Ch. 10 - An Uphill Battle: Online Copy Editing
Ch. 11 The Online Editor/Utility Infielder
Ch. 12 - Multimedia for News
Journalists are on deadline
A lot of what they write is rushed, it needs help!
Poorly written copy can turn away readers
Interactivity means readers are more likely to criticize poor writing/content
The solution?
Copy Editors
proofreading "+"
catching factual errors
looking for bias
addressing legal/ethical issues
checking for broken links
The copy editor usually does two reads
1. for mechanical errors (spelling, grammar etc.)
the AP stylebook can be helpful here
this is a word for word read
2. for larger issues
if there is no copy editor...
The copy editor may be the one writing headlines
identifying the important point(s)
short (4 - 8 words)
active verbs
clever is okay as long as it still conveys the most important point
don't mimic the lead
don't let it be misleading
don't have it differ in tone from the article
The copy editor may repurpose print stories
length?
if shoveled from print and the original print was edited for space, do you shovel the whole story over or the edited version?
if shoveled, how can it be enhanced for online?
The copy editor may do other "+" tasks
establishing and monitoring discussion forums, online polls, other feedback/interactive areas
creating a FAQ page
making sure contact info is up to date
managing multimedia