Just "editing" doesn't cut it.
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We might be polishing words and punctuation, but at the end of the day, it's about community. Our newsroom is full of diverse perspectives and writing levels. I treat editing as an extension of teaching to help students of all levels find their strengths.
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FINAL EDITS On production nights, I'm always the last person to read over every page and give the okay to send to press. Copy editing, design editing, punctuation, grammar, spelling, everything. It seems like there are endless highlights, and I have to stop myself from compulsively re-reading the PDFs. It is both an incredible privilege and responsibility, and I am grateful to my adviser and my staff to place such incredible trust in me. PLAYING TO OUR STRENGTHS
As an editor, building effective teamwork that highlights our strengths has been my number one priority. Our class is very diverse in skill level and ability. Communication is key for effective teamwork, so this year, we started using Trello boards and GroupMe chats this year to organize and plan out each issue. Using these platforms, I am able to offer advice, deliver shout-outs, delegate assignments and more. Additionally, we've been able to quickly identify students and fact check stories as a team. |
VALUABLE, CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK
I think of editing as coaching. In person, I try to use Socratic seminar-type methods by asking questions so that my staff will come to their own decisions and conclusions, and I try to do the same with online comments. I'll suggest angles to approach leads for sensitive stories, or bring up old magazine cut-outs for visual inspiration. I'll never forget the one time one of our new writers thanked me after I sat down with them, saying that "nobody's ever helped me like that before." I am determined to keep that up. AP ALL AROUND
I bought my first AP style guide last summer, and it has now become a classroom staple. I made AP style quizzes and mini-unit objectives as part of the bootcamp curriculum I designed for the first six weeks of newspaper class, and specified The Huron Emery's stylistic standards in our new staff manual. Additionally, we designated a copy editor for the first time this year. Starbucks kept us editors buzzing with caffeine and fresh ideas. As News Editor I wrote up Staff and Editor's Norms, which I submitted to the editorial staff in an attempt to shift the editing process to a conversation of radical candor and collaborative change. Photo by Sara-Beth Badalamente |