On Copy Editing
Jeff Baron's informal response to the value of editors was poignant because of the editor's ability to write: which I really believe makes a great editor, when he/she can write and get a cohesive point across. The editorial role is deceiving, as Baron points out, and I really appreciated his lighthearted discussion of a humble newsroom where "the guy" who never gets seen corrects the "big shot" reporter's mistakes: like the often easily made mistake of literal versus metaphorical expression. "Even five in a hundred readers are misled or baffled by the phrasing of a sentence, we have failed," Baron said. "We have the satisfaction of turning rushed prose into a great newspaper."
How can I become a copy editor?
The slot continues the conversation of the "unglamorous" life of an editor and even then, how it's a tough gig to catch. However, not impossible, considering the author had no background in journalism or editing. The best advice in this article: "Be Good. Damn Good." Which, when it comes to copy editing, I think that practice can make perfect. So I guess, I should practice?
What's a Slot man?
Being a slot man seems claustrophobic.
The Lot of Journalism's Noble misfits
The break down of a copy editor as a proofreader versus style-checker is a valid argument for the difference between a good copy editor and a not-so-good one. I think that yes, the underlying role of a copy editor is to proofread, make sure that the newspaper doesn't publish any silly slip-ups or embarrassing mistakes. But in actuality, in the real world, the copy editor has the very important role of being the first reader. The first audience member. And he or she represents all of the reader's concerns and questions: and he must address them before publication.
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