Mastering Editing Skills in Journalism: The Art of Being a Good Editor

1. The good editor How to be one

2. “The Right Stuff” Good editors seem to have certain skills in common. • Editors are detail oriented. • They catch the typos, the grammar, spelling, fact errors others miss. • They see mistakes in design as well as copy.

3. Good editors • Editors are well read. • They spend a lot of time reading, both at their jobs and beyond. • They may have encyclopedic knowledge of the world, and certainly will have about their own area. • They probably like trivia contests.

4. Carr Van anda • Carr Van Anda, a famous (perhaps the only famous?) editor from the New York Times, was legendary for his breadth of knowledge. • Supposedly he could, for example, edit Latin as easily as English.

5. Good editors • Good editors remain calm. It is they who often anchor a newsroom. • They need to work fast against tight deadlines without emotional drama. • Things can get crazy in the mass media business. I kid you not. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Aza_OyeEE

6. Advantages • Okay, maybe I kid a little. But it does get crazy sometimes. Editors need to anchor. • What advantages can a good editor enjoy in the mass media industry?

7. Advantages • Higher pay, better opportunities for advancement in mass media industries. It’s usually an editor who becomes editor-in-chief. • Possibly better job prospects. While some media organizations have downsized editors, a good editor is still uncommon. Most people interested in journalism prefer reporting.

8. Advantages • Feeling of being in the center of things. You’re the glue that holds the place together. You know the big picture. • Good opportunity for those with physical disabilities. Editors don’t move around much.

9. Disadvantages • Editors don’t move around much. • In the journalism business, photographers get out most—they have to be there. Reporters get out some, and both are more likely to meet the famous and the glamorous. • Editors tend not to meet famous people. But is that such a bad thing, really?

10. Disadvantages • Hours may be unattractive. • Mass media editors tend to work evenings or nights, because most journalism operations launch new publications or website updates in the morning. • Editors for publishers may work more regular hours.

11. Disadvantages • Not an ego-building job. • Reporters and photographers get bylines. Editors seldom do. • Editors seldom have an opportunity to write themselves. • Some editors do have an opportunity to establish a social media presence, or write a blog.

12. Good editors • But if you’re good, you’ll be in demand—because good editors are rare.

13. How they fit in • How do editors fit into the big picture of mass communication industry? Here’s Ross’s handy poster! (Free downloads available!)

14. Concise Editing Editors in principle try to read a story at least three times: • Read the story. • Edit thoroughly. • Reread the story.

15. The process of editing • It’s easy to skip the first and third readings, and just edit, particularly if you’re in a hurry. • But it’s important to read the story once through so you know what it’s about. • If you don’t understand the purpose and style of the story, it’s hard to edit well.

16. Adding mistakes • It’s also important to reread and not only make sure you didn’t miss anything, but don’t ADD mistakes. • You can introduce new errors through careless editing, often by assuming you know something without bothering to look it up. • It’s really embarrassing to both editor and writer when such mistakes end up in a story. • Correcting supposedly misspelled proper names and places is common.

17. Changing style • We’re not talking about AP style here—we’re talking about the way the writer puts words together. • Sensitive editors avoid editing copy merely because they don’t like the way the author wrote it. • It also demoralizes writers who worked hard on a story, only to see it rewritten gratuitously. • Remember: it’s not your story!

18. Sensitive editing • If I find a need to edit, I try to avoid using words I would use. • Instead I go through the story and look for words the author uses. • For example, I use the word “myriad” fairly often. But it’s not a common word. So I would avoid that, look for a synonym within the author’s story.

19. Sensitive editing • If there’s time, it’s actually better to go back to the writer and talk about needed changes, then let the writer do the work. • On the other hand, while an editor is responsible to her writers, She’s also responsible to her readers. • An editor can’t let a poorly written story appear. It damages credibility.

20. The editing process • Editors generally have a hierarchy of editing goals, and proceed often using their own system. • For example, here’s my system: • First read: catch typos and AP style errors. • Second read: fix grammar, word clutter, sentence structure, poor leads. • Third read: consider larger issues, such as missing information, clichés, even libel. Make sure I caught everything.

21. The editing process • Questions editors should ask: • Does the storoy make sense? • What is missing? Does it need to be considered? • Does it read smoothly? • What questions might readers ask? • Are all names spelled correctly? Do I need to double-check?

22. Other considerations • Active voice. About 90 percent of sentences in mass media stories should be in active voice. • Hoaxes: Is this story really credible? • Obscenities: What can we allow? • Double-entendres: Have a “dirty mind.” • Taste: Will our readers accept this? • Quotes: Do we have enough? Too many? Does the writer need to talk to more people? Note a single-interview story generally is not adequate.