For a newspaper to take shape

All the blame falls on the manager.

The manager was legally responsible for the newspaper, paying staff salaries and printing costs. If the newspaper was sued or prosecuted by the state, the manager would be the one to appear in court. If the newspaper was convicted, the manager would be the one to face the penalty, even imprisonment. Therefore, the manager had to sign with their real name on the newspaper. The newspaper L'Union Indochinoise published an article opposing the military in Indochina, and was sentenced by the Hanoi Punishment Court to a fine of 500 quan (Vietnamese currency). The person sentenced was Mr. Bui Ngoc Ai, the newspaper manager. After the case was brought before the High Court, Mr. Ai's sentence was upheld; unable to pay the fine, the newspaper was suspended, and Mr. Ai was detained. This news was reported in Trang An newspaper, issue 15, dated April 19, 1935.

The editorial office of the Trung Hoa Daily Newspaper was located at 33 Mission Street, which is now Nha Chung Street in Hanoi.

DOCUMENTS OF DINH BA

In the first Vietnamese-language newspaper, Gia Định báo , the word "gérant" was not translated as "manager" but as "newspaper editor." Gia Định báo issue 1, second year, published on January 15, 1866, clearly states on page 4: "E. Potteaux, Newspaper Editor." For French-language newspapers, the manager had to be a French citizen, as in La Cloche Fêlée , whose manager was Dejean de la Bâtie, who was of mixed French ancestry.

The editor-in-chief is the person responsible for the articles. Some newspapers use the term "political editor-in-chief" (directeur politique). The front page of the newspaper "Đàn bà mới" (New Women) lists Băng Dương, Thụy An's husband, as the political editor-in-chief; in " Le Peuple ," that position is held by Dương Bạch Mai. Some newspapers use the term "chief editor." Tản Đà defended himself in issue 11 of An Nam magazine, published on July 1, 1930, arguing that many newspapers using titles like editor-in-chief, chief editor, or manager "difficult for the reader." Therefore, from issue 11 onwards, he himself acted as "chief editor," translated from the French word "directeur," meaning "a person in charge of the work in the newspaper office, responsible to the Government above, maintaining order among the staff internally, and dealing with readers externally, including article submissions, newspaper purchases, and correspondence."

Speaking of the role of the editor-in-chief, Pham Cao Cung viewed it as a person of prestige in the press, responsible for organizing the newspaper by selecting editors and assistant writers, and assigning tasks to staff. The editorial secretary was responsible for the newspaper's articles. If there were enough articles, the secretary's workload was reduced; if there were a shortage, they had to find alternative sources.

Newspapers have a team of reporters who gather information and write articles, and there are also reporters in various provinces and cities to deliver news. Pham Cao Cung was once appointed by Mr. Nghiem Xuan Huyen as the representative reporter for Northern Vietnam Sports in Nam Dinh. Newspapers with a world news section had to translate news sent from French newspapers or listen to the radio to translate; there were "translators" for them. Vu Ngoc Phan once translated for Thuc Nghiep Dan Bao (Agricultural Newspaper).

For a newspaper to reach its readers, printing is essential. Newspapers like Tiếng Dân don't have their own printing presses; they often have to be printed at external printing houses. The printing house has a joint responsibility with the newspaper. The last page of the newspaper includes a section indicating which printing house printed it, signed by the newspaper manager and a representative of the printing house.

The above are the basic components that make up a newspaper, but they are not always sufficient. In the An Nam Magazine's continuation, issue 3, published on October 1, 1932, Tan Da revealed that the management and editorial board consisted of only two people: himself and his secretary, Nguyen Trong Hop, who oversaw the bookkeeping, typed articles, and collected newspaper subscriptions.

Tản Đà Nguyễn Khắc Hiếu declared himself the editor-in-chief in the article "A Respectful Address to Esteemed Readers" in An Nam Magazine, issue 11.

DOCUMENTS OF DINH BA

The difference lies in the "facade".

In the era when journalism was a hand-to-mouth existence, largely self-reliant, the organizational structure of newspapers was streamlined. The scene of a newsroom is described in the work "The Profession of Journalism": "On a dark, dimly lit attic about ten square meters, two writing desks sat parallel to each other, four rickety rattan chairs stained black with mold, and a small table in a corner for the paper handler! That was the scene of our newsroom."

The editorial office – the newspaper's headquarters – is the face of the newspaper. On the front page of Trung Hoa Daily, issue 853, dated January 18, 1930, the newspaper's headquarters was featured with a photo and the caption: "The side facing the street is the front of the newspaper's bookstore, which will soon open. The workshop and printing press are located behind the bookstore, on the ground floor. Upstairs, there are two rooms: the director's office, the printing house, the editorial office, and the administrative office." The Tieng Dan newspaper's headquarters also looked impressive as it served as the headquarters of Huynh Thuc Khang Company.

Newspapers with considerable resources, especially daily newspapers, usually have large, beautiful, and spacious offices. Pham Cao Cung recalled the Tin Moi newspaper's office, "a massive, newly built building located at the corner of Hang Bong Dem Street and Nha Thuong Phu Doan Street." This building included the director's office, the administrative director's office, the editors' quarters, the distribution and advertising department's office, as well as a photo developing and printing room, a plate-making room, a typesetting room, a typesetting room, and even a printing press room on the ground floor…

Some newspapers had limited financial resources, requiring them to rent premises and even changing locations frequently. The An Nam magazine sometimes had its office in Hanoi, other times in Nam Dinh. Ho Huu Tuong, the editor of the Thang Muoi magazine, described his editorial office in his memoir "41 Years of Journalism" as: "It was a thatched hut, built on the bank of the Cau Chong canal, rented for two silver coins a month." The editorial office of the Vit Duc newspaper was a tiny, stiflingly hot attic, and only Phung Bao Thach and Vu Bang were present, according to his memoir "Forty Years of 'Lying'." Number 17 Hang Khoai Street, Hanoi, was the editorial office of the Doi Moi newspaper – a grand name, but in reality, it was just a cramped attic... Some newspapers, like Tieng Chuong Som (Early Morning Bell ), had their editorial office located inside the Ba Da Pagoda in Hanoi. (to be continued)

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/to-bao-thuo-xua-de-mot-to-bao-thanh-hinh-185230613125810202.htm