Last Updated: March 23, 1997
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In addition to a planned fall 1997 copy editor meeting organized by ASNE's Human Resources Committee, some copy editors are exploring the formation of a new journalists' organization. Pam Robinson, a former senior news editor at Newsday, put together some thoughts on this new group, tentatively called the American Copy Editors Society:
The first step is to identify the purpose of the group. Clearly, the jobs of copy editors have changed at many papers, but many of the same issues and problems have continued unchanged, or simply worsened, over the years.
There are two fundamental points this organization should address:
- Copy editors and copy desks are essential to the operation of a newspaper, though often are not treated that way.
- Copy editors are not particularly connected to other copy editors or aware of the technological and organizational changes affecting them and their jobs.
We need to address both through education of members and newspaper leaders, and make sure the group doesn't become just a place to go to whine and grumble. After all, we can remain at our desks in the newsroom to do that.
What this group needs to make clear is that copy editors are professionals. We should do this by defining ourselves, setting standards, promoting the job as a career and helping those in the business who are isolated from the newsroom mainstream. One participant was ecstatic at the ASNE conference, saying he felt he was "with my tribe'' for the first time. Nothing but good can come out of helping others experience the same.
If set up properly, this organization could improve the skills and work life
for its members, as other journalism groups have by lobbying, identifying issues
of concern to their members, raising their profile, providing training, and,
not incidentally, becoming a recruiting ground for newspapers nimble enough
to spot and respond to useful groups. 
Contact Robinson by mail at 3 Healy Street, Huntington NY 11743, by phone at 516/385-8423, by fax at 516/423-3715 or e-mail at pambo@li.net.
