| |
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 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

- April 30-May 2, 2009: Minneapolis conference
2008 CONFERENCE - For the full index of coverage, including speaker handouts,
visit the conference
page.
FORUM TOPICS
- Grammar, style, and usage :: RE: Phelpsian enters the vocabulary!
- Information, please :: RE: No longer use exact addresses?
- Grammar, style, and usage :: RE: Phelpsian enters the vocabulary!
- Grammar, style, and usage :: RE: Phelpsian enters the vocabulary!
- Information, please :: RE: No longer use exact addresses?
- Small papers forum :: RE: Crossing lines
- Small papers forum :: Crossing lines
- Grammar, style, and usage :: RE: Phelpsian enters the vocabulary!
BE OUR BUDDY- ACES has
joined the social networking realm with groups on Facebook and
MySpace. Show your ACES
pride to all of your online buddies by joining.
|