Last Updated: August 29, 2007
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On copy editing
Who would want to be a copy editor?
If you think copy editors are valuable, then treat
them that way
By Ann Auman
Walk into a room of copy editing instructors and you will sense enthusiasm
for teaching the craft, probably more than you would in most newsrooms.
That’s what I sensed last summer at a session called “Teaching editing
in changing times” at the annual journalism educators convention in New
Orleans.
But the instructors also struggled with how best to prepare students
for careers as copy editors, particularly in light of a recent American
Copy Editors Society survey on the shortage of people for this important
job. These days, copy editors need to be multi-talented and have a thick
skin. They must have excellent word skills, a flair for headline writing
and be savvy with pagination. Plus they might treated as “second-class
citizens” who get no respect and have lousy hours.
“Why would you choose that as a field?” asked Dorothy Wilson, managing
editor of The Sun-Herald in Biloxi, Miss., and a founding board member
of ACES, who spoke at the session. Wilson has worked on several copy desk
restructuring projects for Knight Ridder, including one at The State in
Columbia, S.C.
Only nine of the editors who responded to the ACES survey said that
journalism programs are encouraging students to become copy editors; 57
resondents said they aren’t; and 23 said some are and some aren’t.
A typical response: “Hammer the supply line — make universities aware
that the need is serious and the work is noble.”
How about hammering newspaper managers to raise the value of copy editing
in newsrooms? Then students might be more attracted to the field.
Professionals and educators need to start working together to raise
the value of editing. All journalism educators, not just editing instructors,
need to understand the value of editing in print and online publications.
Newspaper management also needs to be educated on the value that this
profession brings to newspapers and to readers, Wilson said. It is the
glue in the whole process of writing, editing and presentation, she said.
Copy editors are the quality-control people; they add value to the final
product. But the role of copy editors has been diluted because they have
been handed more and more duties, such as pagination, special editions
and online projects.
“For years, the newsroom process has been driven by the reporting side,
which has dictated when copy editors work,” Wilson said. “There’s something
really wrong with that.”
She has this advice on how to improve the status of copy editors:
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Form a group of newsroom representatives to identify ways copy editors
add value to readers.
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Break down barriers between reporters and editors so they communicate.
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Change hours and workflow so more of the work gets done earlier.
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Make sure everyone understands the value of the new process.
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Watch over and fine-tune the process.
Mirroring the industry, journalism programs historically have focused on
reporting. Some editors in the ACES survey said that students never hear
about copy editing or aren’t told that copy editors are in great demand.
It appears that many journalism schools need to increase their commitment
to editing. It shouldn’t just be left to the big ones with the resources.
Programs need more courses in editing, organizing and presenting information,
not just a single basic one. Students need opportunities to coach writers
while stories are being developed and written, and to use their news judgment
in story selection, editing, organizing and presentation.
Wilson suggested that editing students need to know what it’s really
like to work in newsrooms. She said she is so desperate for editors that
she is willing to let students shadow an editor for a week.
Here’s what she looks for in a copy editing candidate:
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Versatility — some Quark experience in case those skills are needed in
a pinch.
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Good work attitude.
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Willingness to collaborate across the newsroom.
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Fresh eyes.
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Deadline performance, and the ability to get the work done in two hours
instead of three.
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Knowledge of current events.
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Willingness to take responsibility for finding solutions to workplace issues
and for improving the quality of their work.
If newsrooms follow Wilson’s advice and boost the status of copy editing,
it will be a whole lot easier to spread professors’ enthusiasm.
Auman is a journalism professor at the University of Hawaii, where
she teaches editing and design.
