The first rule of journalism

Over lunch wise old sage William Boyce observes:

"First rule of journalism, Constance: never presume."

As they leave the pub, Boyce observes:

"First rule of journalism. Never miss a deadline."

Constance asks:

"Exactly how many first rules of journalism are there?"

"Only one: the one you're being told to obey at any given moment."

Boyce is right on every count - but where do the rules come from? Bedford employs the clever device of inserting regular quotes from The Inky Path, a book written in 1959 as a guide to cub reporters, which Boyce reveres as the bible of the profession.

Basics, he said.

But however influential The Inky Path might be, books are not really where the rules come from.

Although reporters do have formal training in that they need to pass National Council for the Training of Journalists, and increasingly begin their careers with a university degree(such as that offered at Sunderland) the real culture of news is learnt on the job, from people like Boyce and Connie's archetypal news editor, Gary. Operators like Gary ('operator' is a great compliment in journalism) absorb a set of principles and frameworks, almost by osmosis. Trainee reporters gradually gain an understanding of what news is, not in any formal manner, but by constantly hearing others describe its essential qualities (often, scathingly, in terms of what it is not).

The result is that definitions of news become a closed circle - news is news because it is news. This is magnified by the intense pressures of the newsroom, the high level of competition and the constant ambition of colleagues. Similar factors shape every newsroom, but the perspectives will be subtly different. That said, most people who have worked on regional newspapers will recognise the characters in Exit, Orange and Red, and will have heard many of the first rules passed down by Boyce without ever having read The Inky Path or any similar text.       

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