KAITLIN REYNOLDS
student journalist
editing
Through my leadership roles I am constantly editing staffer's work. My main role as Editor-in-Chief of the Prowler Yearbook is editing all of the pages in the book multiple times before they are sent to the printing plant. Additionally, as News Director of the Catalyst Newspaper I edit all of the news stories before they are published. As I edit I make sure to encourage staffers with constructive feedback that points out their strengths. Sometimes corrections can be overwhelming so I continuously remind them of the positives of their work. Editing is a collaborative process and I work with staffers to fix errors.
WHAT I LOOK FOR WHILE EDITING
1
Design Errors
Since spreads are usually designed before staffers get their content, it is common that adjustments have to be made. This could be something small like rearranging a module or tweaking the size of a picture, but sometimes it requires me to completely redesign a spread.
2
Photo Errors
Photography is an essential element of a spread because it is what pulls readers in. I keep an eye out for pictures that are not framed correctly, action that looks off of the page, whether or not the photo is clear and in focus and if it accurately tells the story that it is supposed to.
3
text Errors
As a journalist AP Style is an important guide to follow when writing. Errors that I find in text commonly are the use of the oxford comma, the wrong format for dates or numbers, misspellings and incorrect quote format. I also look out for wording that could be improved.
4
Content
Content is one of the hardest areas to edit because it is very subjective. I look out for areas where additional details could be added to make the content more engaging. No story is publishable right away and I often guide staffers through reworking their content so that it captures readers.
Spread Editing
For every round of spreads that staffers receive they peer edit several times as a class and then I take them home to give them more detailed corrections. Since I do them all at once I usually spend several hours meticulously reading every pica of copy and scanning for photo and design issues. Some of my comments are quick fixes like capitalizing a name, while others are comments about how they can add to their content and incorporate more details.
Proofing
Before pages are sent to be printed final, the printing plant sends us a mock up of what the spread will look like when printed. This is my final chance to make any changes to the page. During this stage I reread everything and fix errors that I find. I also make sure that all of the photos are clear and that design elements are lined up and spaced correctly. After I finalize the page I submit them online using proof control sheets.
News editing
I do all of my news story editing through Google Docs, which I have found to be much easier than trying to write in the small margins of printed copies. I use the suggesting tool to point out smaller errors in the text, and I use the comments to give more specific feedback. After I read it through once I read it a second time to make sure that I didn't miss anything. My final step is leaving an overall comment that includes what some strengths were in the story and what general aspects could be improved. After I finish editing, I text the staffer to let them know so that they can make the corrections.
Self Editing
I am my own biggest critic. Most of the time that means rewording sentences and fixing grammatical errors as I work on a story. I continuously reread my work out loud to catch my mistakes. Other times, being a critic to myself means when I am not happy with the way a story is turning out I completely re-do it. I ended up rewriting an opinion story that I initially set out to write over the importance of giving blood. The first version lacked direction and sounded more like a Red Cross commercial than my opinion. I struggled with it for several days because I had said everything about the topic that I thought was important but it was still extremely short and uninformative. After my inspiration was sparked by filling out the RapidPass at a blood drive, I decided to focus on the homophobia that exists within the blood donation process. To the left is the first version of the story and to the right you can click on the image to read the published article.
After
Before
