Blog
The mighty editor: Wielding editorial oversight with care
By Laura Lattimer Does “impact” ever strike you as a verb? Is “very unique” inherently redundant? Does the mental strain of “irregardless” literally make your head explode? As copy editors, we sometimes consider ourselves the gatekeepers of good language — preventing “incorrect” usage from ever stepping foot into our precious temple of the written vernacular.…
Read MoreFive tips on freelance editing
By Devin Rodriguez, Online News Association USFSP In the Freelancing 101 session at ACES’ 2017 conference, speakers Julie Munden and Jennifer Maybin presented information prepared by Ruth Thaler-Carter, who unfortunately could not attend the event. Editors and reporters alike can find themselves in a competitive job market suddenly and without much warning. As the communication…
Read MoreEditing with understanding and empathy: A discussion with Mark Allen
By Devin Rodriguez, ONA USFSP “When you want to be a copy editor or a writer, you need to read. You need to be understanding [and] empathetic to good writing ― what makes good writing, what makes clear writing.” —Mark Allen, @EditorMark When he left the Columbus Dispatch eight years ago and launched his freelance…
Read MoreSpotting — and fixing — bad information helps raise credibility
By Kaara Baptiste After Friday morning’s 2017 ACES conference general presentation on the “Online Misinformation Ecosystem” that broke down the climate of “fake news” on the internet, editors headed to “Don’t get fooled: How to spot bad information and fake news,” presented by Gerri Berendzen. The session provided several practical takeaways on how to detect…
Read MoreCopy editors should stay on the lookout for bias in language
By Preeti Aroon A few days ago, I received junk mail from a major company that was having a sale on nutritional supplements. The top of the ad said something along the lines of “Get your beach body now. Get a suntan this summer.” My skin is brown (naturally), and I live in a large…
Read MoreAssociated Press adds 250 entries, new design in annual stylebook update
By Tracy Cook PORTLAND, Oregon — Disc jockeys around the world, rejoice. The Associated Press announced Saturday that effective June 1, DJ will be acceptable on first reference. Among the changes included in the 2016 version of the AP Stylebook were a new design and the addition of 250 entries, “some of which were fairly…
Read MorePanel discusses how to handle sexist creeps in language
By Mia Chism PORTLAND, Oregon — Why do we use terms such as “male nurse,” “lady doctor” and “male prostitute”? Why is there a need to clarify gender when it comes to these roles and occupations, as if there are gender-based stigmas associated with them? Or the better question is: How do we, as copy editors,…
Read MoreMistakes editors make and how to fix them
By Tracy Cook PORTLAND, Oregon — Correcting mistakes is part of any copy editor’s job description. But history proves even the most experienced, seasoned editors make mistakes. Washington Post copy editor Bill Walsh explained examples of such mistakes in his presentation “Rookie Mistakes That Even Veterans Make” during the opening breakout session of ACES’ 2016 conference Thursday morning.…
Read MoreShedding light on visual verification
By Gerri Berendzen How do you know that a photo is real? That’s the questions Samaruddin Stewart, project lead at Verified Pixel and with the SPJ-Google News Lab, asked to start out the “Visual Verification” session at ACES 2016. The answers varied from “I’d seen it before” to “it just didn’t look right.” “Generally speaking,…
Read MoreAdding poetic resonance to headlines
By Katie Antonsson Chris Wienandt, business copy chief of the Dallas Morning News, illuminated the connection between good headline writing and good poetry, and how the right words can make all the difference. Headlines essentially have to tell the story in four to six words. “Think of writers as the prose people, and the headline…
Read More