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| USA Todaycopy editor Paul Soucy, left, received a trophy and a $3,000check for winning the first Robinson Prize. Introducing Soucy at the ACES banquet was one of the contest judges, J.A. Montalbano ofthe Albuquerque Tribune. | | | Back-to-back winners Recipients of the Robinson Prize and Aubespinscholarship
show gratitude and wit in brief remarks at the ACES banquet |
By Matthew Crowley
Humility and humor from two American Copy Editors Society honoreespreceded Friday night's keynote speech.
First, USA Today news copy editor Paul Soucy humbly acceptedthe society's first Robinson Prize, a $3,000 award in recognitionof excellence in editing and love of the profession. Then, DiegoSorbara was recognized for winning the $2,500 Aubespin scholarship.
Soucy said winning the prize was a great honor. He said copyeditors don't get much recognition, except maybe in in-househeadline contests. If a paper wins a big prize, like a Pulitzer,Soucy said the copy desk may be last in the praise parade, behind reporters,editors, photographers, and even clerks.
"The reason this is so special is that it doesn't come fromsomebody in a glass office, it comes from other copy editors,"Soucy said. "It comes from other people who eat lunch at theirdesks. It comes from people who are coming into work in the oppositedirection of traffic, when everyone else is going home. It comes frompeople who haven't watched prime-time television in prime time in the last15 or 20 years."
The 36-year-old Soucy said he was proud of the society and hismembership in it.
"That’s about all I have," Soucy said, smiling wryly. "As acopy editor, I don't want to go on too long."
In a moment of technological magic, Pam Robinson, a co-founderof ACES for whom the award is named, spoke via computer audiofile. Robinson, too, showed humility, saying maybe the awardshould have a different name.
"Well, OK," she relented. "Maybe not."
Soucy's "No. 1 love is language," said his boss, Susan Miller,news copy desk chief, in her nomination letter. She called him"a master of style, grammar and language," and noted that "hishumorous, no-nonsense style has engaged and energized colleaguesthroughout the newsroom."
Like the best copy editors, Soucy "approaches his job like areader," said Owen Ullmann, USA Today's deputy managing editorfor news. "His knowledge and love of the written language havemade him a catalyst in our newsroom for elevating stories andmaking sure we always connect with our readers."
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| DiegoSorbara, a University of Missori senior, won the $2,500 Aubespinscholarship, named for early ACES supporter Merv Aubespin of the Louisville Courier-Journal. | | Soucy graduated from Drake University in Des Moines,Iowa, in 1992. He worked at the Des Moines Register from 1992to 1998, and has been at USA Today since 1998. He and his wife,Tracy Lucht, live in Vienna, Va., with a dog and a cat.
The Robinson Prize recognizes those who demonstrate excellencein editing, promote the copy editing profession, foster a senseof teamwork among colleagues, inspire others and champion theinterests of readers.
ACES' other big prize winner was Sorbara. The 22-year-old Universityof Missouri senior was recognized at the banquet for winningthe Aubespin scholarship in December. Four other students received$1,000 scholarships.
Sorbara spoke as society members were digging diligently intodesserts. The sight fit, he suggested; two things copy editorslove are food and brevity. He promised a brief speech.
The 22-year-old Sorbara said he entered journalism partly becausehe has an ease with language. The ease came even though Englishwas his second language; he came to America as a child when hisfamily arrived in Chicago's suburbs from Argentina.
Sorbara acknowledged that worry has wracked newspaper workerslately. The sale of Knight Ridder to McClatchy and the pendingsale of a dozen former Knight Ridder papers has created uncertainty.
But he said now isn't time to panic.
"We need to chill out," Sorbara said.
Sorbara, who will eventually work on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinelcopy desk, said it's an exciting time to be a copy editor. Copyeditors will be critical newsroom players as newspapers adaptto the Internet and redesign, he said.
"These are not strikes against newspapers," he said. "They'rechallenges to make us all do better."
Change has helped make work better, not worse, for copy editors,Sorbara said. For example, he said, nobody has to paste up layoutsnow thanks to software.
"We're better equipped than ever before," he said. "The onlytime we need to start worrying is when we stop speaking English."
Matthew Crowley is a business copy editor for the Las VegasReview-Journal. He can be reached at matthew_crowley@copydesk.org. | | |