Editing and Ethics

1. Editing and Ethics

2. Today’s Class • Editing • Ethics • This week’s homework • Feedback, please!

3. “Those who can’t climb Mount Everest find happiness in tackling the barriers to clear expression.” - Arthur Plotnik

4. Editing • No two editors are the same • Editing is an art, craft, crusade • An editor’s alliance is only with the reader • An editor’s job is to shape the expression of an author’s thoughts, not the thoughts themselves

5. When you edit… • Above all, aid the reader • Allow for variety of expression • Use good sense • Guidelines are sometimes dismissed for variety or emphasis • “Outcry was heard round the world” • “Everyone in the world heard the outcry.” • Preserve the author’s voice • See the forest and the trees • Ask questions

6. Edit for the craft… • Clarity, style, economy, logic, plain language, and impact • Punctuation, spelling, figures, capitalization, etc. • Accuracy of names, titles, citations, and math • APA reference style

7. Edit for the art… • Beginning (headline/lead) • Content • Readability • Ending

8. Beginnings • Does the headline let the reader know how the story differs from previous stories on similar topics? • Does the headline pique the reader’s interest anew? • Does the lead engage readers and tell them what they will read about?

9. Content • Are numbers used effectively? • Sparingly • Comparisons or analogies • Absolute event rates when possible • Are research findings presented fully? • Sufficient context? • All sides represented fairly? • Bulk of expert opinion is made known • Indicate where uncertainties exist • Caveats made?

10. Readability • Is interest sustained throughout? • Is the organization logical? • Are plain language principles followed?

11. Does the ending… • Tie together various themes and people? • Reinforce take-home messages? • Present sources for further information, if appropriate?

12. Editor’s Marks • Ask questions/make comments in margins • Make grammar and usage corrections within the line • Use editor’s marks (see handout) • Delete • Insert • Transpose • Capitalize • New paragraph • Period • Comma

13. In-Class Activity • Edit the passage provided and review as a group.

14. Ethics • Codes of ethics • Conflict of interest • Plagiarism • Embargoes

15. Codes of Ethics • American Medical Writers Association http://www.amwa.org/default.asp?id=114 • Association of Health Care Journalists http://www.healthjournalism.org/secondarypage-details.php?id=56 • Society of Professional Journalists http://www.spj.org/pdf/ethicscode.pdf

16. AHCJ Principles • Be vigilant in selecting sources; seek out independent experts • Investigate and report possible conflicts of interest • Recognize that most stories involve a degree of nuance - avoid single source stories • Show respect • Remember that some sick people don’t like to be called victims

17. AHCJ Principles (continued) • Avoid vague, sensational language • Report and quantify the magnitude of the benefits and risks • Clearly define and communicate areas of doubt or uncertainty • Be original -- plagiarism in untruthful and unacceptable

18. Conflicts of Interest • Be vigilant about conflicts of interest • Everyone has a stake in research • Industry (profits) • Researchers (tenure, prestige) • Journals (impact index, prestige, advertisers) • Reporters (front page, better assignments, prestige) • Advocacy groups (funding) • For an interesting video, visithttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7758662442132419447#

19. Integrity • Those who cover health care will encounter many different interest groups including government, academic medicine and research,medical centers, providers, purchasers, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers. • Health carejournalists should remember that their loyalties reside with the truth and with the needs of the community.

20. Plagiarism • Plagiarism is the use of other people’s words or ideas without crediting them • Can be intentional or accidental • Using words of a source too closely when paraphrasing • Building on someone else’s ideas without citing their work • Might result in job loss and loss of credibility

21. News Embargoes • All major medical journals have publication embargoes. • Journals provide advance copies of the journal or article before publication, in confidence. • Embargoes usually lift the day before the cover date of the issue. • Press typically register for embargoed material.

22. News Embargoes (continued) • Embargoes give journalists extra time to produce more comprehensive and accurate coverage. • Some believe that the embargo system is driven by medical journal profit motives. • Breaking an embargo is a serious breach of trust and can result in being barred from receiving advance information.

23. Homework • Reading assignment: • Gastel ch. 4 • “Writing patient education content for the Web.” C.W. Chambers. AMWA Journal. 2006, vol. 21, no. 3. • Editing assignment: • Part One: Read your assigned feature article. Provide feedback using the Assignment Form. • Part Two: Edit a classmate’s feature article. Use erasable pen to keep things tidy. • TWO HARD COPIES of each are due in class next week.

24. Feedback, please! • What is going well in the class • Suggestion for improvement