In Modern News Editing, Chapter 5, “Working with Stories,” is a very valuable one. The other chapters have done a very good job at getting into the mind of the editor and what goes on in most newsrooms across the nation. However, I think those are things that can only be experienced on the job in order for someone to really learn something from them. While there is no doubt that information will prepare us on what to possibly expect in real life, there is a difference between reading it in a book and experiencing it first hand in an actual newsroom with actual assignment, and actual deadlines.
Chapter five, though, goes into more technical aspects of an editor’s job when they work with the stories they write and the ones that they assign. This chapter concisely gave examples of common errors and problems for which editors need to be on the lookout. This ranged from structural errors to pesky grammatical problems, homonyms, and word choice issues. And, honestly, one of my favorite things about this chapter was that it gave examples of actual errors that have either gotten through to the presses or that have been “good catches.”
Giving examples was extremely helpful, because I don’t know how many books list the dos and don’ts of one thing or another, but then do not give examples to show what they mean. That leaves the reader wondering, “Okay. But what do you mean by that? How do I do (or avoid) that?” With this chapter, it explained why something was correct or incorrect and then gave examples to support it and show what has occurred in the field in real life. Also, the examples were amusing and pointed out that even simple mistakes may be funny to readers, but they are embarrassing to the publication when they get through. For example, I would be kind of embarrassed if a story of mine got through with something like “killed to death” in it. I would be embarrassed that I wrote it, and equally embarrassed that it got through.
Another thing that I think was very important in the chapter was that they mentioned how an editor must know their community. This seems so obvious, but it is vitally important to serving the best interest of the readers. By knowing a community, an editor can avoid basic errors that may annoy loyal readers. This enhances the validity and reliability of the publication in the eye of the reader when an editor knows that it is Devonwood Drive instead of Devonwood Street. It also enhances the relationship between reader and publication when readers realize that the editors and staff care about their publication enough to avoid such errors or correct them when they do occur.
In conclusion, I think that chapter five is one that gives a great overview of who editors work with stories. It is definitely one that I will be referring back to as this course continues and as I work with my own and the writing of others. From what I can tell, I think the book is now going to shift into the more technical aspects of an editor’s job. It is going to shift into information that is valuable in a different way than that which came before it.
Chapter five, though, goes into more technical aspects of an editor’s job when they work with the stories they write and the ones that they assign. This chapter concisely gave examples of common errors and problems for which editors need to be on the lookout. This ranged from structural errors to pesky grammatical problems, homonyms, and word choice issues. And, honestly, one of my favorite things about this chapter was that it gave examples of actual errors that have either gotten through to the presses or that have been “good catches.”
Giving examples was extremely helpful, because I don’t know how many books list the dos and don’ts of one thing or another, but then do not give examples to show what they mean. That leaves the reader wondering, “Okay. But what do you mean by that? How do I do (or avoid) that?” With this chapter, it explained why something was correct or incorrect and then gave examples to support it and show what has occurred in the field in real life. Also, the examples were amusing and pointed out that even simple mistakes may be funny to readers, but they are embarrassing to the publication when they get through. For example, I would be kind of embarrassed if a story of mine got through with something like “killed to death” in it. I would be embarrassed that I wrote it, and equally embarrassed that it got through.
Another thing that I think was very important in the chapter was that they mentioned how an editor must know their community. This seems so obvious, but it is vitally important to serving the best interest of the readers. By knowing a community, an editor can avoid basic errors that may annoy loyal readers. This enhances the validity and reliability of the publication in the eye of the reader when an editor knows that it is Devonwood Drive instead of Devonwood Street. It also enhances the relationship between reader and publication when readers realize that the editors and staff care about their publication enough to avoid such errors or correct them when they do occur.
In conclusion, I think that chapter five is one that gives a great overview of who editors work with stories. It is definitely one that I will be referring back to as this course continues and as I work with my own and the writing of others. From what I can tell, I think the book is now going to shift into the more technical aspects of an editor’s job. It is going to shift into information that is valuable in a different way than that which came before it.
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