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.
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I think it's really important to understand which type of story you are editing before you begin the process. For example, on my first night at the Times Herald, I was given a story about a high school basketball team to edit, so I dug right in. The story was not laid out, so I couldn't see what kind of play it was getting. As I went through the story, I quickly discovered that there were no quotes at all. But it wasn't written as an opinion piece, so I concluded it wasn't a column. I found myself doing significant rewriting in a lot of the paragraphs, which looked as if a high school student had written them.
Turns out, one had. After I got through editing the story, I asked my editor for advice on what to do about the lack of quotes. It was then that I found out the story was a monthly feature in which the Times Herald published a "guest story" from a high school student. Of course, had I seen the page it was on, I would have known that, but I should have asked anyway.
This is a good personal story that relates well to the subject, Mike. It's so true that editors must know the standards and expectations for something they edit and then apply them. What can be difficult and challenging for those in journalism is these standards will not only vary among media companies but evolve and change over time. Still, despite the evolution, it's still a good idea to learn these. The more you familiarize yourself with the varying styles, the prepared you will be to step into a professional setting. In addition, there are some story subjects that likely will never change, such as cops and courts.
It's frustrating when styles change, and sometimes editors, whose livelihoods are built around religiously defending styles, are the most averse to the changes.
Another (somewhat) embarrassing story: A few days ago, our copy desk chief sent out a memo to the desk informing us all that we would no longer be writing "fund-raisers," as was Times Herald style until that point, in favor of the new AP version, "fundraisers." After having been informed early on that the Times Herald was a little behind on adapting to new AP style rules, I shouldn't have been surprised by this. To be funny, I sent an e-mail back to everyone (somewhat sarcastically) expressing my glee about the change and joking that I had been losing sleep over writing the word with a dash. The next day, the managing editor came up to me and told me she'd try not to bother me with "fund-raiser" anymore. Apparently, she's the style guru at the paper, and that's how she prefers the word to be spelled. I don't think she was seriously upset, but I could sense a bit of disdain. I'm the new guy, so I think I'll be keeping my mouth shut for a while.
This is a good example of keeping up with style changes and decision making regarding specific style points, but it also demonstrates some general communication issues. Not only does an editor need to be aware of changing style and the particulars of story types, but how to effectively communicate with not only the readers but with those within the newspaper. Email is an effective tool of communication in business, but it does have its difficulties. Sarcasm and humor are often dangerous when it comes to written communication because they often rely nonverbal that are often absent in the written word. As we saw in Mike’s example, humor did not translate well via email.
Another communication related issue that was brought up a few times in the text was the use of clichés. Clichés should be avoided because they do not communicate an original idea. The use of such phrases can also reduce the importance of a particular subject matter. Clichés by their very nature demonstrate laziness and indifference by the sender of a given message and this perception is transmitted to the audience.
Clichés often include flowery or overly expressive language which is another caution included in the text. The use of this type of language can lead to misinterpretation of a statement and can also result in the audience to become disinterested due to a perceived attempt at superiority. Tough style writing is a concept that can help to eliminate this problem by using simple, straightforward language that conveys direct meaning. This helps to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding the message and misperception of the sender of the message.
Effective communication is key in the media, both in the reporting and business aspects. When there is a breakdown in communication, whether by unnecessary language or a lack of clarity when it comes to intent, people can misunderstand or completely lose all concept of an intended message.
You do want to avoid using cliches as a general rule, but sometimes the best headlines come when an editor takes a well-known cliche and gives it a new twist or adds irony to it. Some of my favorites:
"Fire chief gets the ax"
"Treasure island" (in a story about Jamaica winning another Olympic gold medal)
"They built it, and they came" (about UM-Flint's dorms)
"The Midas touch" (after Michael Phelps' gold medal when he touched the wall a milisecond before the next swimmer)
"Imperfect storm" (about a golf tournament that was rained out)
"Punt rocker" (about an NFL punter who won Guitar Hero tournaments)
Headline writing is my favorite part of being a copy editor for that reason. It can be a lot of fun sometimes.
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