.
• Datelines and credit lines: dateline = place (and date) of origin, e.g. NEW DELHI; credit line = source, e.g. PTI, ANI, Reuters, "Express News Service"; a story carrying both reporter and agency input is marked "with inputs from PTI".
• Proofreading marks (traditional, still asked in exams): *stet* (let it stand), *dele* (delete), ¶ (new paragraph), "run on", "tr" (transpose), "lc"/"caps", "ital", "rom", "#" (insert space), "close up".

Headlines: functions, structure and types

• Functions: attract attention, summarise the news, index the page (signal relative importance by size), set the tone, and on digital, carry keywords for search and social sharing.
• Anatomy: main headline (banner/streamer across all columns, double/single column), deck or strap (a smaller explanatory line below), kicker/eyebrow/overline (small line above), subhead/crosshead (breaks long text), blurb/teaser (front-page pointer), caption/cutline with catchline, pull-quote, standfirst (magazine intro paragraph).
• Forms by typography: flush left (most common today), centred, stepped/drop line, inverted pyramid, hanging indent, crossline. Older Indian papers used stepped heads; modern design prefers flush-left sans or serif.
• Forms by content:
  • News/summary head - states the fact: "Repo rate held at 5.5%".
  • Label head - names a subject without a verb: "The water crisis". Weak for news; used on features.
  • Quote head - uses the speaker's exact words in single quotes: "'We will not relent,' says minister".
  • Question head - "Will the monsoon hold?" Use sparingly; must be answerable in the story.
  • Feature/teaser/punning head - wordplay, usual in sports, entertainment and magazines.
  • Infinitive head - indicates the future: "Centre to table Bill".
  • Crusading/campaign head - takes an editorial position; only on edit/opinion pages.
• Grammar of headlines (headlinese): present tense for past events ("Cyclone hits coast"), infinitive for the future, articles (a/an/the) and the verb "to be" dropped, single quotes for quoted words and for allegations, comma replacing "and", semicolon separating two thoughts, "says/claims/alleges" for attribution, numerals allowed even below 10.
• Rules: one headline must carry a verb and a complete thought; never use a word not supported by the story; attribute allegations ("'bribe' charge", "alleges"); avoid repeating the exact wording of the intro; avoid headline repetition on the same page; no abbreviation the reader will not recognise; do not split a sense unit across lines (do not end a line with "of", "the", "to"); avoid "double meaning" and unintended innuendo; keep the tone of the story.

Fitting the headline: the unit count system

• Headlines must physically fit the column width, so desks count units rather than characters:
  • lower-case m and w, and all capitals except I = 1½ units
  • capital I = 1 unit; capital M and W = 2 units
  • lower-case f, i, j, l, t and punctuation (. , ; : ! ' - ) and the space = ½ unit
  • every other lower-case letter and all numerals = 1 unit
• The slot gives a specification like "3-36-2" = 3 columns, 36-point type, 2 lines, with a maximum unit count per line; the headline must come within about ±½ unit of the count, never over.
• Digital counts are simpler but stricter in practice: Google shows roughly the first 55-60 characters of a title; social cards truncate near 70-80; Indian CMSs often enforce separate print head, web head, SEO title and push-notification text for the same story.
• SEO/digital heads: keyword early, no clickbait that the story does not deliver, numerals and years retained, no ALL CAPS, avoid starting with a conjunction. Print heads may be clever; web heads must be literal and searchable.

Advantages, limitations and digital change

• Advantages of a strong desk: one more pair of eyes on facts and law, consistency across editions, space discipline, reader-friendly display, protection from defamation suits, and the headline that decides whether the story is read at all.
• Limitations: editing is invisible labour and under-credited; heavy cutting can lose nuance; a sub far from the field may introduce errors; aggressive headlines create a "headline-only" reading of a nuanced story; pressure of deadlines and shrinking desks mean more unedited copy going live.
• Corrections regime: errors are fixed with a published correction/clarification column; digital stories carry an "updated at" timestamp and a correction note. The Press Council of India (statutory, under the Press Council Act, 1978) adjudicates complaints against the print press and its Norms of Journalistic Conduct bind the desk; broadcast news is self-regulated through the NBDSA (News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority); digital news publishers also fall under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, whose three-tier grievance mechanism makes a named grievance officer answerable for published content. Parts of the 2021 Rules have been litigated in the High Courts, so the operative position on some clauses can change.
• Tools: CMS and page-make-up systems (Quark, InDesign, WordPress, Arc, proprietary CMS), spell-checkers and grammar tools, plagiarism checks, reverse image search for photo verification, analytics dashboards that A/B test two headlines - the desk now justifies a head by click-through as well as craft.

Key points

• Editing - correcting and shaping copy for accuracy, language, law, style, structure and length.
• Sub-editor - the desk hand who edits copy and writes the headline, deck and caption.
• Rim and slot - the sub's seat and the desk chief's seat on the traditional copy desk.
• Inverted pyramid - most important facts first, so the story can be cut from the bottom.
• Gate-keeping - the desk's decision on what is published and how prominently.
• Style sheet - the house rulebook on spelling, numerals, titles and usage; the PTI Stylebook is the common Indian reference.
• Dateline vs credit line - place of origin vs source/agency of the story.
• Headlinese - present tense for the past, infinitive for the future, no articles, single quotes, comma for "and".
• Banner/streamer - headline across the full page width; the biggest display of the day.
• Deck/strap - explanatory line below the main head; kicker - small line above it.
• Label head - verbless headline naming a subject; acceptable on features, weak on news.
• Quote head - exact words in single quotes; must be verbatim from the story.
• Unit count - m, w and caps = 1½; M, W = 2; f, i, j, l, t, punctuation and space = ½; everything else = 1.
• Headline specification - written as columns-point size-lines, e.g. 4-48-1.
• Attribution in heads - allegations carried in single quotes or with "alleges/claims" to avoid defamation.
• SEO head - keyword-first, literal, within about 55-60 characters for search display.
• Correction column - the published remedy for an error; the Press Council of India hears print complaints, NBDSA broadcast ones.
• Proof marks - stet, dele, tr, lc, caps, ital, run on, new para.

Formulas and examples

Example 1 - unit count a headline for a 3-column, 2-line specification (max 14 units per line). Proposed line: Metro fare hike →

• Metro = M(2) + e(1) + t(½) + r(1) + o(1) = 5½; space = ½ → 6
• fare = f(½) + a(1) + r(1) + e(1) = 3½; space = ½ → 4
• hike = h(1) + i(½) + k(1) + e(1) = 3½
• Total = 6 + 4 + 3½ = 13½ units → fits 14. Adding "put off" (p1+u1+t½+space½+o1+f½+f½ = 5) would give 18½ — over the count, so it goes to line 2 as put off till April (p1 u1 t½ sp½ o1 f½ f½ sp½ t½ i½ l½ l½ sp½ A1½ p1 r1 i½ l½ = 12½) → 12½ units, fits.
• Final head: Metro fare hike / put off till April (3-36-2).

Example 2 - trimming copy to a given space. A story files at 620 words; the page has 18 column cm at 30 words per column cm.

• Capacity = 18 × 30 = 540 words → cut 620 − 540 = 80 words (12.9%).
• Method: delete the last two paragraphs (inverted pyramid allows bottom cutting), remove two adjectives per paragraph and convert "in spite of the fact that" → "although". Recount: if the last two paras are 62 words, a further 18 words must come from tightening the middle.

Example 3 - converting a reporter's intro into print and web heads. Raw intro: *"The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee on Wednesday decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 5.5 per cent for the third consecutive meeting, while retaining its neutral stance."*

• Note the tense: "holds" (present) for a decision taken yesterday — standard headlinese. Repo rate figures change at each MPC meeting; the number here is only an illustration.

Example 4 - legally safe headline on an allegation. Copy says: *"Police have registered an FIR against a contractor, A, on a complaint alleging that he paid ₹5 lakh to a municipal official."*

• Unsafe: Contractor bribed official with ₹5 lakh — states guilt as fact; defamatory and prejudges trial.
• Safe: FIR against contractor over '₹5 lakh bribe' — single quotes mark the allegation, "FIR" states the verifiable fact.
• Safer still with attribution: Contractor booked for 'bribing' official: police.

Example 5 - broadcast and print length of the same story. A TV bulletin allots 40 seconds of anchor read in Hindi at 140 wpm.

• Words permitted = (40 ÷ 60) × 140 = 93 words (round to about 90).
• The same story in print at 30 words per column cm would occupy 93 ÷ 30 = 3.1 column cm — showing why broadcast copy carries far less detail than print.

Where it is used

• Newspaper and magazine desks: sub-editor, senior sub, chief sub, copy editor and news editor roles at The Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Malayala Manorama, Eenadu, Anandabazar Patrika.
• News agencies: PTI, UNI, ANI, IANS desks rewrite and standardise field takes into agency format with slugs, datelines and "takes"; agency style governs hundreds of subscribing papers.
• Broadcast and digital newsrooms: output editors and producers condense copy to seconds, write tickers, lower-thirds and L-band text; digital producers write print, SEO, social and push versions of one story.
• Content, corporate communications and publishing: copy editors and proofreaders at Wiley, Pearson, Springer Nature, Amnet, Integra and Aptara (Chennai/Pondicherry/Noida editorial services); PR and corporate newsroom editing for press releases.
• Government and PSU information services: Indian Information Service officers editing PIB releases, Yojana/Kurukshetra and AIR/Doordarshan news bulletins.
• Exam and recruitment use: desk tests at IIMC, ACJ, Symbiosis and university entrance papers typically give unedited copy plus a headline-count exercise; UPSC's Indian Information Service and SSC-recruited editorial posts test the same skills.

Interview questions

• Q: What is the difference between editing and proofreading? A: Editing corrects facts, language, structure, law and length and may rewrite the copy; proofreading is the last check of the typeset page for typographical and layout slips only.
• Q: Why are headlines written in the present tense for events that have already happened? A: The historic present gives immediacy and saves units, since past-tense verbs are longer; the future is shown by the infinitive, as in "Centre to table Bill".
• Q: Explain the unit count system. A: Each character is given a width value — M and W count 2, other capitals and lower-case m and w 1½, capital I 1, the thin letters f, i, j, l, t and punctuation and spaces ½, everything else 1 — and the total must fit the specified column and type size.
• Q: What is a label headline and when is it acceptable? A: A verbless head naming a subject, like "The water crisis"; it is acceptable on features, editorials and magazine pages but weak on news because it conveys no action.
• Q: How would you headline an unproven allegation? A: Put the contested word in single quotes, attribute it ("police say", "alleges"), and headline only the verifiable fact such as the filing of an FIR — never state guilt before conviction.
• Q: What is the difference between a dateline and a credit line? A: The dateline gives the place (and sometimes date) from which the story originates; the credit line names the reporter or agency that supplied it.
• Q: Why must a news story follow the inverted pyramid when it reaches the desk? A: So the most important facts are read first and the story can be cut from the bottom to fit space without losing essential information.
• Q: How does a print headline differ from a web headline for the same story? A: The print head is unit-counted, fixed and may be clever; the web head is literal and keyword-first, kept to about 55-60 characters for search display, and can be revised or A/B tested after publication.
• Q: What does a specification like "4-48-1" tell a sub-editor? A: Four columns wide, 48-point type, one line — fixing the maximum unit count available for the headline.
• Q: Name the regulatory bodies a desk must keep in mind in India. A: The Press Council of India for print under the Press Council Act, 1978, the self-regulatory NBDSA for news broadcasters, and the three-tier mechanism of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 for digital news publishers.
• Q: A reporter objects that your edit has changed the meaning. How do you handle it? A: Go back to the source document or the reporter's notes, restore the exact sense, and keep the reporter in the loop on substantive changes — the desk's job is to clarify, not to re-report.
• Q: What is a kicker, and how is it different from a deck? A: A kicker is a short line set above the main headline to flag the subject or series; a deck or strap sits below it and explains or extends the main head in a fuller sentence.

Common mistakes

• Writing a headline from the first paragraph alone, so it misses a later, bigger news point or contradicts the story.
• Using words, implications or degrees of certainty that the copy does not support — the commonest ground for a correction or a defamation notice.
• Ignoring the unit count and offering a headline that cannot be set, or padding a line with a weak filler word to reach the count.
• Headlining an allegation as a fact, or naming an accused juvenile or a survivor of sexual assault, which the POCSO Act, 2012 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 forbid.
• Over-editing: cutting attribution, qualifiers and "according to" phrases that carry the story's legal protection, or flattening a quoted speaker's words inside single quotes.
• Mixing style within one story or edition — lakh with million, per cent with %, Bangalore with Bengaluru — because the house style sheet was not checked.
• In exams, reproducing the intro verbatim as the headline, leaving label heads on hard news, or forgetting that a space also counts as half a unit.

Related topics

News writing and reporting · Newspaper design, layout and page make-up · Media ethics and laws in India · Fact-checking and verification · Broadcast journalism · Digital and mobile journalism.