Don't forget essay in text-based assignment that's due Friday

Please remember this part of the text-based assignment that's due Friday:

"Submit an essay that includes what you did as an editor in this process and rate the person who edited you. It should be between 200-400 words."

I bring this up in part because many of you face granting deadline extensions or reporters who missed their deadlines. If that was your situation, please address it and whether you think the rationale was reasonable.

In addition, unlike some earlier assignments, I won't hold a strict word-count ceiling. I still want at least 200 words, but if you go more than 400 words, I won't hold it against you unless the count becomes significantly higher.

Editing assignment due Thursday undergoes slight tweaks

Today, everyone should have received this week's editing assignment via e-mail. If you didn't, please contact me. It is a 300-word story written by students from Journalism Director's Michael Lewis Journalism 225 class. In addition to the materials, here are points that came up today as some students tackled the assignment during class:

• If you don't have the Helvetica font on your computer for the headline, feel free to use New Times Roman instead.
• You can bump the point size on the font up to 38 or down to 34.
• When making changes, feel free to use the "track changes" feature in tandem with the "comment" feature when appropriate.
• Lastly, don't forget to do Step 3. One student who already turned the assignment in didn't apparently include this aspect of the assignment.

It's poetry - an online discussion of Chapter 8 in 'The Art of Editing': Writing headlines, titles, captions and blurbs

Jan Worth, a University of Michigan-Flint faculty member, once told me writing a headline for newspapers is like writing poetry, and I agree. Just like poetry, you have to condense the essence of something into a few words.

It's challenging, especially under deadline pressure. It's much easier to create an incorrect or inappropriate headline. And while accuracy is paramount, injecting a little creativity to draw a reader in is also preferred.

But you can be too clever. For instance, The Flint Journal was criticized for running the headline "Mr. Precedent" the day after President Barack Obama's inauguration. Some readers thought the headline was disrespectful, while others said it was a creative way to honor the 44th president.

In online journalism, writing headlines is different. The goal is follow the principles of search engine optimization, which means including keywords search engines can find easily.

This chapter also discusses titles, captions and blurbs. One type of caption is a cutline. It is written to describe a photo, and it is often troublesome. Typically, this is because they need to be cut for length or require additional editing.

What experiences have you had with headlines, captions, titles and blurbs? How does it compare with editing stories? Do you think we'll be losing the art of writing creative headlines because of search engine optimization?

Michael S. moves into tie with John McKay in extra credit contest

Michael S. was awarded one point today for finding the most errors in the Feb. 3 style exercise, putting him into a first-place tie with John McKay in the extra credit contest. Michael S.'s 28 was three higher than the next highest student.

Michael S. gains on John McKay in extra credit contest

Michael S. correctly pointed out that I incorrectly spelled his name in the discussion post about chapter 7. My apologies to him. This is one of the mistakes you do not want to make as a media professional. It is an avoidable error. While it simply was a typographical error and I have spelled his name correctly throughout the rest of the Web site, small mistakes, such as this one, can erode credibility. So, learn from my mistake - always check names.

Michael S. also challenged the use of the word "which" in the following sentence in the same post, offering "that" as a replacement:

"The 300 words don't have to be in one post, meaning I'd prefer that we have several shorter comments which form a discussion on the chapter."

He's correct in replacing "which" with a "that" in this context. If you use "which," it needs a comma. I did not award a point, however, because in replacing "which" with a "that," he also should have sought to omit the first "that" in the sentence.

Upon further review, a girls’ locker room is really a girls locker room

Originally in class on Thursday, I agreed that girls locker room would need a possessive. It turns out, and this is tricky, it does not. Here's the key part of the Associated Press Stylebook entry for possessives:

“DESCRIPTIVE PHRASES: Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive sense: citizens band radio, a Cincinnati Reds infielder, a teachers college, a Teamsters request, a writers guide.

Memory Aid: The apostrophe usually is not used if for or by rather than of would be appropriate in the longer form: a radio band for citizens, a college for teachers, a guide for writers, a request by the Teamsters.

An ’s is required, however, when a term involves a plural word that does not end in s: a children’s hospital, a people’s republic, the Young Men’s Christian Association."

Another common example of this rule is farmers market, which provides the basis for a good example from this area of an exception. For instance, an apostrophe is used in Flint Farmers’ Market.

So, although versions of stories from The Oakland Press and The Flint Journal used an apostrophe, that doesn't make them definitive or correct.

Accordingly, John McKay now has one fewer point.

John McKay bursts into the lead

After a quiet start, John McKay netted five additional extra credit points today to seize the lead from Michael S.

McKay found three new errors, two of which were in the previous post on this blog and another was on Michigan Live (Click here to see the specifics he noted in comments). In addition, McKay captured a point for questioning a turkey terrorist headline on MLive after a class consensus determined it was at least something worth raising.

McKay tallied his last point by performing the best in Thursday's in-class exercise that focused on Associated Press style.

I hope McKay's sudden rise to the top shows others that it is possible to make a move quickly. Remember, learning how to notice mistakes will help you as an editor of yourself and others.

John McKay grabs two points in the extra credit contest for finding errors in two Michigan Live stories

John McKay has leaped into a tie for second place with Jessica M. in the race for extra credit.

The first error he caught was in a story about a Holly teen who is accused of taking video of the girls' locker room at Holly High School. The story included a sentence referencing the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, which was followed by both a "who" and a "which" to introduce a dependent clause. Since it's an office, the correct word is "which." Probably what happened was the reporter or editor was rewriting the sentence from originally referring to the prosecutor as an individual. It's that type of mistake in rewriting that I often make, and a good one to be aware of. Always re-read your work.

The second error showed how a headline incorrectly listed the wrong first name for the subject of a story ("Anthony" instead of "Andrew"). All reporters and editors should take the time to double-check all proper nouns in the story. Messing up simple stuff like that undermines a publication's credibility.

Lastly, McKay sought a third point that I haven't decided on yet, and I'm leaning against awarding a point. He questioned the headline: "Days numbered for turkey terrorists." He echoed the concern a commenter had on the story, stating this was an inappropriate use for the word "terrorists." Deciding on taste is another important judgment editors have to make. In this case, I personally think it's acceptable, and that the concern is an over-reaction. But maybe my judgment of community standards is off. What does the rest of the class think about the use of the word? If there's enough people who agree with McKay, he gets the point. Weigh in by commenting or during our class discussion tomorrow.

Online discussion for Chapter 7 in 'The Art of Editing': Hollistic Editing: Integrating the Macro and the Micro

Jordan C. and Brett Smith have volunteered to be the mandatory participants from class in this week's discussion, joining Michael S., who is now an online student. The minimum requirements for named participants is 300 words through midnight Sunday, Feb. 15. The 300 words do not have to be in one post, meaning I'd prefer we have several shorter comments that form a discussion on the chapter. And remember, everyone is welcome to comment, and if you're not required this week, commenting does boost your participation grade.

That said, let me move on to this week's chapter. It categorizes different types of stories and provide useful tips about the expectations for each, which is especially helpful for beginning journalists, who might have not written or edited all the various types. Even reporting veterans probably haven't dealt with every type. For instance, I've never written a boating or shipping story, although I have copy edited a few. Still, I never knew that a distinction between ship and boat is "if it can be hoisted on another craft, it is a boat," as it states on Page 189.

So, what are some other categories and specific points therein that you didn't know much about? Are there any tips you wished you have been aware of in working on a previous story? If so, tell us about that situation and how the tip could have helped. Also, are any of these guidelines no longer necessary? If you believe so, tell us why.

Remember your AP Stylebook for Thursday

A graded editing exercise tops the agenda for Thursday's class so don't forget your Associated Press Stylebook. Also, be prepared for a discussion of this week's reading assignment, which is Chapter 6 of "The Art of Editing."

Online discussion for Chapter 6 in 'The Art of Editing': Micro Editing for Precision in Language

In class Tuesday, I announced that we will hold discussions of the readings online here. Everyone is welcome to contribute, but every week there will be some students who will be assigned to offer some observations about the material. I will give those students advance notice. I also will pose questions to help start the discussion and participate throughout.

Regarding this chapter, it contains several important rules and practices for better writing. Still, the grammar jargon, such as idiom, antecedent and dangling participle, can be a little intimidating, but I would encourage you to breathe in the knowledge these lessons offer deeply. Mastering them not only will help you be able to successfully copy edit, but empower you to communicate more effectively. To risk a mixed metaphor, learning grammar rules is like eating your fruits and vegetables -- it will keep your writer and editor skills healthy.

One tip that I constantly employ as a copy editor at The Flint Journal is a simple one. It's called time-date-place, and it is explained on Page 171. It's not a rule, but simply a practice that often can make a sentence shorter and easier to understand.

With so many detailed in this chapter, are there any you think are obsolete? Which ones, and why? Also, which one or two do find the most useful, and why?

Michael S. finds several small errors in Weekly Jog to surge into the lead

Here's what he found in the Jan. 29 Weekly Jog:

• The "Freshmen 15" should be the "Freshman 15."

• A comma was needed after "Novi Town Center," because they are two independent clauses.

• No comma was needed after "Worried."

• Bauman's lacked something. He was right. It should be Bauman's Running and Walking Shop on first reference.

He also lost a point for suggesting I change something that was already correct. He said "5-kilometer" should be spelled out. This is part of what I wrote to him about it:

• "You are correct that distances in kilometers and miles below 10 are spelled out, but it's not five kilometers. It's "5-kilometer race," which some will argue, including me, changes everything (I think you could find others who disagree that this is stretching this particular rule). Instead of a simple distance, this is now a length, which under dimensions would be a figure."

Even with the oops, he still netted three points.

Jennifer Profitt corrects misspelling in Flint Journal story

Jennifer Profitt earned her first point in the extra credit contest Saturday, pointing out a misspelling in a Flint Journal story about campus life at the University of Michigan-Flint. The story misspelled "worried" as "worred." Good catch.