“And there, I import a head, two feet and a chimney”. You don’t understand this sentence? It’s normal. Journalistic jargon can have its areas of darkness. Those who landed in the intricacies of the production of Temps now understand. What Clémence Anex, graphic designer, describes when she shows how the pages of the printed daily are mounted, are the possible sizes of an article: the “head” designates a text larger than a “foot”, while a “chimney” is the name given to small columns containing only a few rows.
This Saturday, March 18, 25 years to the day following the birth of the first issue of Temps in 1998, the editorial staff invited its readers to enter the heart of the information factory. In the premises of the media, in Geneva, nearly 250 people were able to spend two hours where, every day, keyboards and brains heat up to inform Switzerland. Each visitor was able to follow a circuit of workshops presenting the different editorial professions: journalist, proofreader, iconographer, editor, editorial secretary, videographer, among others. Research of information, writing, production of the printed newspaper, maintenance of the desk digital, via podcasts and social networks: the visitors were not idle – the members of the team of the Temps present to answer their questions either.
“Put faces to signatures”
“I am very impressed to be here. For me, a journalist was not necessarily a young person and what I see today proves the opposite to me. Seated in a room, a Geneva reader discusses with Catherine Frammery and Pascaline Minet, two journalists, regarding the profession and the content of the articles. He says he particularly appreciates “the analysis part” of the newspaper. “I am not a writer. These in-depth articles amaze me with their brilliance, reading them makes me better”. Ellis, her 11-year-old son, listens to the conversation religiously. The boy says he “studied the news item” at school and found it fascinating: “We had to write one, a bit like a journalist. I figured out how to do it and loved it.”
In the next room, a reader says she is happy to be able to “put faces on signatures” when she sees journalist Frédéric Koller. His friend rolls out questions – “how is it in the morning? How do the subjects come to you?”. He apologizes for asking “dumb” questions. He is told that this is precisely what journalists do: ask “dumb questions”. To understand.
Close to the “wall” – this long wall on which, every day, the pages of the newspaper are lined up to be checked – Olivier Perrin presents several members of the production team print. Editor of the Temps Since day one, he has been talking regarding all those precious hands which, once the articles have been released from the fingers of the editors, take hold of the texts. To reread them, correct them, cut them – “remove the fat”, says the other editor Philippe Simon – stick them in the pages, illustrate them. “How do you define the number of pages?” Then asks a visitor. He was told that a balance must be found between the constraints linked to information, printing and . And that a risk of having their fingers tapped (nicely) by the printer dissuades the team from changing the pagination of the newspaper during the day: “It’s a 500 franc penalty if it is announced following 12 noon”, explains Philippe Simon.
From “face cam” to microphone
That’s not all. In 2023, what would a newspaper be without its website, social media accounts, videos and podcasts? In front of a large screen, Grégoire Nappey, head of digital publishing, demonstrates the powerful tool that tracks the site’s audience in real time. He tells how, this Saturday, an article regarding an armored tank sent to Ukraine notably blew up the curve. “We didn’t do the open house on purpose, we promise!”. Not far from there, the large conference room, where the morning editorial briefings take place, is occupied by regarding fifteen readers who are discovering the “multimedia pole”: videos, podcasts, social networks. For Séverine Chave, head of the video team at Tempsthe presence of the daily on the networks is essential: “We have a form of public utility in the fact of not letting these platforms become areas of disinformation”.
Readers are invited to jump into the boots of the trade by trying out “face cam” videos, a lavalier microphone attached to the t-shirt and spotlights lit in the face. “I will try but I am useless! I take it as an exercise, because I hate doing it, ”book Mayte Sanchez, executive assistant in an association for migrant women. The result? Far from being “zero”. Finally, in the hollow of a tiny, almost secret room, Célia Héron puts her headphones back on and adjusts her microphone.
The head of the Society section and co-producer of the podcast Icebreaker, which demystifies taboo subjects, welcomes those who would be attracted to the world of audio. Felice Stalla hastens to settle down. A “great radio listener”, the Lausanne resident is fascinated by the powers of sound. “Audio brings a certain imagination. It appeals to all the senses, unlike an image which tends to freeze the elements in our minds. Try listening to a movie with your eyes closed… You’ll hear something completely different.” The journalist asks him: “What subjects do you think are still taboo in our society today?” To hear Felice’s answer, you will have to listen Icebreaker.