Designing the news: A practitioner perspective on the production values in newspaper sub-editing

Abstract

This article zooms in on the daily practices of newspaper production journalists. In three semi-structured interviews with sub-editors employed by a Belgian newspaper, I test the practical application of the ‘production values’ I formulated, that is, guidelines that help them ensure accuracy, readability, appeal and credibility of their newspaper. By not only ‘member checking’ previous findings with sub-editors but also including the layout designers’ input on their collaborative process, I re(de)fine my original set of production values. My data suggest that in this particular newsroom the layout designer’s voice can be heard louder than ever. By ‘designing’ the news, sub-editors and layout designers add all-important journalistic value to their publications.