In Chapel Hill, a focus on editing for the future

Copy editors will help lead the next wave of change in newspapering and news delivery, professors and speakers told participants at the recent Institute for Midcareer Copy Editors at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Eighteen copy editors from across the country, including ACES board member Peter Parisi and newsletter contributor Matthew Crowley spent three days of classes learning lessons practical (editing with less time), legal (what constitutes libel) and topical (presenting stories online) from faculty and guest speakers.

In one exercise, three-editor teams studied graphics.

One team consisted of from left, Liz McGehee of the Washington Post, Aleisha Wagenman of the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times and Mark Wood of the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times.

Another included from left, Leslie Lapides of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Parisi and Stacy Chandler of the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer.

There were also plenty of panel-style discussion and lectures.

In one session, Ann Breitler of the Stockton (Calif.) Record, Vicky Broadus of the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Cameron Haaland of the Des Moines (Iowa) Register and Diana D'Abruzzo of the Virginian Pilot take in a lecture.

There was also time for socializing. The group traded their copy pencils for ice cream cones at Mapleview Farm. On porch from left are Jamie Knodel of the Dallas Morning News (in sunglasses), Angel Brooks of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Caleb Cook of the News-Sentinel in Fort Wayne, Ind., and McGehee. And, continuing a tradition from the ACES national conference, Parisi led a night of karaoke.

To read more about the sessions, go to http://www.ibiblio.org/copyed/.

Scenes from the Florida chapter conference

ACES Florida conference

Here's a collection of photos from Trisha Cormeny of the Florida chapter conference June 22 at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. We'll post more on the conference itself when it becomes available.

A vital part of newspaper
history goes unnoticed

No mention of copy editing at the Newseum gives pause

By Chris Wienandt
ACES president

What next?

You may have seen a piece by Lawrence Downes in The New York Times noting that the Newseum is devoid of any reference to copy editing. If you did, and if you looked further, you’ve discovered that there’s no mention of copy editing on the Newseum’s Web site, either — at least there’s none that I’ve been able to find.

Wow. I knew we worked in anonymity, but this is extreme.



In his blog, “That’s the Press, Baby”, ACES board member David Sullivan chooses to look on the bright side: "Maybe the entire Newseum is a silent tribute to copy editing."

“Are the exhibit captions correct, spelled right, done to style? Are the quotes properly attributed? Do the exhibits make clear why they are there? Do the brochures have the right verb tenses? If so, the whole building is a tribute to copy editors. I haven’t been yet, but I hope copy editors’ work is seen everywhere in the Newseum the same as it is seen in newspapers every day — the anonymous thing in the background that lets the reader (or visitor) concentrate on the content and not question the professionalism or credibility or relevance.”

We certainly hope that’s the case. But copy editing, for all its anonymity, deserves better. How is it possible that the people responsible for such memorable pieces of journalism as “Ford to City: Drop Dead” or “Sick Transit, Inglorious Monday” or “Headless Body in Topless Bar” go utterly unrecognized in an institution dedicated to educating the public about journalism?

But copy editing isn’t just snappy, eye-catching headlines. It’s also knowing the difference between 14th Avenue and 14th Street or between Oak Lawn and Oak Cliff; it’s spotting the fact that the lead of the story is flat wrong or that it’s down in the 14th paragraph or that nothing in the story supports it. It’s asking where the nut graf is and constructing it if one doesn’t exist. It’s a lot of other crucial functions that would make for a very, very long list.

These aren’t things we do occasionally; these are things we do many times a day. A publication that underestimates the value of its copy editors (or worse, doesn’t have a clue as to what they do) is doomed to embarrassment at best, and at worst, destruction of its credibility — its most valuable asset. A museum that overlooks the existence of copy editing is giving the public an incomplete picture of one of its most important institutions.

Copy editing needs not only to be recognized; it needs to be celebrated. With that in mind, the ACES board has written to the executive director of the Newseum to suggest that the Newseum set up an exhibit explaining the role and contributions of the copy editor — and to offer the organization’s resources in putting together such an exhibit.

The letter was published online by The New York Times. What’s next? We’ll keep you posted.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, THE NEW YORK TIMES:

The members of the board of the American Copy Editors Society were amazed and alarmed to read “In a Changing World of News, an Elegy for Copy Editors,” by Lawrence Downes (Editorial Observer, June 16), about the Newseum’s failure to document the place of copy editing in journalism.

We disagree with Mr. Downes in one regard: Copy editing is not going away.

Copy editors, as Mr. Downes notes, toil in anonymity. So perhaps, as David Sullivan, a member of our board and a journalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, commented on his blog, the Newseum silently salutes copy editing:

“Are the exhibit captions correct, spelled right, done to style? Are the quotes properly attributed? Do the exhibits make clear why they are there?”

He adds, “I hope copy editors’ work is seen everywhere in the Newseum the same as it is seen in newspapers every day.”

Copy editors are the people who bring coherence to content so that the public can understand and evaluate it. Over the past decade, our organization has trained copy editors and emphasized their role in journalism. We expect to be doing that for years to come.

Chris Wienandt
President
American Copy Editors Society
Fort Worth, June 19, 2008

Also, in the news ...

By Daniel Hunt
ACES board member

Thanks to ACES member Brian White for passing this along to me: The Washington Post magazine's Gene Weingarten wrote a great article June 22 that's a tribute to copy editors. It's also a great way to test your skills -- I only caught 51 mistakes.

The satirical piece comes after the Washington Post shed a lot of staffers in the newsroom, including some on its copy desks, and reorganized the way it edits stories for the Web and print.

New newsletter on the way

Coming to a mailbox near you soon: Vol. 3 of the 2008 ACES Newsletter. What will you see?

  • A wrap up of the 2008 Denver national conference, with reports on select sessions, an interview with the Robinson prize winner and more on the Glamann award.
  • A look at math and the modern copy editor. You may be seeing a lot of numbers in those election stories, but it's always math season on the copy desk. The problem is that math isn't always the favorite subject of the desk set. The solution is to build your math resources toolbox.
  • Editing all things political is the job of the Politico copy desk. The At the Desk feature takes you behind the scenes at one of the nation's newest newspapers.
  • Blogger Andy Bechtel tells us why mug shots need to be edited as carefully as the copy they go with.

Recent job postings

  • To see all of the postings or to sign up for daily e-mails, click here
  • Copy Editor Needed: I am the Curriculum Coordinator of the largest Blackboard K12 content provider in the United States, blendedschools.net. We are looking for a consultant to. . .
  • Page Designer: The Mail Tribune (30,000-circ, seven-day daily) an award-winning AM newspaper in scenic Southern Oregon, has an immediate opening for a page designer to join. . .
  • Seeking a freelance editor: Children's Hospital Boston is looking for a freelance editor with experience in children's publications to edit text for artwork labels and signs. We have a. . .
  • Freelance Copy Editor, Colorado: ForbesLife MountainTime magazine, a new publication operated by Forbes Media LLC, is looking for a part-time copy editor to work on a freelance basis. While. . .
  • Freelance copy editor -- Ziff Davis Media Game Group: Ziff Davis Media's Game Group is currently looking for freelance copy editors for the 1UP Network, which includes 1UP.com and Electronic Gaming Monthly. Duties. . .
  • We need a production editor with editing/design experience: CIG Media Group, LP, is searching for a full-time, permanent production manager for its Dallas office. The production manager will oversee the production. . .
  • Copy editor/page designer: The Statesville Record & Landmark, a 15,000 circulation daily located 45 minutes from Charlotte, N.C, has an immediate opening for an experienced copy. . .
  • Seeking experienced Copy Editor for progressive Cancer Non-Profit: The American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO's) Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) and Journal of Oncology Practice (JOP) seek a Copy Editor to join their. . .


   

ABOUT ACES

  • The American Copy Editors Society is a professional organization working toward the advancement of copy editors in newspapers, magazines, Web sites and other journalistic endeavors. Our aim is to provide solutions to copy desk problems through training, discussion and an awareness of common issues.

ACES CALENDAR

  • November 15: Postmark deadline for ACES scholarship applications LINK
  • Minneapolis, Minn.
  • April 30-May 2, 2009: Minneapolis conference

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2008 CONFERENCE

  • Niko Dugan at ACES' 2007 conference in Miami
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