Editing
Editing is something that I have had a lot of experience with throughout the last three years. There's always been an unwritten rule that at least one person must check every story before it goes to print or online, and recently our staff has made it a requirement to check every story with the editor of the section within which the story will be published as well as one editor-in-chief. This means that I edit at least 1/3 of all stories that our publication puts out this year.
All of our stories are in shared Google Drive folders, so every staff member has 24/7 access to every story for collaboration and revising. I find this crucial because bouncing ideas off of one another, reading over each other's stories for inspiration or editing, and working together on co-written stories are all things that we encourage our whole staff to do.
I tend to make comments and suggestions in three general categories: AP style, structure/flow, and motivational/positive. The most important category is the last one because we only have a handful of returning staff members this year and I want to make sure that I am helping build the new members' confidence and experience by pointing out what they do well as well as their errors that need correcting.
The number one thing I make sure I don't do is change anything the writer already has written; I always turn on suggestion mode when I come onto someone else's document, and any larger-scale change I suggest, I make sure I leave a comment. I do this because, obviously, it's their writing and their voice that should make up the final product. The constructive and positive nature of my suggestions helps build staff confidence as well as writing ability and makes sure that our staff as a whole puts out the best work that it possibly can.
I often find myself struggling with commas as well as passive voice, so what I usually do is consult both my co-editors-in-chief for additional eyes on what I write before it is published. I like to keep my AP Stylebook handy to help me when I'm editing others' writing and when I'm writing on my own because it's important to stay consistent even with the smallest of details. If I'm struggling with an issue that extends beyond the bounds of technical editing such as how to work with anonymous sources or matters concerning journalistic ethics, I will consult our adviser for further advice.
AP Style
Subtle style errors are common among our staff, and I include myself in that statement.
The comment on the left was for a writer that added the year and spelled out the month, so I pointed out AP Style's rules to keep consistency.
The top right comment was for a student who wrote "Mrs." in front of a source; you only need the source's last name after the first time they are introduced.
The bottom right is an example of of adding two hyphens instead of an em dash. I made a comment so the writer learns what it is and when to use it.
Structural/Flow
This category is more general because it can include anything from rearranging the syntax of a sentence to suggesting additional sources to fixing parts of the story that don't align with our publication's rules.
The top left comment was for a shift in messages that didn't fit with the angle of the story, so I made sure to point it out to keep it consistent.
I also made a point to keep consistent subjects as shown in the top right comment when a staff member was mixing up who his audience was.
Apart from suggesting sentence structure alternatives, I often suggest sources to include to enhance the story. This is shown in the bottom right comment, where I mentioned a possible visual aid to compliment her writing.
I also frequently look over the stories of those in our Journalism 1 class both because I serve as a teacher's aide and because some of those stories end up on our website. An example of this is shown by the bottom left comment where I suggest a student hyperlink the statistic she included with the link to the source.
Motivational/Positive
This category is the most crucial for several reasons.
First, it's important to enhance staff confidence by praising what they have done well. Also, I like to have a long final comment to wrap up my keys for helping the student improve the story. Finally, we have barely been in-person this year and I don't know the staff as well.
Therefore, I like to be as genuine and kind as I can in my concluding comments in order to establish connections with the staff. In the top right comment, I start and finish with a positive tone and fill the middle in with a summary of my suggestions and minor details.
On the other end of the detail spectrum is the bottom right comment, which is also important because it boosts confidence and lets the writer know that he or she doesn't have to change a thing there.
For the bottom left quote, I praised this staff member for getting a well-written story out quickly.
The top left comment is also one where I summarize my thoughts and include praise for confidence.I find this to be a great balance for a concluding comment to let the writer know that his or her story is great but that there are still things to be worked on.
