The Monday after Neeraj Chopra made history by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a gold at the World Athletics Championships, we at The Hindu decided that the monumental achievement merited a two-page story. The idea was to explain the biomechanics of the champion’s throws. What is the science behind his javelin throw? What is the best angle of release for a javelin? And what is the force involved? We aimed to publish graphs that would highlight how Chopra is a cut above the rest.
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We only had a week to do this and the clock began ticking. Imagining a beautiful and informative double-page story is one thing; implementing it is another. While shaping quality content is the ultimate challenge, the first hurdle is in bringing all the players together. This is a tough task in a newsroom as every team — indeed every journalist — has a different schedule or different deadlines to meet. Crucially, those working in print cannot afford to sacrifice the quality of the next day’s edition in order to bring out a weekend special.
First, the sports reporter came on board. He was the vital cog, for he knew why Chopra succeeds so effortlessly. He explained Chopra’s daily routine, high-intensity workouts, fast run-up, bow-and-arrow style of releasing the javelin, and gymnastic abilities — all of which together set him apart from other throwers. He also explained the intricacies involved in Chopra’s run-up — from how he grips the javelin to how he releases it.
Next, the deputy science editor explained the physics behind javelin throws — the right angle of attack, how gravity pulls the javelin down while aerodynamic force pushes it upwards, and other nuances that help the athlete throw the spear to the farthest point possible.
My role was to find data and conceptualise charts in order to compare Chopra with other players. I planned to collect data from World Athletics to show how all the top 10 Indian throws were by Chopra. I also wanted to show that he still has a long distance to cover as many foreign athletes have crossed the 90m mark several times. This is a feat that he is yet to achieve.
The planning alone took two days. Three days before the deadline, we were still staring at two large blank pages. Though the stories had not come in as yet, the design editor kicked off the most important aspect of the process — he produced the layout. Fixing a layout without the content is akin to entering a forest at night without a flashlight. But waiting for the text is also counterproductive as the quality of design invariably takes a hit. So, the design editor and the editorial staff visualised the content by placing potential components on the page based on inputs from the reporter and science writer.
The problem with this approach is that when the text does arrive, concessions and compromises are inevitably made between the editorial and design teams. In this case, the science article was to be transformed into a design-driven story. This, we knew, had the potential of disrupting the flow of the narrative. But we were also aware that only a design-driven story would be visually appealing. Also, it was the most optimum way of breaking down a complex topic and sustaining the reader’s interest. As both the editorial and design teams have done many special stories over the years, the negotiations were not difficult to make. We agreed to place the charts around the two explainer pieces.
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Yet, newsroom experience dictates that despite meticulous planning, things go astray at the last moment. On the final day, as there were a lot of pictures and graphs on the two pages, the software decided to hang. The printer was stubborn and uncooperative. Little edits had to be made until the deadline loomed in front of us. We scrambled to give the pages the final touches and finally, they were ready. We heaved a sigh of relief.
vignesh.r@thehindu.co.in
