ACES and Poynter announce new intermediate-level editing series
By ACES Staff
ACES: The Society for Editing and The Poynter Institute are pleased to announce the launch of their Intermediate Certificate in Editing.
The seven-course, 12-hour intermediate certificate has been months in the making. It is the second in the three-tier Poynter ACES editing certificate series, which sets the industry standard for communications professionals who want to improve their editing skills.
Long-time ACES Poynter partnership
“ACES is excited to be deepening its partnership with Poynter with this latest certificate,” said Gigi Sutton, the ACES executive director. “Several of our members and Board members are among the program teachers so anyone earning a Poynter ACES certificate is assured of the highest quality. Completing this new Intermediate Certificate in Editing will be one more important credential for editors.”
This is the latest in a long partnership between ACES and Poynter. Their most recent collaboration was the Introductory Certificate in Editing, a beginner-level course for those looking to up their editing game for new jobs, promotions, or just to hone their skills.
This certificate builds on the introductory level and offers even more useful and valuable teaching.
“Poynter has a long tradition of teaching craft, and we’re thrilled to launch this new Intermediate Certificate in Editing,” said Sitara Nieves, vice president of teaching and organizational strategy at Poynter. “It’s an important credential that will help accelerate editors’ careers and capabilities. We’re honored to work with ACES in this ongoing partnership.”
Significant discount for ACES members
The certification program is priced at $250, with ACES members enjoying a significant discount, paying only $175. Each course within the certificate runs about 90 minutes, meaning the certificate takes an estimated 12 hours to complete.
The course instructors are among some of the most experienced professionals in the business and include Wired special projects editor Alan Henry, Politico senior managing editor Anita Kumar, CNN legal counsel Frank LoMonte, Los Angeles Times editor Steve Padilla, Poynter assistant editor Kayla Randall, and “America’s Writing Coach” Roy Peter Clark.
ACES members freelance editor Mark Allen and University of Kansas professors Lisa McClendon and Gerri Berendzen are also featured instructors. Allen also serves as the secretary of the ACES Board of Directors and McLendon is president of the ACES Education Fund Board of Directors. Berendzen served on what became the ACES Board for 12 years.
The curriculum
The courses, listed here, can also be taken individually for $50 apiece:
- Editing Tools: How to Use Roy Peter Clark’s ‘Writing Tools’ as an Editor: Break down some of Clark’s most memorable lessons and determine how editors can harness their power to improve communications, messaging, and even management.
- Tech Tools for Editors: Efficiency, Organization and Visual Verification: This two-part course taught by leading experts features the latest tools and techniques to keep editors organized and efficient, while also giving them a practical tutorial in verifying visuals online.
- Working with Writers: How Editors Can Improve Words, Author Relationships and the World: Treat yourself to a cozy, personal session from one of the nation’s most renowned writing coaches and editors, Steve Padilla of the Los Angeles Times. Learn how to establish a trusting relationship with writers, work with them effectively to improve copy for readers, and keep the polish on all the writing you come across as an editor.
- Grammar Deep Dive: Getting Below the Surface of our Language: The inner workings of grammar don’t have to be a mystery. Delves into the mechanics of English to demystify some of its more advanced concepts.
- Legal Issues for Editors: What You Need to Know about Libel, Privacy, and Copyright: Understand some of the most frequent legal issues that editors might face — libel, privacy and copyright — and get a practical look at how to spot and minimize risk in all three eras.
- Ethics for Editors: How to Manage and Advise on Ethical Issues: Get an elevated view of the ethics involved in editing, from providing managerial guidance for writers to spotting and solving sticky situations in communications.
- Editing Data: Training Your Word Brain to Embrace Math: Get more comfortable with numeracy and learn how numbers, math, and data are important parts of the stories we help tell.
About ACES: The Society for Editing
ACES: The Society for Editing is the nation’s leading organization of editing professionals, educators, and students. Founded in 1997 by copy editors, ACES is dedicated to improving the quality of the written word and the working lives of editors. It sets standards of excellence and gives a voice to editors in journalism, government, business, publishing, and beyond through top-notch training, networking, and career opportunities. ACES hosts an annual in-person conference and, since 2022, an annual virtual conference. ACES Academy hosts monthly webinars. ACES also offers certificates in editing, which it co-hosts with The Poynter Institute, a global leader in journalism.
About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute is a global nonprofit working to address society’s most pressing issues by teaching journalists and journalism, covering the media and the complexities facing the industry, convening and community building, improving the capacity and sustainability of news organizations, and fostering trust and reliability of information. The Institute is a gold standard in journalistic excellence and dedicated to the preservation and advancement of press freedom in democracies worldwide. Through Poynter, journalists, newsrooms, businesses, big tech corporations, and citizens convene to find solutions that promote trust and transparency in news and stoke meaningful public discourse. The world’s top journalists and emerging media leaders rely on the Institute to learn new skills, adopt best practices, better serve audiences, scale operations, and improve the quality of the universally shared information ecosystem.
The Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), MediaWise and PolitiFact are all members of the Poynter organization.
Support for Poynter and our entities upholds the integrity of the free press and the U.S. First Amendment and builds public confidence in journalism and media — an essential for health democracies. Learn more at poynter.org.
