Last Updated: May 20, 1999
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On copyediting
Baltimore publisher gives advice to copy editors on
working well with higher-ups editors: ask for something they can say yes
to and interact with them when you don’t want something
When Mike Waller delivered the keynote address in September at the second
annual conference of the American Copy Editors Society, he challenged his
audience to take the initiative in forging relationships with the rest
of the newsroom.
Waller knows what he is talking about. Now publisher of The Sun in Baltimore,
he worked on the copy desk for nine years at four different newspapers
and absorbed a lesson or two about relationships. He used to seek out reporters
in social situations and engage them in conversations about their stories.
Still, in newsroom arguments, “I used to think I was doing well if I won
one out of 10,” he told the copy editors at their conference in Portland,
Ore.
Waller recognizes that one of the problems copy editors face is that
they work a different schedule from most of the reporters and assigning
editors, and that the normal routine simply does not afford many opportunities
for casual conversation with those colleagues. So, when copy editors do
their jobs by raising red flags, they will be challenging virtual strangers
who, Waller notes, “will be anything but emotionally detached about their
stories.” And these delicate exchanges will be taking place at the worst
possible time.
What can be done? From the copy editors’ viewpoint, Waller believes
that more is required than simply “marshalling your facts, and presenting
them thoughtfully, calmly, reasonably and quickly.” Copy editors have to
go out of their way to establish themselves as caring professionals. And
the time to do that is when the atmosphere is less charged.
Waller said at Portland: “Find ways to approach them and get to know
them personally. Go out for a beer after work or seek them out at staff
parties or in the cafeteria. Whatever you do, find ways to develop relationships
with these people so that when conflicts arise in the heat of deadline,
you’re not a nameless, faceless, clueless copy editor but a thoughtful
professional with keen insights and valid opinions.”
In talking with Waller later about his remarks, I agreed that copy editors
should take his advice, but I wondered if senior editors ought to be doing
something to foster the socializing process. Waller thought that was worth
trying — perhaps spending some company money on events that could bring
the groups of professionals together. I would add that editors also should
remember to include copy editors on newsroom committees such as those formed
to plan coverage of a major event or to develop a new section.
At a panel discussion in Portland the day after his speech, Waller also
offered advice to copy editors seeking to have their agenda heard by senior
editors. He urged them to come forward not solely with complaints but also
with ideas that might help solve their problems and make the paper better.
“Start out by giving the editors something that doesn’t cost any money
— something they can say yes to,” he said. One idea: identify some reporters
who might be amenable to a two- or three-month rotation stint on the copy
desk.
Again, he said, the key is relationships. Copy-desk chiefs and senior
editors alike should feel a responsibility to make sure they have more
than one or two conversations a year. They should see to it that they have
“a more natural relationship” established through frequent discussions,
not all of which have the copy chief asking for something. That way, the
copy chief establishes credibility, Waller said.
As logical as Waller’s ideas are, they run counter to the way things
are in many newsrooms. The copy editors typically feel isolated and conclude
that their advice is not wanted by their peers and bosses. So they tend
to talk only among themselves. Senior editors, I am convinced, need to
exert leadership to convince the copy editors that they should be a force
in setting the newsroom agenda. The formation of the copy editors’ organization,
ACES, also should encourage copy editors to speak up. It will require no
little effort, but our newsrooms desperately need the relationship-building
that Waller spoke of in Portland.
Foreman, a longtime editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, is now a distinguished
professional-in-residence at the Penn State College of Communications.Foreman,
a longtime editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, is now a distinguished
professional-in-residence at the Penn State College of Communications.
