The art of good editing

Techniques, tips and advice for 2009

ASNE conference attendees
What does a good copy
editor do?
First rule of copy
desk:
DO NO HARM
Successful copy editors follow
these maxims:
Respect the work of others but challenge them
to make it better
Help reporters by double-checking names,
facts, Web addresses, etc.
Keep a positive attitude and remember that
you’re in a position to help new reporters
along. We’re all on the same team.
Be flexible. Sometimes copy desk means
sinking your teeth into big, meaty cover
stories, and other times it means checking
weather and trimming briefs.
Important do’s and don’ts
 DO: Change mistakes of style, factual errors and confusing wording.
 DON’T: Change a story because you “think it sounds better.”
 DO: If you want to change the lede or make substantial changes to a story,
you must call the reporter or assigning editor.
 DON’T: Miss deadline, but don’t let a bad story be published.
 DO: Contact the reporter to discuss factual changes.
 DON’T: Surprise others with substantial changes to story structure. Talk to
them!
 DO: Always use the notes tool.
 DON’T: Be afraid to ask questions, but don’t ask when you can look it up.

ALWAYS: Look it up! Never assume

Do you have style?

Stylebooks and why they’re

important
Most newsrooms use
stylebooks
What can I learn from a
stylebook?
Consistency
Preferred terms
Important names, contacts, titles, etc.
unique to your community
Important clarifications: Range Line St. vs.
Rangeline Road
Little known facts: Is it Harry S Truman or
Harry S. Truman?
Most important: How to use one
Create your own stylebook
A stylebook is always a work in progress.
Add to it as terms come up.
Wikis are a great way to build stylebooks
Don’t like an AP Stylebook rule? Override it!
Don’t even think about
memorizing it all
But do memorize the biggies, like NAMES
Capitalize formal titles when they appear
before names (The message was sent to
Principal Bernie Fox).
Lowercase titles when they follow a name or
stand alone (Jane Smith, the school board
president, fired her secretary).
Lowercase occupational or descriptive titles
before or after a name (The story was written
by reporter Ziyad Kilani).
Don’t even think about
memorizing it all
But do memorize the biggies, like PLACES:
Do not abbreviate such designations as
“street” when they stand alone. Only three
of these are abbreviated - “street,”
“avenue” and “boulevard” - and they are
only abbreviated when they appear with a
numbered address. Do not abbreviate
“south” or “north” indicating a part of a
road unless it appears with an address
(South Eighth Street; 221 S. Eighth
St.; 221 Abbey Road).
Don’t even think about
memorizing it all
But do memorize the biggies, like THINGS:
Capitalize proper nouns; lowercase common nouns.
Capitalize trademarks (I drank a Pepsi) or use a common
noun as a substitute (I drank a soft drink).
Use abbreviations on first reference only if they are widely
known (CIA agents helped overthrow the prime minister
of Iran). Otherwise spell out the names of agencies on first
reference (The U.S. Agency for International Development;
USAID). If an abbreviation would be confusing, use a
common-noun substitute (The State Law and Order
Restoration Council; the council). As much as possible,
avoid using acronyms.
Don’t even think about
memorizing it all
 But do memorize the biggies, like TIME:
 Use only the day of the week for events within a week
of publication (The summit ended Monday. The
negotiators will meet Thursday).
 Use “next” only if needed for clarity (The summit
ended Monday, and the negotiators will meet again
next Monday).
 Never abbreviate days of the week.
 Don't use the year unless the event is more than a
year before or after publication (He died March 17,
1999. The currency will be introduced Jan. 1, 2008).
 Do not abbreviate a month unless it has a date
(January; Jan. 1). Do not abbreviate months of less
than six letters (March; March 12, 1998).
Don’t even think about
memorizing it all
 But do memorize the biggies, like NUMBERS:
 The basic rule: Spell out numbers under 10. Use
figures for 10 and above.
 The main exceptions: Spell out any number, except a
year, that begins a sentence (Twelve students
attended. 1999 was an important year).
 Use figures for dates, weights, ages, times,
addresses and percentages.
 For most numbers of a million or more, use this form,
rounded off to no more than two decimal places: 1.45
million, the $18.1 billion budget. If the exact number
is important, write it out: He received 1,253,667 votes
to 988,401 for his opponent.
 Get in, get out

Secrets to tight, powerful writing

Don’t waste a word
Words you should Avoid redundancies
always check to General public
eliminate: Plea bargain deals
Very Mutual cooperation
Next
End result
That
Incumbent
Up
officeholder
Anything that looks
like it was pulled
from the nether
regions of the
thesaurus
Be active, not passive
 Passive voice sucks the power out of verbs.
 The concert was canceled by promoters.
 The promoters canceled the concert.
 Passive voice often times makes sentences awkward. Make sure
you’re constructing sentences using the age-old principle of subject-
verb-object.
 The flu was suffered by many students last fall.
 Many students suffered the flu last fall.
 Passive voice creates false formality. It can make a sentence sound
impersonal, bureaucratic and overinflated.
 It has been shown by numerous studies that tanning can prematurely
age and damage your skin.
 Tanning can prematurely age and damage skin, according to numerous
studies.
 Passive voice may obscure who or what is responsible for an action.
 It was announced Monday that irradiated vegetables are completely
safe for consumption.
Times passive voice works
better:
When the recipient of the action is more
newsworthy than the performer of the
action
A priceless Rembrandt painting was stolen
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on
Monday by three men posing as janitors.
When the doer of the action (the subject) is
difficult to identify.
The cargo was damaged during the trans-
Atlantic flight.
Eliminate cliché’s
Avoid them like the plague
Don’t touch them with a 10-foot pole
 Skeptical editing

The REALLY important stuff

You should always check …
Addresses, Web sites, phone numbers,
directions: If we’re sending a reader somewhere,
we should be sure the directions are clear and the
destination exists. If it’s a joke or a historical
reference, be sure it’s a nonworking joke or
historical reference, or some poor soul is going to
get a lot of unwanted calls, or worse, your readers
will be visiting porn sites.
You should always check …
Names: These days, names can be whimsical, not based on
English or plain made up. Remember that the police are
notoriously bad at spelling. And while Google is a good
source, remember that there is a Nicholas Cage Web site,
and it’s not the actor’s.
Famous names: Always check the names of those in the
public eye — entertainers, athletes, politicians, lawyers,
judges, public and corporate officials, teachers,
philanthropists, society hangers-on, journalists, etc.
You should always check …
Dates: Historical dates that are important to
understanding the context should take priority. Internal
inconsistencies, like a reference today to a high school
student’s birth in 2000, should set off alarm bells.
You should always check …
Numbers: Do they add up? Do they make sense?
They’re not always the same thing. If the numbers give
some sort of rate, take it to an understandable level to
see if the rate makes sense. If the story says that
75,000 vehicles use a bridge every year, ask if it’s
possible that 250 use it on an average day.
 Things that
should make your
spidey-sense tingle

Coincidence: Two people in a story

who are the same age; someone with
two “first” names, like Jay John;
anything that causes you to say “Huh!
Isn’t that a coincidence?”
 Things that
should make your
spidey-sense tingle

Internal inconsistency: A story talks

about national rock concert tours but
gives only the names of hip-hop artists;
all the witnesses to the accident are
from Chicago but the accident was in
Indiana; a legislator identified as a
Democrat introduces a bill against gun
control, and the story makes no
comment about it.
 Things that
should make your
spidey-sense tingle

Repetition: Susan Smith lives on

Smith Street; the company’s profit was
$1.25 billion on revenues of $125
billion; the team took in $18 million
for 18 home games.
 Things that
should make your
spidey-sense tingle

Superlatives and modifiers:

Unless we’re sure or it’s really
important, try fudging a bit: the
Verrazano Narrows Bridge is
“among the nation’s longest”; the
program gives vouchers to “one of
the top-rated schools in Miami.”
We’ll also hear from readers if we
call someone “bespectacled” who’s
bare-eyed in the picture.
Fair and balanced
Be alert for accusations, Beware of stories that
statements or use only one source.
characterizations that Even if it’s a speech by
cast another person or a someone, make sure you
group of people in a bad try to provide some
light. background or context.
Fair and balanced
NEWS VALUE DIVERSITY,
Ask yourself, what’s the STEREOTYPES
news here? Is it worth Be alert for phrases or
this much type? Worth descriptions that seem
the front page? rooted in stereotype:
e.g., a feisty senior, a
little old lady, .
 Fair and balanced

TASTE
It’s a weird, wacky, sometimes ugly world out there.
We shouldn’t sugarcoat it. But we do need to keep
our readers in mind. If it makes you go
“Ewwwwww!” maybe it doesn’t belong in the
story.
Fair and balanced
OVERWROUGHT BURIED LEAD
PROSE Be aware of how long it
Not every story needs a takes to get to the nut
dramatic, narrative lead. graph. Anything further
Like the courts’
definition of than five or six
pornography: You’ll paragraphs down needs
know it when you see it. to be discussed.
 SKEPTICISM
Be aware of poll stories or
medical breakthroughs or
wonder drugs.
Watch the language.
Flowery adjectives and
adulation, or biting
criticism, is a big tip-off.
 CLARITY
It goes without saying:
Check the math. Follow
the logic. Make sure the
example is correct.
Fair and balanced
DISSONANCE  QUOTES

Make sure the story’s tone Make sure your paper has a
matches the news. policy about when you
clean them up (if ever)
and when you leave them
alone.
Our policy is to AC our
quotes.
Fair and balanced
SENSITIVITY
Sometimes details can illuminate. Other times, they can
risk offending readers.
Sexual assaults, gruesome accidents, and descriptions of
living conditions – all have potential for going just
over the line (and sometimes way beyond).