Bulletin photo by Andrew Frederick

Traditional tools important
even for evolving copy jobs

By Andrew Frederick
Bulletin Correspondent

Journalism might be changing, but for James L. Franklin and other copy editors, the basic tools of the craft remain the same: a love for reading and writing and an eye for style.

That was a recurring theme that Franklin, assistant night editor for The Boston Globe, presented Saturday, Feb. 12, in a copy editing workshop at the New England Newspaper and Press Association 2011 Convention and Trade Show in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.

The workshop, titled “Training for copy editors: Finding low-cost ways to improve classic editing skills and cope with new demands” and attended by seven people, focused on the role of copy editing in the age of electronic and visual journalism as well as on methods for improving basic editing proficiency.

One area for improvement that Franklin discussed was the importance of newspaper literacy.

“Reading (a newspaper) is first and foremost the education to which you aspire,” Franklin said.

He related an anecdote from last summer in which he was surprised to find college interns at the Globe unfamiliar with newspapers and copy editing because of a lack of exposure to news.

That put them at “a fundamental disadvantage,” he said.

Skills such as a diverse literary background and a working knowledge of grammar and usage rules are even more important in an era of evolving news media, where copy editors are frequently expected to edit titles and captions for graphics, videos, pictures, and electronic bulletins, Franklin said.

“You’ve got to face the facts that your employer wants you to do all that stuff, but still wants you to be good at your old copy editing skills … I bet you need training in this, I bet you need help,” Franklin said.

For those unsure of where to seek help, Franklin strongly recommended attending annual copy editing conferences, such as those held by NENPA or the American Copy Editors Society, subscribing to online editing seminars, and, most importantly, building an established network of peer review.

“I highly recommend the chance for peer(s) … to get copy editors talking to copy editors,” Franklin said. “Peer-level, professional discussion of the work we do is a fundamental way to develop confidence (for editors).”

The workshop included a question-and-answer session with audience members to encourage discussion of shared problems or concerns.

An editor at a weekly newspaper described a general lack of trust in the editing process. He gave the example of newspapers reporting that a defendant is “pleading innocent” as opposed to “not guilty” because of a fear that editors will overlook a reporter accidentally leaving out the “not,” even though it is legally impossible to plead innocent.

Despite those challenges, Franklin encouraged audience members to continue to grow in their skills, teach others, and attract new editors to the field.

“Copy editing is accessible to all with a will and some effort,” he said.

Andrew Frederick is an undergraduate student in the Northeastern University School of Journalism.

POSTED 2/28/11