Little secrets of journalism

Open the small professional secret: each news - a place on the ballot. The first line usually - war, terrorist attack or natural disaster (tsunami, floods, fires), followed by industrial disasters (Chernobyl, Fukushima). Journalists also like the stock market crash and the bankruptcy of large banks. Death celebrities usually declare the end.
Posts about this look is surprisingly prepared, thought out words, images matched. Apparently, someone had prepared material on the foresight of the deceased, who only yesterday was alive.
Believe that obituaries appeared in the 16th century. Wealthy citizens ordered the publication, which were the names of relatives, dates of birth and death, occupation, title.
In the 19th century editor of the English newspaper The Times John Thadeus Delane understand the relevance of the genre and began to charge his hyenas laudatory pen to paint the advantages and achievements of the deceased, omitting any criticism. According to the principle - the dead or good or anything.

This is a great success, and over the years the power of the genre did not wane. Today's obituary in vogue because it closes the circuit emotional fans departed to another world. The public still requires an obituary.

Good obituary must be prepared slowly advance. Best of all is the case of charging a specialist. We at the BBC BBC this hard work done by Bob Shonda, who for 18 years served as editor of obituaries. Now he has published a book Little Black Trains - «Little Black Train," in which he tells about the difficulties of the profession.

One Australian colleague Bob Shonda attended the evening and spoke with a famous actress Maggie Smith. She is particularly well suited to the role of haughty aristocrats. "What do you do for a living?" - She asked the interlocutor. Hearing the answer, Maggie Smith poured his silent contempt as soon as she is able to

Bob Shand says that collect the material at the hero's life is not easy. Anyway, friends and relatives on the subject of his possible death refuse to talk. Colleagues or biographers also behave cautiously, not wanting to self-fulfilling prophecy.

Shandi buddy Bob, Lance Price, worked reviewer Tony Blair. He introduced Bob to the Prime Minister: "Meet Bob is Shandy. He wrote your obituary, "to which Tony Blair said -" I'd rather not know! »

Voltaire once remarked that "real demand respect, the dead need the truth." In the genre of the obituary sometimes working people who practice this principle. They do not hesitate to include the darker sides of the character's life, novels, criminal records, secret addiction and so on. They write for their readers.

Others avoid the blinding spotlight of truth, so as not to offend the family and relatives. Bob Shonda recalls a case where the spouse of the deceased begged him not to publish information about the mistress, with whom he had two children. Bob did not give as mistress and her children wept for him in the same way. Gloss over them would be unfair.

"Making obituaries - writes Bob Shonda - taught me a lot about life. I never tired of hearing about how people tried to reach the goal of the passion with which they did, compassion for others, they have shown, the principles of which they are held.

Obituaries are full of wonderful stories, which may be the example to future generations. "