I'm off to the ACES convention today, tomorrow and Saturday. In honor of that, I'll repost a piece that gained positive attention back in October. It's my set of simple precepts for copy editors.
I'm sure more could be added, but these five points sum up my basic beliefs about the craft. As I said then: "The basics are important -- and easily lost in the thicket of style quibbles."
1.) I will be a reader.
It's the most important factor of all. The newspaper begins and ends with the people reading it. A copy editor stands in for the reader at a critical point in the process. We can change things if they don't make sense.
2.) I will strive for accuracy and clarity.
The two go together. They fight sometimes, but it makes their relationship stronger in the end. The newspaper must be as accurate as it can be. It must put that information across in clear prose.
3.) I will express my concerns.
Copy editors do their job toward the end of the production process. Their concerns, therefore, can be dismissed in the headlong rush to print. We have to be heard. Not all battles can be won, of course. Not all battles are worth fighting. But we have a job. We must do it.
4.) I will respect those who entrust their work to me.
I planned to pen the usual "do right by the reporter" kind of thing here. Then my journalistic conscience spoke up. "Um, Clay," it said, "The work of many other people besides reporters passes through the hands of a copy editor. Why don't you mention them?"
The little devil had a point. Photographers. Designers. Graphics artists. Assigning editors. We handle their creations too. We sometimes take it too lightly. We should consider the reporter's intent. We should consider the photographer's intent. We should look at the page layout and consider what the designer meant to do.
These folks all started the process. Now it's up to us to finish it with aplomb.
5.) I will know and use my newspaper's style rules.
Low on the list for a copy editing blog, I know. Perhaps we should think of the numbering system as separate from entries' importance.
Anyway. You should know the style before you use the style. Rules and guidelines are seldom absolute. They can be bent, broken or changed. But we should know when that happens and why. Style ensures consistency and readability. It differentiates a newspaper from a collection of stories thrown together.
It is the voice of the paper.