The quiet behind the headlines

BDK - When it comes to journalism, the public often thinks of journalists appearing on television, signing articles, or being present at the scene to report the news. However, behind quality journalistic works, there is a team working silently but no less importantly – the journalists in the post-production team. In the modern media era, the role of post-production journalists is increasingly emphasized. They not only perform technical tasks but are also creative and insightful individuals who contribute to shaping the style and quality of the news organization.

The editorial office of Dong Khoi Newspaper handles post-production for the print edition. Photo: Anh Nguyet.

Post-production in journalism is the stage of processing information after it has been gathered – including editing, verification, correction, rendering, layout, design, publishing, and distribution… Those who undertake this work often appear less in public, but they are the ones who contribute to refining and “shaping” the work to the most complete possible standard, bringing the journalistic product to life and introducing it to readers near and far.

In the basic process of all forms of journalism, the editor is the first person to receive the manuscript and edit the content to ensure accuracy, objectivity, and clarity. Next, the layout designer creates the layout to make the article visually appealing and easy to read for print and online newspapers. For television, the post-production team handles the sound and images, cuts and splices, and integrates technical elements to deliver a complete news broadcast to the public as a polished product.

The post-production team is an indispensable part of the content production process at Ben Tre Radio and Television Station. They undertake many important tasks to ensure the quality, professionalism, and attractiveness of programs before broadcast. They ensure image and sound quality by: post-processing to improve image quality, optimize color and lighting; editing and balancing sound to ensure clarity and more effective content delivery; synchronizing images and sound to avoid technical errors during broadcast; and creating visual effects and graphics to make programs more lively and accessible.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Loc, an engineer and head of the Broadcasting Transmission Team at the Technical Department of Ben Tre Radio and Television Station, who has 17 years of experience in the technical department, shared: "The responsibilities of post-production work are quite heavy, always requiring adherence to deadlines, high accuracy, continuous technological updates, and seamless cooperation with other departments. Although they don't stand on stage, the post-production team is considered the silent journalists who contribute to the success of a journalistic product," Mr. Nguyen Thai Loc expressed.

When discussing journalism, people often talk about reporters and journalists as the authors of the works, but few mention editors – those who patiently read, detect, and correct errors to ensure the work is perfected. To produce a good journalistic work, the author must go through a process from nurturing the idea, gathering information, processing data and documents, to conceiving and shaping a complete work. However, even with careful investment, journalistic works are still inevitably subject to certain errors. Therefore, to ensure high-quality journalistic works that are widely accepted by readers, it is essential to have people who edit and proofread for the author and the editorial office. These people are none other than the editorial team of media organizations.

Editors are responsible for identifying ideological gaps in articles and contributing to censorship, preventing pragmatic and narrow-minded ideas, as well as the " peaceful evolution" tactics of hostile forces, from infiltrating, propagating, and inciting unrest in journalistic works.

According to Huynh Thi Kim Thi, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Dong Khoi Newspaper: “Editing is a profession, and a very difficult one at that. It demands hard work and silent sacrifice from those involved. In carrying out their duties, editors must be fair and objective, always prioritizing the quality and reputation of the editorial office; they must not, for any reason, compromise the reputation and quality of the newspaper; at the same time, they must constantly cultivate journalistic ethics, improve their skills in all aspects, and live up to their role as the ‘midwife’ of journalistic works.”

At Dong Khoi Newspaper, the proofreading department (correcting printing errors and spelling mistakes) is an indispensable part of the print publishing process. Ms. Huynh Thi Lan Chi, a proofreader at Dong Khoi Newspaper, has been involved in this work for nearly 14 years. She shared that in the early days of her career, she was bewildered and struggled with the words, reading and reading until her eyes ached, and feeling insecure, afraid to make any corrections to her articles for fear of turning correct errors into mistakes. Constantly learning from her predecessors and accumulating experience through each issue, Ms. Lan Chi has increasingly fulfilled her role, contributing to the editorial board's efforts to remove unnecessary words, refine sentences for clarity, and accurately check for errors on proofs. To better serve her work, she is pursuing a master's degree in Cultural Studies to further enhance her professional knowledge.

"The job of proofreading is like being on duty 'at home,' seemingly monotonous and boring, but every day, proofreaders like me gain more information, learn from writing styles, learn from editing techniques to gain more experience, and gradually enrich our knowledge base through each article by reporters and contributors," Lan Chi confided.

In line with current trends, post-production teams must also ensure professionalism and creativity by applying new technologies in video editing and graphic design, helping programs meet modern standards. They must adjust content formats to suit traditional broadcasts and digital platforms, adapt content for online platforms like YouTube and social media, optimize content to reach a wider audience, and improve content presentation to attract viewers.

It can be said that the post-production team is not just the people working behind the scenes, but also the ones who contribute to the success of a program. They help transform raw content into a professional, polished, engaging, and highly impactful product. Honoring the journalists working in post-production is also honoring the value of genuine, persistent, and unsung labor. Because no light shines brightly without the patient hands that light it from behind.

Moonlight

Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/tham-lang-phia-sau-mat-bao-20062025-a148464.html