CHAPTER 6 COPY EDITING

One of the most important and exacting jobs on any publication is that of written copy being given the final professional touch of accuracy. This job of catching and correcting inaccuracies before they can be printed and distributed is called copy editing.

Readers may have a high regard for a newspaper that is carefully edited, but they quickly lose respect for one that is sloppy and full of errors.

The copy. editor of both civilian and Navy publications represents the last line of defense against incorrect copy reaching the reader. It is the copy editor's job to make sure copy is not printed unless it meets certain standards. The copy editor is the guardian of both style and accuracy.

Always on the alert for questionable facts, ambiguous statements and violations of office policy, the copy editor must catch errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, punctuation, capitalization, and so forth; cutout words or sentences that are not needed; and add copy when necessary for clarity, emphasis or continuity.

Another responsibility of the copy editor is to restore objectivity to a story in places where a writer may have editorialized, quoted out of context or inserted an opinion without attribution to a source or pertinent authority. Also, the copy editor is constantly alert for statements of a libelous or slanderous nature. (Libel and slander are covered in Chapter 10.)

The copy editor of a civilian newspaper has an additional function of assigning headlines for the edited stories. Navy copy editors, unless they are editing stories for use in ship or station newspapers, have no responsibilities in this area. They could hardly be expected to know the styles, formats and individual editorial needs of all the newspapers that receive news releases from a public affairs office. It is, however, sometimes appropriate to put a brief heading on a story to identify its subject readily.

Like any typical, beginning newswriter, the neophyte JO is dismayed to see his "literary masterpiece" chopped up, pasted back together again and scored with the copy editor's pencil. Nevertheless, two minds are usually better than one. Most experienced writers will admit that the final result, despite its mangled appearance, is abetter piece of writing.

Security is of the utmost importance in the armed forces. The responsibility for security lies with every person who, in any way, handles a story, but the copy editor sometimes represents the last defense against a possible violation. If you have doubts about the security classification of any information you receive, check it with your security officer.

This chapter acquaints you with the standard symbols and style used by the copy editor and explains the procedures, rules and guidelines of copy editing. The basic pattern of news style in this chapter follows the style of The Associated Press and United Press International. Most newspapers in the United States now use this style. The recommended guide for preparing military news is the latest version of The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.

COPY-EDITING PROCEDURES

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the basic guidelines of copy editing.

Copy editing follows a set system of procedures. To be absolutely accurate, you should read each story in the following manner:

Read the story quickly to grasp its meaning and note its arrangement.

Read the story more slowly and more thoroughly to correct every mistake and to add or delete material as necessary.

Read the story again to check the copy editor's own corrections.

The final check is also intended to make sure that no new errors occurred in copy editing and that the story reads smoothly.

If the story contains too many mistakes and it appears obvious that copy editing will not improve it, the story goes back to the originating JO for rewriting, or in the case of copy received from outside sources, to a rewriter.

Figure 6-1. - Copy-edited story.

PREPARING THE ROUGH

The original copy of a story is known as a rough (fig. 6-l). Normally, it is typed double-spaced on only one side of the paper. In general, a JO follows the same format in typing a rough as in preparing a finished Navy news release. It does not have to be as neat, however, and may include Penciled-in corrections, additions or deletions, as necessary. The rough obviously does not need the letterhead information usually carried on a release ready for dissemination. It is a recommended practice in large offices for the author's last name to appear on the rough. This, of course, enables the copy editor (usually the PAO or the senior JO) to identify the writer.

USING SYMBOLS

To prepare copy for reproduction in its final form, the copy editor uses a special set of shorthand symbols to indicate any required changes (fig. 6-2).

Figure 6-1. - Copy-edited story - Continued.

For example, if the writer forgets to capitalize a letter such as the "M" and "P'' in mr. poindexter, the copy editor, using a soft lead pencil (the tool of the trade), would inscribe three horizontal lines under each letter that needs to be capitalized. The copy will then appear as follows:

mr. poindexter.

When the copy is corrected, the copy editor's shorthand indicates that the final work should read as follows:

Mr. Poindexter.

Most of the copy-editing symbols described in figure 6-2 are standard to both the Navy and commercial media. There will be only minor variations from one newspaper to another. You should learn these symbols and use there to make changes in your own copy and copy others submit to you.