Universe Tribune

Otherwise called...How to Read a Newspaper. Raul didn’t want me to bore the class with this information, but graciously agreed I could share this here. During my childhood the family business was publishing. Out of necessity (and good ol’ family competition) I learned to read at four years old from a “galley”. A galley is the single strip of newsprint with the words of the story inked in for proofreading purposes. However, we didn’t have the luxury of printing or inking the galley to proofread. Dad "encouraged" us to read the typeset itself. Proofreading from a galley is like taking any printed material and looking at it in the mirror. We had to read and interpret the information and then check for typos. In later years, it made reading left to right a piece of cake. This skill has come in handy a time or two. I can easily read anything I can still see on YOUR desk! Upside down and all. Why is it important to know how to read a newspaper? Sounds silly. It’s not. In the age of instant information and news some think the newspaper is outdated. Not so, the newspaper provides information in detail that can not be obtained from the television, radio, or the internet. It is the missing piece from the front porch every morning in too many homes and businesses. Only the newspaper will provide information on taxes you may owe. And if you don’t read the paper to find out that information, no mercy is taken from the IRS. Besides how else will you know what’s on sale at your favorite grocery store? Every paper will tell you important information about itself. Not unlike many people! In any event – the banner (where it says the name of the paper) usually tells you the Volume and Issue number. The Volume refers to the number of years published and the issue number refers to the number of publication issued that year. Example: Volume 4, Issue No. 7 means this is the fourth year for publication and that this year, seven have been printed. Inside the newspaper is the masthead. The masthead lets you know who are the publishers, editors, and other relevant information. You may find this helpful if you need a circulation number or address. It would be similar to the internet link of About Us or Contact Us. The front page is always reserved for the top stories of the publication. Always. Some larger papers have a “second” front page. When all the stories won’t fit on one page, they go to the second page. The by-line is the reporter’s name that writes the article. Newspapers only include by-lines for their valued reporters and/or stories. Outside of that infrastructure newspapers vary. But they usually have editorials, sports, legal, comics, business, and classified sections. You’ll get to know what page of your local newspaper you want to review first. Reporters are trained to write the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a story in the first paragraph. They are also trained to wrap it up and conclude in the last paragraph. If you are running short of time those are the two paragraphs to read! It should tell you everything you need to know quickly. You can always go back and read the rest later. You now know how to find your favorite sections, what the infrastructure looks like and what to call it, and where to get your news in briefs. You know how to read a newspaper, congratulations!