Talk the Talk

I think it's interesting how the editing process differs for reporters and columnists. I feel like editors look at a game preview and a weekly column with a different eye. When an editor looks at a reporter's game story, they are editing for the obvious spelling and grammar, but also they need to look at the structure and flow of the piece. They need to make sure the most pertinent information gets to the reader withou bias.

When it comes to editing for a column, they also need to look for the obvious punctuation and grammar, but with the columnist position comes a sort of trust that assumes the columnists know the writing process. Also, there's no worries about editorializing or showing bias, because that comes with the job. The editor looks for a type of flow, but the form of a column can be so diverse, it's really up to the editor to decide if the columnist needs to change.

I think it's important for writers to have a solid background of reporting before they jump into the columnist role. When I first started as a journalist, all I wanted to do was write a column full of my opinions, but looking back on it, it was really important for me to develop a foundation of reporting before I stepped up into a columnist role. Plus, personally, I love the reporting process. It is truly a one of a kind process. It takes you out of your comfort zone and it allows you to meet a lot of people you would not even think about saying anything to.

So an editor really has to adapt the editing process to the different writers at their newspaper. They need to know when to really take apart articles, and when to leave them in tact for the sake of creativity. It's not an easy thing to do, but it comes with job.


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WIn That Race

I think the idea of speed versus accuracy at a newspaper shouldn't be taken lightly. With all the cutting of editors and shrinking of newspapers, there is only one answer that I can come up with to help cut down on errors. Reporters and columnists will simply have to read over other people's stories as part of their job. It's a two way street; I will feel more comfortable with my story after my coworker reads over it and he will feel the same after I read his. Obviously there will still be copy editors, but this ensures another set of eyes are guaranteed to look over my entire piece.

Some might say it's not a reporter's job to edit for other people. This is simply ridiculous. The more you read, the more you learn. If as part of your job you have to read a few more articles everyday, you will not only become a more well-rounded journalist because your reading another beat, but you'll get to see other people's errors, which hopefully prevent you from making those same errors.

It's plain and simple, I don't want to see more and more errors in the newspaper and online. This means if news businesses want to cut more and more editors, they have to distribute the responsibilities accordingly. Reporters are going to have to step up whether they think it's fair or not. Until the news business finds some answers to prevent downsizing, it's going to be a necessity.


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(insert creative title here)

So, I like jokes. And nothing is better than some good old fashion word play. And since most copy editors are overworked and under-appreciated, they sometimes come up with some pretty hysterical titles for stories. I'm guessing most of these were not on purpose.

"Caskets found as workers demolish mausoleum"

That's fantastic. I feel like this person wrote 20 headlines that evening and didn't even look back to see how obviously ridiculous this headline is. It would be a headline if they didn't find caskets. Then it would be a story from Law and Order.

"Statistics show that teen pregnancy drops off significantly after age 25"

If you want to talk about problems with numbers, you have a big one right here. Of course it drops off significantly at that point! If it's higher than zero then a journalist certainly calculated the statistic. I am sorry to the journalists out there who are wonderful mathematicians. On a side note, I actually like basic math. I just absolutely hated math when I got to calculus my senior year in high school.

"One-armed man applauds the kindness of strangers"

I just have to believe this copy editor was trying to be funny ... and he failed big time. At least I hope this was on purpose because if not, then I don't want to meet the people in this newsroom. This actually reminds me a little of Obama's special Olympic joke that wasn't funny at all.

These headlines came from:
http://www.oddee.com/item_96156.aspx


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