Long ago I worked in a newspaper. Each morning the editorial conference planned nextday's edition. Recently I called on an editor. The editorial conference was about tostart. He asked me to stay on. Editorial conferences are different from what they used tobe.
"We haven't broken an exclusive for days," the editor said. "We need agood first lead tonight."
"I have a story, chief," the chief reporter said. "But I'm not sure ifwe can have it tonight."
"What is it?"
"The Times scooped us on Hrithik Roshan's Bengali connection. But we can have agreat follow-up. Hrithik has light eyes. Could his ancestors have come here centuries agofrom somewhere in Europe?"
"That would make a terrific story!"
"If we can trace any foreign ancestor we could interview his descendantsabroad!" the diplomatic correspondent added excitedly.
"But that doesn't solve our problem for tonight."
"Why not a hard political story, chief?" the political correspondent asked."We could do a speculative piece on how Vajpayee and Musharraf can team up toconfront Kapil and Salim Malik!"
"You can't do that story," the editor said sharply. "That is going to beour first edit!"
"What about a follow-up on the drought story," the associate editor said."We know that Vajpayee made Aishwarya and Sridevi laugh when they presented him acheque of one crore for drought relief. What readers want to know is why theylaughed."
"It's worth following up," the editor said. "But not for first lead. Alot depends on what Vajpayee precisely said to make them laugh."
"What about an army story for the lead," the defence correspondent said."That always excites the public."
"Got anything in mind?"
"As the fifth global beauty queen born in an armed forces family, can't Lara beused to push up army recruitment?
"That's good for inside!" an associate editor remarked.
"Well, keep thinking fellows," the editor said. "You have the whole day.If nothing comes up we have to fall back on Madhuri Dixit. We can do a speculative pieceabout her husband wanting to join films to always remain by her side."
We've had enough
Of serious stuff-
We want bubbles
To forget our troubles!
