Unit 2: Editing
Principles of Editing
- Reporters do the editing – the first phase of editing
- The reporters’ job is to collect information
- Eliminate mistakes
- Bring out the newsworthiness (structure/tone/style)
- Uniformity in language and style based on the guideline
- Check spellings, grammar
- 5 Cs – Clear, concise, correct, comprehensive, and consistent
- Ensure the writing is objective
- Principles of Editing
- Accuracy – correctness – duty to provide correct news
- Checking facts – names, titles, numbers
- Brevity – keep it short stupid
- Clarity – should be clear – avoid jargons – writing to express – also to re-write
- Check sources, provide attribution
- Prevent slanting of news
Process of Editing
Steps
- Check language
- Check facts
- Refer sources
- Word limit
- Display Type – use headline, caption, summaries
Language in Editing
Checking facts
Punctuation
- Full stop – end the sentence
- Comma – separate clause, lists, parenthesis during fragmented sentences
- Exclamatory (!) –
- A question mark (?) –
- Colon (:) –
- Semi-colon (;) –
Correcting language
Rewriting news stories
Condensing stories
“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs is making a chore for the reader who reads.” — Dr. Seuss
- Omit unnecessary words
Sentence Structure
- Sentence Fragments
- incomplete sentence
- Ex: Toys of all kinds thrown everywhere (Lacks subject & verb)
- Complete sentence: should contain both subject and verb
- Ex.
- The wind blows.
- Zack stayed up late working on an overdue paper
- Ex.
- Run on Sentences
- two independent clauses on their own – two ideas
- Ex. The dog is whining; she is hungry – use a conjunction
- Another possibility – use semicolon
- Modifier – a group of words, part of a sentence that when placed in the wrong place – changes the meaning of the sentence – modifier should be placed close to the word that meaning is changing
- A phrase placed in such a way in the sentence which is unclear – what part of the sentence being modified
- To correct the misplaced modifier, try placing the modifiers near the words they modify – could be a subject, verb or predicate
- Only he liked Sarah -> He only liked Sarah -> He liked only Sarah
- The car was stopped alongside the road with one headlight => The car with one headlight stopped alongside the road.
- John told house friend had fallen from the podium
- incomplete sentence
Process of Editing
- Read the copy
- Check language and style
Sentences and structure
- Punctuation
- Sentence structure
- Fragment Sentences
- Run-on sentences
- Comma splice
- Misplaced Modifiers
- Subject/Verb agreement
- Subjects and verbs must agree in number
- Prepositional phrases between the subject and verb usually do not affect agreement.
- When sentences start with “there” or “here,” the subject will always be placed after the verb, so care needs to be taken to identify it correctly.
- Subjects don’t always come before verbs in questions. Make sure you accurately identify the subject before deciding on the proper verb form to use.
- Tenses and Style
Editing Agency Copies
- Examples: Reuters, PTI, ANI
Electronic Editing
- Software – MS Word – Track changes
- Insert comments
