Oh yes - and don't whine when the slot editor asks you to edit a 60-inch story not on the budget. It's full of potential pitfalls and, by the way, it needs a great ride on the page with multiple graphics.

No wonder copy editors were the unhappiest group of employees in newsrooms, as reported by an ASNE study seven years ago. The study prompted ASNE's Human Resources Committee to focus on the plight of copy editors. After holding two conferences for copy editors and their supervisors recently, it made recommendations in a report - titled "How We Can Help Each Other" - that should be required reading for those who want to improve their desk operations.

Some of the conference participants gathered at the convention to talk about life on the copy desk.

Pagination was listed as a top concern among copy editors. Involve copy editors at every stage of pagination, from product development through planning and implementation, said Hank Gamman, senior editor of the Houston Chronicle's news desk.

He said to be sensitive to staffers' quality concerns. "Recognize that they feel they are becoming more technicians than journalists, that they're being forced to favor form over content."

Leadership is key, Gamman said. "Listen to your people. Give them opportunities to talk to you. Heed what they say. And most important, act on it."

Many copy editors feel like they are just shoveling copy. They believe that "editing is no longer valued as a craft. And the proof lies in the fact that managers don't provide enough staff to do the job well," said Stephen J. Ford, managing editor of the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal.

He emphasized that editors must be honest with their desks about staffing, but not gloomy, Ford said. "A hunker-down mentality at the top tends to produce a feeling of hopelessness among the ranks. ... It's important to emphasize what is possible and what quality journalism and job satisfaction will result from that."

The committee had several suggestions to ease malaise: Make schedules as consistent as possible, ask copy editors to evaluate changes on the desk, rotate copy editors through projects or day shifts to break up the night-shift routine, and explore restructuring.

Copy editor Casey Selix said she is much happier since the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press eliminated its universal desk and assigned her to an education team of four reporters and a senior editor.

By bringing copy editors into the story development process, "I have time to sit down face to face and ask questions, instead of calling (reporters) at 11 at night and hauling them out of bed and asking them what they perceive to be dumb questions."

Papers with fewer resources may not be able to try a team restructuring. But they can assign a copy editor to a major reporting project at its inception, Selix suggests.

It's no secret. Copy editors feel underappreciated.

Good-faith communication is crucial to good morale. Copy editors should bring concerns to management's attention rather than stew in their juices. And supervisors should flag the "large and small miracles that copy editors perform nearly every day," said Robert W. Mong, publisher of the Owensboro (Ky.) Messenger-Inquirer.

Among suggestions: Get state and regional contests to recognize good copy editing, give copy editors credit lines for putting together major packages, provide awards and offer them seminars.

Holland is editor of Booth News Service in Lansing, Mich.