HOW A NEWSPAPER IS PRODUCED Every morning, the newspaper chief editor holds a meeting with the journalists. They discuss the main events of the day. Reporters are then sent to cover the events. As soon as the reporters know what to write about, they get down to work. They telephone people and fix a time for a face-to-face interview with them. Sometimes they do telephone interviews. Checking information is very important. They go to the newspapers own library to look up any information that they need. This is called doing ones homework. At the same time, the picture editor decides which photographs are needed for the next days paper. Photographers are then sent to take the pictures. Sometimes old ones are used from the newspapers own picture library. Doing this can save a lot of time and money. All the people who work on a newspaper must be able to work fast. For example, there might be a big fire, or an important person might die. In this situation, everyone has to move fast. Journalists have to stop working on one story and start working immediately on the important new one. They must find out the new information as quickly as possible. A photographer is sent immediately to take photographs. Later in the day, everything is put together at the news desk. Reporters return, type their stories into the computer and hand them to the editor. Photographers return and the photos are quickly developed. The chief editor decides which will be the most important story on the front page. Sometimes this will have to be changed if something more important happens late in the day. Other editors read the stories which the reporters have written and make any necessary changes. They also write the headlines for each story. Doing this is more difficult in English than in Chinese. In English the letter M is wider than the letter I, so editors must check that there is enough space for the headlines they have written. Finally, there is no more time left for adding new stories, and the time for printing the newspaper has come. This is done on fast-moving printing machines. The newspapers are then delivered by lorry, plane or rail. Speed is important. People want to buy the latest newspaper; nobody wants to buy yesterdays.