Editing Detective, Pamela Di Pinto

Despite the best efforts of journalists and editors alike, mistakes still manage to sneak their way into news copy that is later published for the greater public's viewing. Mistakes in journalistic writing can leave readers questioning the reliability of the news source, along with its credibility and attention to accuracy. As a result, these mistakes can reflect poorly on both the journalist and the company he or she represents.

That being said, though, these mistakes are inevitable. Shannon Findlay mentions this point in an earlier blog post when she says, "Fact: humans are fallible. Fact: humans write news stories. By extension, the assumption can be made that news stories are likely to have mistakes in them." No journalist has a perfect track record, and, as the industry continues to shift to the online world, I think errors will only become more commonplace in journalistic writing. Online journalism is all about speed: Who can get the latest breaking news story out first? This leaves minimal time for editors to step in, or even for journalists to self-edit their piece before posting it to the Internet. This can lead to both factual and mechanical (grammar, spelling, style, etc.) errors:

Factual errors

The Toronto Star printed three (yes, three!) factual errors all from April 6, 2010:

• A witness was incorrectly identified in an article about a man on trial for raping and fatally stabbing a 20-year-old woman who knew he was carrying the HIV virus. The article listed Wendy Phillips as the witness, when it was actually Julie Phillips. The journalist didn't even know who testified at the trial?
  
• A photo caption accompanying an article about the high risk of rape for women in Haiti incorrectly identified Elmancia Dezameau as a rape victim. In fact, as the article correctly indicates, she was attacked, not raped. It's in the article! All the journalist had to do was transfer the same information over to the photo caption.
  
• An article about white-hat hackers incorrectly stated that Leigh Honeywell developed an anonymity layer for instant messenger programs. In fact, through a Google-funded program, he mentored a student who added an encryption layer to an existing application. One word: fact-checking.

*Note: The Toronto Star has a link to a corrections page (seen in the image below), where they acknowledge and correct such errors.









Mechanical errors

I read the edmontonjournal.com more than any other online publication. I always find mechanical errors, especially on their breaking news pieces:

• In today's edition, April 12, 2010, the word "only" was repeated twice in one sentence in a breaking news article about how employee statements will now be used as evidence in the ongoing investigation surrounding Syncrude:

"He said it traditionally is only excluded only in rare cases when it is deemed neither necessary nor reliable."

This is most likely the result of writing to deadline -- the basis of online journalism -- and can easily be fixed by removing one "only."

Journalists should always strive to produce error-free copy, regardless of the medium in which it reaches audiences. However, mistakes will be made, which means there will always be work for "editing detectives" like me!

Note: Image from www.cs4fn.org

The Changing Face of the Copy Editor, Pamela Di Pinto

As a journalism student, the bulk of my studies, and that of my fellow classmates have been about the shift from traditional to online journalism.

Throughout the year, instructors have urged us to remain up-to-date with the latest technologies so that we can use them to promote our "brand," or name, in the industry. Yes, print journalism is still alive and well in many newsrooms, but editors, now more than ever, are looking for "backpack journalists," or journalists who are comfortable with these technologies, and can use them to produce content for more than one medium. In his vlog, "What do journalists need to know in the digital era?" Howard Rheingold outlines what editors are looking for as journalism continues to shift to the online world. However, with this shift, the role of the journalist is not the only one subject to change: copy editors must also adapt new ways of thinking and preparing content for the Web.

In traditional mediums, copy editors play a key role in the newsroom, performing many duties before a story goes to press, such as:

• Correcting errors of grammar, spelling and CP style
• Correcting errors of fact
  
• Judging news value
• Guarding against libel and other legal problems
• Writing headlines that will capture the reader's attention
• Selecting, cropping and sizing photographs; and
  
• Laying out pages

With online journalism, copy editors perform much of these same tasks; however, they must also cater to the online user. In her blog post, "Editing for the Web," Jennifer Carbert addresses this point: "Editing stories for online is very different than editing for the physical paper. Online readers don't want to spend a lot of time reading the news, they want to quickly find out the news and move on." Because of this, online news-goers will often scan stories as opposed to fully reading them. To make a story more scannable for the reader, the copy editor should consider the following:

• Bolded subheads
• Bullets or lists
• Short sentences and paragraphs
• Headlines that clearly state what the story is about
• Inverted pyramid format where the most important information is up high in the story
• "Chunking" or splitting the story into sections

Editors should also pay attention to multi-media elements, like audio or video clips and images; external links to relevant sources; and interactivity, whether through comments, social networking sites (SNS), or participatory journalism, where online users can essentially "play" journalist.

This article from the CBC website is a good example of an online news story.

In the fast-paced world of online journalism, though, where posting a story to the Internet 15 seconds behind a competing paper could mean losing readers, some could argue that the role of copy editors has been eliminated. Who has the time to edit through a piece? We want to get this story out first! However, I would argue that their role hasn't been eliminated, but simply modified. Copy editors are still an essential part of any newsroom. Now, they need to exercise some level of flexibility, paying attention to both the editing techniques rooted in traditional journalism as well as those regarding the online world. Like journalists are instructed to remain current amidst the changing face of the industry and meet the additional needs of online users, so too should copy editors. I think the speed of online journalism will only help refine their editing skills because it is during these crunch times when fact-checking and accuracy matter most. The face of the copy editor is changing, and it is definitely for the better.

Note: Image from flickr.com

Lecture 12: Journalism Students & The Digital Era

For homework I asked you to watch this Howard Rheingold video:




Futher reading included "Assessing the Credibility of Online Sources."


Activity 1: Respond to VLog

With a partner, create a cartoon that captures the main premise of "What do Journalism Students Need to Know in the Digital Era."

Create an account on ToonDoo. Choose the tab "Tools" and click "ToonDoo Maker." Create a 3 scene cartoon. Save your cartoon and then embed it in a blog post. Include a few sentences in your blog post summarising your cartoon.

Title: Journalism Students & the Digital Era, Student Names
Labels: journalism 2.0, lecture 12, new media, review



Activity 2: Respond to Assessing Credibility

Choose an article from today's edition of the Edmonton Journal.
Assess the article according to the credibility criteria in the webcredible list.
How does the Edmonton Journal fare? Note your main findings in a comment here. Make sure to include your name.

Note: Image of Alan D. Mutter from Armand Emamdjomeh on the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism site.


Read "BBC Tells News Staff to Embrace Social Media."

Activity 3: Respond in a blog comment: Now that you're nearing the end of the term and have had a lot of experience with various web 2.0 tools and discussions of the future of journalism, do you agree or disagree with the Guardian article above. Why or why not? Is there anything you would like to add to the article? Were there any viewpoints not mentioned that should have been presented? Did you note any proofreading/copy editing errors?


Activity 4: With a partner, create a time-line of the role of new media in journalism. You will need to sign up for an account on http://www.capzles.com/. When you have finished your time-line, save it and then copy the embed code and paste it into a new blog post.

Title: New Media and Journalism Time-line, Student Names
Labels: Lecture 12, new media, journalism 2.0, history


Some sites that you might find useful include:

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=75953&sid=26


http://www.cemp.ismysite.co.uk/timelines/journalism/


http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/02/washington-posts-web-ninjas-build-map-timeline-combo047.html



Homework:

Come ready to review for the final exam.

Final exam: Tuesday April 20, 1:00-4:00 in room 212.

Obsolete Jobs: Wire Editor, Features Editor

"As a medium, print is on an irreversible decline relative to digital. We are headed for an inflection point at which print newspapers as we knew them in the past will be unsustainable.

Like it or not, print must change.

If you are a wire editor or features editor, your odds of surviving in such a position until retirement are slim to none. Those jobs are obsolete. We can not save a system in which thousands of people sit around reinventing the wheel in parallel processes all around the country.

The Tribune Company's bankruptcy raises the urgency of facing this issue, but it will be an issue for everyone sooner or later. This is just another case of "the future is already here; it's just unevenly distributed."

If you imagine that jobs will simply move from a print focus to an Internet focus, you're wrong. Some jobs, like the wire editor and the features editor, will disappear. The Internet presents us with completely new tasks, requiring different skill sets."

[...]

"This isn't a case of good guys (journalists) against the bad guys (management).

I know some people are offended by the description of print production jobs as "manufacturing," but they are. Newsrooms of the past were integrated parts of newspaper factories. We're leaving that behind.

I understand the concerns about quality as copy editing becomes minimal. I worked as a copy editor for years. In some situations my job was more rewriting than editing, as talented gatherers of news are not always talented tellers of stories.

If you are one of those talented gatherers of news who can't write clean publishable copy, you can pretty much consider your job to be in the same at-risk category as wire editing and features editing."

This excerpt is from an interesting article by Steve Yelvington, a lifelong journalist and now a strategist for a media company.



 Note: T-shirt image from Cafe Press.

Editing for the Web, Aden Cruz

Online article from the Edmonton Journal.
Re-edited using online editing techniques:

No new snowmobile legislation: Stelmach
By Archie McLean, edmontonjournal.com


EDMONTON — The province has no plans to introduce new rules for backcountry snowmobilers after two Alberta men died last week at an event near Revelstoke.

No snowmobile legislation

Premier Ed Stelmach said the logistics of such regulations would be difficult.

“I don’t know how you would monitor and control all parts of Alberta,” Stelmach said Tuesday. “I
know B.C.’s solicitor general is going to have a look at it. But you know,
there’s this balance of common sense. How much of a risk do you take?”

Deaths

On Saturday, an avalanche tore down Boulder Mountain near Revelstoke during a loosely organized snowmobiling event. Shay Snortland and Kurtis Reynolds, both Albertans, died in the slide during the event, dubbed the Big Iron Shootout.

• 2 people died
• 30 people were injured
• 200 people were in attendance

The deaths have triggered questions about the safety of big-mountain snowmobiling, since avalanche warnings urged people to stay away from those areas.

New B.C. Regulations

B.C. Solicitor General Kash Heed said Monday he will introduce new regulations this fall for snowmobiling in the backcountry.


How/Why this article works or doesn't work:

This article was properly edited for online as the paragraphs and sentences were kept short, they provided links to related stories and information, the headline was short and concise, and use of helpful images were employed.

The article however, did not use bullets and subheads. I have added these to the above edited version. I have also indented the paragraph containing quotes by the Premier to give it emphasis.

Related Links: Cyberjournalist.net - online editing tips

Note: Image Source - http://www.jacconline2.org/images/online_news.jpg

Editing for the web, Katrine Sorensen.

When reviewing the article 'Canadians warned to avoid northern Mexico after killings' from the Vancouver Star, the first thing that came to mind was the length of the article.

Although the paragraphs are short, the reader is forced to keep scrolling down the page to read the text, and the article has not been made more scannable or broken into segments.

Especially linking to previous articles or other webpages could have dramatically reduced the length of the article since the very lengthy background could have been provided externally.

The article is a prime example of shovelware, and is
devoid of non-linear structure.

Writing subheads and giving facts or numbers in bulletpoints could have made the text more easy to read.

That being said, the article conveys the most recent and crucial information well via the bold subhead, headline and lead. The image is also an appropriate size, not too dark or too detailed.

Unfortunately, many readers would quickly lose interest in this article, despite its content, simply because of its layout and structure.

Note: image from questgarden.com

Editing for the Web, Shannon Findlay

The web requires different editing techniques than a regular newspaper. When writing online, there are different expectations for how the written word should be presented. Using an article in the Edmonton Sun titled "Police chief commends officer whose husband was killed by dealership gunman" we can examine these techniques.

Good Points

• Text should be kept short and to the point, providing the basic information-This article is written fairly concise, it does not go into long elaborate details and the story is conveyed in minimal words.


• Will the reader be forced to scroll down the page?- Do too the adherence to a short text, no scrolling is necessary. All information fits on one page.


• Keep images small to minimize downloading time- this point has been followed well. The image is big enough to tell what it is, but not so large that it takes away from the story or would cause a long downloading period.

Bad Points

• Lists of key ideas- No lists or bulleted information is found in this article.
  
• Frequent subheads within the text- there are no subheads separating ideas in this story.
  
• Quotes or key passages pulled from the text- Nothing has been done to draw the eye in with bolded or larger quotes. It is just plain text.


• Hypertext anchors which link to relevant information- No effort has been made to link away from the story.

**Image from- mardih.com

Editing for the web, Jayme Hagen

The New York Times had an article published on its website at 12:13 P.M. The internet has allowed for the constant updates of information and in order for a news site to compete, it is expected to provide news all day long. In order for an article to be put out as quickly as possible, mistakes are sometimes made. Karen Upland, a writer for the Edmonton Journal, admits this does pose some problems and recalls a story of putting a story out which had said a man who was not killed had been killed. They were able to change it when new information came that he was not dead, but for fifteen minutes he had been killed.

The speed at which the information is being put up is a reflection of the readers. The users are able to scan around for the most up to date information with ease. The way that the articles are being written has also changed in order to cater to this. Article's cannot simply be shovelware (unedited from the print versions of the stories) because the readers want shorter, more to the point articles. The article mentioned earlier appears to have paragraphs that are too long in length, especially near the end. The story itself is larger than the textbook recomends as well.

Shorter sentences are favoured over longer ones, and paragraphs should never run more than two sentences. The textbook stresses the idea of a short story, stating a story should never run more than 250 words in length. Readers favour more scannable material, with the important information at the top. While it is a well-written article, and it caters to the inverse pyramid design that is so important, it is well over the 250 words the textbook recomends.

The use of subheads to attract the users eyes to a section of a story that is relevant is also a technique used by most major online publications. This article does not use any bold subheads throughout and as a result is difficult to scan through, unless a person was sitting down and reading the whole article from top to finish, they would probably not bother scanning through this. Since there are many readers who read online in this way, it is important not to alienate this part of the audience.

Another technique the book recomends is the use of lists—readers like seeing lists and bullets. This story does not use any lists or bullets.As an online story, this article does not do a very good job catering to the online reader. It is well-written and would run in a paper, but seems more like shovelwear and does not follow the rules layed out by the textbook on online journalism. The more scannable a story is, the more accessible it is to the online community. In order to make this story more internet friendly it could have used:

• lists or bullets
• bold subheads
• shorter paragraphs
• a shorter length in general
  

Image from PCWorld.

National Grammar Day

The Huffington Post celebrates grammar day with a collection of "most common grammar mistakes in the English language."

Note: All images from the Huffington Post.

 

Lecture 8: Copy Editing & Proofing

Outline:

• Copy Editing and Proofing Differences
• Spelling
• Copy Editing Practise
• Add to E- Portfolio
• Homework

Copy Editing

• Editing or copyediting checks for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and usage in text that has not been formatted yet.
• Ensures proper and consistent use of voice, style, sentence and paragraph construction.
• Does not include changes in content, nor does it always ensure that the written document is logical, factually complete or accurate; but it does ensure clean, decisive writing that is free of errors.
• Copy editors may suggest changes to clarify the writer's intended message or to improve the fluency of the written text; and they may query the author about content or wording that does not seem to be accurate or logical; but they do not change the content of the copy.
• Editing should always precede proofreading.

Proofing

• Proofreading brings one final look at documents that have already been edited and formatted, whether by one or several individuals
• Proofing focuses on typing mistakes, missing words, punctuation, capitalisation etc...
• Check for any remaining errors and inconsistencies in use of grammar, language and format.

Activity/Practise

• Choose THREE blog posts written by students in class (just not your own)
• Copy edit and proofread the THREE posts
• Include your suggestions/corrections in the comments of each post
• Remember to remain professional in language use and tone

Spelling

• Review page 64 in your texts
• Note differences between Canadian and American spellings
• Remember “practise” = verb, “practice” noun

15-20 minutes

E-Portfolio

• Opportunity to add to your E-Portfolio
• You may also take this time to edit any posts you already have drafted
• Remember to label appropriately
• Include links, images and copyright information

Homework

Blog Report 2 Due at the end of (next) class so come prepared! You will have the class time to work on your report.
(remember to label correctly)

Note: Top image from La Pierre Editing, Proofreading Image from Graphic Design Employment, Primitive Spelling Bee image from Mrs. Cummins' Classroom.

Lecture 7: Headlines and Huffington Post

Guiding Ideas:

• What is the purpose of a headline?
• What are the different types and styles of headlines in modern newspapers?
• How have computers changed the methodology employed in headline writing?
• What makes an effective headline?

Critical questions:

• What makes a headline "good" or "bad?"
• What is the difference between news headlines and feature headlines?
• How do you know if a headline will fit in the allotted space?
• What kinds of questions can I ask myself in determining whether my headline is effective?

Activity 1:
Read the following headlines collected in the 2007 edition of The Lower Case (Columbia Review of Journalism). Note, as a comment, what is incorrect or humorous in these headlines:

Guest-worker plan proposed

Texas police want bullet lodged in teenager's head

The (London) Independent 12.23.06

Fifth Avenue clogged with police shooting protestors

The Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 12.17.06

U.S. pilots in Brazil crash back at home

The Press of Atlantic City 12.10.06

Will hanging help Bush?…

Activity 2: 


What are the elements of headline writing? What are some purposes of headlines?  Add your answers in the form of a WORDLE (word cloud). Then, post your Wordle as a blog post. You'll need to create your Wordle, then save it to the public gallery and finally, copy the HTML code that appears at the bottom of the page. You'll then paste the HTML code into your blog (when in "Edit HTML" mode, NOT in the "compose" mode). 


Your blog title should be: Headline Wordle, Student Name. The labels for your post should be: lecture 7, review, headlines.  


Here is an example of a Wordle that I did using information from Chapter 9:

Activity 3:

Go to the Huffington Post and read a few articles and then identify elements of strength and/or weaknesses you find in the headlines. Then read a short feature article, and similarly think about its headline. Examine differences in style, sensitivity, when humor is appropriate, inappropriate. Note the use of verbs, need for extensive "shorter word" vocabulary, etc. Then evaluate the headlines according to the "Characteristics of Good Headlines" in Chapter 9. Add your thoughts as a comment to this lecture post.


Activity 4:

Compare headlines from the Huffington Post with column width, typographical specs and spacing (how the headline must also fit within predetermined space) as explained in Chapter 9. Did you find any headlines that were too long or too short? How might you change them to fit with rules noted in Chapter 9? Add a comment here.

Activity 5:
Review the vocabulary list on page 181. Note the importance of shorter synonyms to ensure clear and precise headlines. Choose ten words from the vocabulary list and add at least two other synonyms not noted in Chapter 9. Also, include two or three words that don't appear in this list along with your own shorter synonyms. Add your vocabulary information to a blog post. Title: Vocabulary Builder. Labels: lecture 7, headlines, stylistics. Remember to include an image in your post.

Activity 6:
If time permits, we can finish the class by adding to your E-Portfolios. You may choose to edit posts you have already written, or begin a new one.


Homework:
Practise spelling and review vocabulary
Come to class with a topic to add to your E-Portfolio



Note: Question mark sign image from Illinois Wesleyan University and newspapers image from 24/7 Wall St.

Lecture 2: Copy Editing Student Work

Chapter One Review and Interpretation, Devon Bowie and Claire Theobald

By Devon "The Illest" Bowie and Claire Theobald

In reading (using the lightest sense of the word) the first chapter of the text, it became appherent that the idea of ethics and morality had been de-emphasized whereas other ideas like "Confidence" and "Intellegence" were put at the for front of the list of characteristics that a godd copy-editor must possess. Although admittedly these characteristics are important, they are so broad they could be emphasized as important characteristics for any career, unless you intend on pumping gas full time. There was also the issue of humor appearing to be more important then ethics because lets face it, unless you are writing for mad tv (which, I might add, is amongst the worst type of comedy out there), humor is not always the best option. Just saying...

Copy Editors, according to the work of Devon, are likened to "Spies in an ultra-secret government agency" in that they do important work and remain unsung heros. It did a fairly good job of summarizing the duties of a copy editor in the most basic sense, so basic in fact that it felt like someone writing about how it is the fireman's duty to fight fires.

All in all, a very basic summary; a recommended read for anyone curious about the duties of a copy editor who has also spent the last ten years living in a cave.

Chapter One Review and Interpretation, Kris, Jayme, Terra

= the journalistic process

Copyeditors have many tasks that they must perform in order to maintain the image and reputation of the publication. They must make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors in a reporters articles. They must check the facts of an article. They must ensure that the article is accurate, relevant, and timely. They must properly attribute the facts in order to avoid libel. They must possess certain traits and skills such as intelligence, the ability to write, objectivity, confidence, reliability, and a sense of humour. The internet has changed the face of journalism. As a result, several papers, including some famous names, have had to adapt and evolve to meet consumer demand. The editing process is a large, hierarchically organized process. Reporters have to answer to copy editors, who report to people above them, who report to people above them and on and on until the publishers.

Our Response:
Chapter One does a fairly good job of representing what being a journalist in this new media era. We thought that some of the skills mentioned in the text book were not really necessary, such as intelligence and confidence. One could argue those skills would help any profession and it is redundant to state them. We feel that with the online outlet it is much easier to fact check which lends credibility to stories. We, as the public, are much more able to do fact-checking ourselves. Because "typesetters and proofreaders often no longer exist as a final check to prevent publication errors," editors must be that much more diligent.

Chapter 1 Review & Interpretation by Maxwell Rausch and Jesse "The Cat" Snyder

Okay, this is the most important stuff from Ch.1 of Creative Editing for Canadian Journalists:

The chapter starts by briefly examining the impact of the internet on the modern news industry...which doesn't seem like something that can be analysed in a couple pages. After that, it proceeds to discuss the specific role of the copy editor. They have a plethora of responsibilities including excercising good news judgement by making seemingly dull stories more interesting and concise, writing provocative headlines that attract readers' attention, writing cutlines, as well as correcting errors of fact and emphasis, and protecting and enhancing the publication's reputation. Moreover, copy editors have to keep up with the latest technologies and remain as open and knowledgeable as possible in order to do their jobs effectively. The best copy editors are intelligent, confident, objective, aware of their readers and the personality of the publication, have diplomatic and writing skills, and ideally should be hilarious.

Copy editors are part of a massive bureaucracy, just a step above the reporters at the very bottom. Although computers have simplified the editing process to a degree, copy editors are nevertheless crucial as they are they are last ones to see copy before the paste-up stage of production. Therefore, they are responsible not just for the written content, but also the layout and presentation of the content.

While doing their jobs, editors must excercise good news judgement by understanding the significance of timeliness, prominence, proximity (geography), relevence, conflict, resonance, and unusualness. The chapter delves into the specifics of the editor's job as well. They may be involved as early on as the planning stage, with the assigning of the story itself. The ditor rereads the story several times before it is actually published, and (especially online) they may update previously published editions of the story.

All in all, what we got out of this chapter in particular was that editors must remain stoicly objective, arguably moreso than reporters, in order to preserve the integrity of the publication. "Editors have an extra obligation to be objective. They must be able to view the material in a broader context and disregard the personality of the reporter who wrote it." In addition, we thought it was startling how huge the bureaucracy of news actually is, despite the effeciency afforded by online resources and recent downsizing.

Chapter One Review and Interpretation, Ricki Cundliffe and Megan Perras

In the first chapter, we wrote about the roles of the copy editor, such as:
-having a good sense of humour that is widely accepted and understood
-being diplomatic, intelligent, well versed on many subjects, organized, able to grow with technology, experienced with regards to newspapers, well-read in fiction and non-fiction
-having a post-secondary education
-understanding/applying proper grammar
-preventing lawsuits through good editing
-being able to write well and layout pages digitally
-being able to write photo captions, as well as bylines
-must love language, edit quickly and effectively, be creative, and be able to research effectively
-must be better writers than the journalists they edit for, while not "writing" for the journalists themselves
-having previous experience with writing every type of beat
-must be able to finalize projects with picture selection, cropping, and placement

We also defined the terms "slot editor" (cheif editor), as well as "rim editor" (asst. cheif editor).
Slot editors and rim editors used to sit in a horseshoe shape; however, most editing desks are now rectangular.

USA has remarkably more daily newspapers than Canada.

Journalists do much more research on the Internet now than ever before.

We were surprised to learn that a copy editor's salary is approx. $50, 000 per year! (Keep in mind that "Copy Editor" is a promotion from "Journalist."

Bill Gates's company began MSNBC.

Local news stations are floundering.

Print Journalism will be around for a very long time. Print media is layed out digitally as a whole page.

News stations advertise for their associated news stations and websites.

*Timeliness: Information from today is much more useful than information from yesterday.
*Newsworthiness: relevance, uniqueness, touching, useful, informative, up-to-date

As a whole, chapter 1 did not deliver a ton of "new information," so-to-speak, yet it highlighted on very important duties and qualities an editor must take on. We were surprised by the salary a copy editor takes home every year, especially when it is compared to the income a person with a trade would receive. "According to salary.hotjobs.com, a Web site that allows users to conduct an instant online salary comparison, in 2006 an associate Web editor earned an average of $51,116 a year" (Creative Editing, Chapter 1). Copy editors have very specific tasks to complete in a very short period of time, and we do not feel that this salary is sufficient to the work assigned.

Ricki Cundliffe & Megan Perras

Chapter 1 Review and Interpretation, From the Desk of Steven Wagers, Kevin Penny, and Aden Cruz.

Chapter 1 in Creative Editing discusses how copy editing has undergone significant changes since it first came into existence. They have had to adapt to the everchanging world of technology. According to Mike Gasher, "[this] strategy allows companies to reduce labour, administrative and material costs, to use the same media content across several media outlets, to attract increased advertising by providing advertisers with package deals for one-stop shopping for a number of media platforms and to increase brand recognition and brand loyalty among audiences through cross-promotion and cross-selling." The chapter discusses the qualities that a copy editor must possess, such as objectiveness, awareness, confidence, and basically the same kinds of traits that a good journalist possesses. Copy Editors must also have a very good understanding of the laws that pertain to their occupation (libel laws, slander laws), otherwise they run the risk of being sued. Copy editors have also been subject to a major increase in their responsibilities due to the major influx of technology. Their responsibilities include:

• Correcting grammer and spelling.



• Making adjustments to the style of the writing to make it more interesting for the reader.



• Checking accuracy on facts in the piece of writing, and dealing with potential legal issues.



• Keeping a professional tone for their publications.

OUR TAKE ON THE CHAPTER

We felt that this chapter did an excellent job of capturing the essence of a copy editor and what a copy editor does for a news publication. It is interesting to see how far copy editing has come from having very limited responsibilities to becoming a whole plethora of jobs. After reading this chapter, we found that we recognized and appreciated all the hardships and contributions that a copy editor bring to the news world.

Chapter 1: Review and Interpretation (Jennifer Carbert, Pam Dipinto, Katrin Sorensen, Shannon Findlay)

Chapter one of the textbook "Creative Editing for Canadian Journalists" is about the modern role of a copyeditor and the interaction in the news room. The history of journalism is a very logical place to begin a textbook. As important as history is to understanding the why's and how's of copyediting, understanding the contemporary role of a copyeditor is much more useful. The textbook outlines the duties of a Copy editor:

a. editing copy for interest and concision
b. proofreading
c. fact checking
b. judging new value
e. dealing with legal issues in copy
f. protecting the image of the publication
g. writing headlines
h. selecting and editing photos
i. writing captions and cutlines
j. layout
k. exercising news judgment
l. keeping up with the newest technology

Once a person know the why's, how's and what's of being a Copy editor they must next decide if their personality will climatize in the role. Some of the personal attributes are

a. confidence
b. objectivity
c. awareness
d. intelligence
e. curiosity
f. diplomacy
g. eloquence in wiriting
h. sense of humour

There are different techniques for editing different types of documents. Editing for news and editing for a brochure are very different. The newsroom has more of a hierarchical structure within the office starting with the editor-in-chief all the way down to the lowly beat reporters. Although working behind the scenes Copy editors are very important to the news room. "Copy editors are the heart of the media organization, suppling the lifeblood for healthy existance inspiring and serving as gatekeepers of the news for the public". In essence they are one of the most central jobs in the journalism world.

The textbook covers many important points about the role of a Copy editor in the news office; however, we have some suggestions which would have made this chapter easier to read and digest. A bigger focus on the future of copyediting would have been a nice close to the chapter, and different models of hierarchy such as a small paper would have been benifical for those not looking to work in large productions. The chapter could have also included more of a conclusion. Over all the chapter was a good introduciton to Copy editing keeping the language simple and free of jargon.

Lecture 2: Copy Editing

Outline:
Review Chapter 1
Writing Activity
Mark-Up Symbols
Blog Report 1
Homework


Review Chapter 1:
Individually:
Re-read Chapter 1
Focus on any key terms
Try to remember any examples or facts

Do not take notes

10 minutes

Review Activity:

Combine your free writes into a single blog post
Title: Chapter One Review and Interpretation, Student Names
Label: Lecture 2, Copy Editing, Review (please capitalise & use commas)
Include as many relevant details as possible
Include one paragraph interpretation of the content of Chapter 1 (were there any significant details, anything new to you, something that caught your attention?)
Embed one image in your blog post
Include one quotation about copy editing from Chapter 1 (you may use your books here)
Add a comment to one other blog post

Blog Report #1

Due Feb. 9th

Title: Citizen Journalism and the Future of Journalism, Name Surname

Label: Blog Report 1

Length: 5 paragraphs

Respond, using examples and in an academic tone:

"The contributions of citizen journalists, bloggers, and others who aren't paid to cover the news are constantly mocked and derided by the critics of new media who clearly don't understand that technology has enabled millions of consumers to shift their focus from passive observation to active participation -- from couch potato to self-expression” - Arianna Huffington

Refer to “Best of Twitter: FTC Workshop Discusses Future of Journalism” by Jessica Clark (http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2009/12/best-of-twitter-ftc-workshop-discusses-future-of-journalism-337.html)



Homework:

Define “journalism 2.0”
Read “The Reconstruction of American Journalism” (http://www.cjr.org/reconstruction/the_reconstruction_of_american.php)
Come to class ready with a topic for your first e-portfolio entry (copy editing, journalism 2.0, citizen journalism, mark-up symbols)





Note: image from Reportr.net