Last Updated: May 20, 1999
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A note from
the president
You might think the journalism world doesn’t need more peer organizations
prone to self-examination or the calling of meetings.
And you might think that if any group of journalists were going to organize,
please God, don’t let it be the copy editors, who might, if enough of them
got together, alarm the newspaper world with the force of the group whine
they would surely utter.
Well, think again. In October I had the great pleasure of attending
the first-ever national meeting of ACES — the American Copy Editors Society
— which gathered more than 300 strong at the University of North Carolina
in Chapel Hill. It was the most purpose-filled and downright inspiring
journalism meeting I’ve attended this year. You would have had a tough
time leaving the meeting without feeling similarly encouraged — even upbeat
— about our craft and hope for the future
This organization has sprouted from seeds planted by ASNE. It represents
some of our best work.
Three years ago at ASNE’s Dallas convention, Merv Aubespin, then chair
of our Human Resources Committee, corralled Gene Foreman of The Philadelphia
Inquirer, next in line to chair the committee, and Bob Mong, who succeeded
Foreman, and got them to agree that each would spend his term focusing
on copy editors. They decided there was no more important management challenge
for newspaper editors than the attitudes and skills of their copy editors.
Aubespin clearly is acquainted with the wisdom of relentless attention.
A relatively small group of copy editors met that first year in Kentucky
and the second year in Kansas to more closely examine the seemingly intractable
problems of copy editors. Those gatherings generated good discussions,
insightful reports and enough momentum that by the end of the second meeting
Mong was beginning to push the fledglings out of the ASNE nest. It was
clear that if this organization, solely dedicated to the interests of copy
editors, was to thrive, it had to develop its own wings.
If Chapel Hill was any indication, thrive it will from sheer force of
will and dedication to craft.
Most of the North Carolina conference was devoted to a slew of very
good workshops aimed at improving skills. But equally inspiring was the
first-ever business meeting of ACES. Without officers, without hierarchy,
the copy editors packed an auditorium and followed the strong and effective
leadership baton of organizing wizards Pam Robinson, a former New York
Times and Newsday copy editor now with CMP Media, and Hank Glamann of the
Houston Chronicle. "We’ve put out the bulldog," Glamann said of the gathering.
Now let’s revise it and make it better.
We knew we wanted an organization for copy editors and by copy editors,
Mong said of his intention more than a year ago. That independence has
taken hold. ACES President Pam Robinson says that organizers now realize
they have to answer the most significant questions themselves instead of
relying on others (including their ASNE mother ship) if they expect to
be viewed as the authoritative source of information for and about copy
editors.
In North Carolina, after inspirational invocations by the Reverend Mr.
Aubespin and Bob Mong, the copy editors got down to the business at hand
and had no shortage of significant questions. What should they do to expand
membership? How wide should they cast the net? How much should the organization
remain focused primarily on newspaper copy editors? How soon should they
elect officers? What about contests for copy editors? Should they allow
recruiters at future conferences? Would a salary survey help? What about
future discussion of some sort of certification for a master copy editor?
How could they help newspapers develop a protocol for determining how many
copy editors are needed to do the job?
Nothing was off limits. These men and women were clearly ambitious and
refreshingly fearless when it came to their future.
Many copy editors left Chapel Hill that Sunday morning in October, heading
home for night shifts on their copy desks. Many also came on their own
dime, which Aubespin said they needed to do without hesitation if they
wanted to presume to speak of their commitment. Others had the blessings
of bosses and were going to fill out expense reports for the very first
time in their professional lives. These weren’t kids; most were mid-career
to senior editors on their desks. In answer to a question, those representing
their papers for the first time at a professional meeting so indicated
through a show of hands — and then let forth with an unambiguous cheer.
Attendance at the Chapel Hill meeting ($50) and ACES membership — at $35
a year — might be the best bargains in journalism. (Check out their Web
site at http://www.copydesk.org/.)
In addition to coming away refreshed and rewarded, the process that
Merv started by insisting on a multi-year commitment got me thinking again
about the potential benefits of ASNE’s multi-year organization-wide focus
on newspaper credibility. If we can develop a laser-like focus, there’s
no doubt in my mind we can improve the health of our newspapers. Like the
copy editors with their agenda, we couldn’t have a more important cause.
In the meantime, take a well-deserved bow, Messrs. Aubespin, Foreman
and Mong. What a terrific piece of work.
Rowe, ASNE president, is editor of The Oregonian, Portland.
