Editing
Though I was a reporter my first year on staff, I became very familiar with editing through copyediting. Since then, editing has been one of my favorite tasks when it comes to being a part of my school's newsmagazine. Whether it's leaving constructive comments on Google Docs or sitting down with writers one-on-one (pre-COVID of course), editing stories to get them to their highest potential is something I have grown to love.
(Click images to enlarge)
Editing the stories
To the right is an edited version of the first Online-In-Depth piece (an online centerfold) I produced as the features editor. There are not many edits on the Doc simply because I was able to sit down with the reporter and show her areas that needed improvement. My personal changes on the Doc were not exactly accounted for because I was able to write them down and speak them.
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To the left is a recent Journal address, an opinion piece from our editorial staff. As you can see, the story is heavily edited, with whole paragraphs highlighted, sentences restructured, and words deleted. Editing this year has needed to be more concise and extremely straightforward so that miscommunication is avoided since so much of our work is through a computer or phone screen on Google Meet or FaceTime.
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Both of these stories turned out to be big successes, gaining traction and receiving lots of comments. I, as well as my staff, have adapted to change in order to continue producing great work in an ever-changing world.
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Planning
This year has especially emphasized the importance of planning, as most days my managing editors and I don't get to see the entire staff in person, if at all. The top document shows planning for a controversial centerfold this year: the presidential election. Covering something so divisive was no easy feat for a rookie reporter with his first big story. But we planned in every way possible to have equal coverage, and in the end, a balanced story was presented to our readers.
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This bottom document shows planning for another big story. From emails and interviews to data collection, this story took a lot of collaboration and cooperation in the planning process.
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Leaving comments
One of my favorite things to do when I’m done reading and editing a story is to leave a constructive comment at the end of the Doc. This has allowed me to make lofty suggestions to writers while still showing how impressed I am with their writing. And in a COVID world, leaving these comments has helped connect with new staffers in a fun-loving way. It helps them get to where they need to go journalism-wise, but it also helps us build a relationship beyond the “make my edits” feeling of editing.
