The last line of defense

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, March 1, 1998 by Manley Witten

A copy editor's job is similar to a gatekeeper's job: to control what passes and what cannot pass through the gate to the reader. The copy department is the last line of defense: If the copy editor lets it by, the reader sees it. In addition, the copy editor represents the reader: He or she is looking at the story for the first time, and the copy editor's questions typically are those the reader would ask.

Adlai Stevenson used to say that editors separate the wheat from the chaff ... and print the chaff. Copy editors like to think we hone the writer's skill by improving clarity, eliminating troublesome or questionable information and serving as the reader's representative. Changes we make are not always popular, but if we have a reason for a change, and can state that reason with confidence, the result usually is an improvement to the original.

Here are 10 ways you can help assure strong copy editing from your staff:

Do the math. Addition, percentages and tabulations all must be checked. I have copies of two wire-service stories that came out following Elvis Presley 's death. One headline says, " 12 drugs found in Presley's body." The other, "14 different drugs found in Presley's body." In each case, the stories are so convoluted that it's impossible to do the math that would let you arrive at either total. All we know is that he's dead -- and now we're not even sure about that.

Know what the words arid expressions mean. No one ever intentionally misuses a word or expression -- but mistakes happen anyway. Some recent examples from my own life: "eponymous" incorrectly used to refer to the item itself, rather than to the person for which the item is named; "subsequently" incorrectly used to mean "consequently"; and "on guard" for "en garde." Then there's "anchors away," which I almost set in print years ago. Fortunately, I was saved by a production supervisor, a Navy veteran who pointed out that it's "anchors aweigh." Years later, I used "anchors away" when a yacht club closed. Simply put, look it up, or it's your lookout.

Pick a dictionary and use it. Seems obvious? Consider this: A few years ago, I took a magazine editing job. One of the first things I did was to go looking for the dictionary. I found it, eventually, holding up the computer monitor.

Less obvious may be the suggestion that everyone on staff use the same edition of the same dictionary. Editors of dictionaries are like editors everywhere: They edit their copy. Some prefer "data base" and "teen-ager," for example, while others will go for "database" and "teenager." Some like "benefitted," others like "benefited.",So pick one dictionary, and stick with it.

Use the stylebook. At Shape, we used The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual as a first reference, followed by Webster's New World Dictionary and The Chicago Manual of style. We supplemented these books with our own internal stylesheet, which we updated on a regular basis. An internal stylesheet is essential, no matter what area your magazine covers. New terms are going to crop up that you will need to handle: Generation X'er, World Wide Web and e-mail, to name a few. And you will need agreement among staffers on how to use them.

Spell check. Even the best spellers should take advantage of this fantastic aid. Enhance it with search-and-replace, personalize it with words you and your staff frequently use, and you'll never understand how we accomplished good spelling in the old days.

Never, ever, ever, ever guess. It amuses me (okay, and flatters, too) when someone from my company comes to me as the resident "expert" and asks me a question relating to grammar or usage. Inevitably, I find the answer in either the dictionary or the stylebook. If I don't know, I look it up; if I do know, I look it up anyway just to be sure. Couldn't they do the same?

Always use attribution. Attribution means never having to say you're sorry. Remember Richard Jewell, the security guard from the Atlanta Olympics who is suing for libel? At issue (among other things) is the second paragraph of a newspaper story that reports him as a suspect in the bombing. There is no attribution in the paragraph. As I tell my journalism students, good writing is riddled with attribution. "How do I know this information is true?" is the question every good copy editor asks.

Stick with simple, declarative sentences. The noun, verb and direct object should be in correct proximity. (For example: The boy hit the ball.) Try Latin if you want to obfuscate the relationships of words.

Be prepared to explain your changes (or lack thereof. It should be a given that you never change copy just because you think it might sound better one way than another. Your changes should be based on the rules of grammar and punctuation, and your magazine's stylebook. Being able to explain the rules and the reason for the change gives you heightened credibility. It takes the sting out of what the author may have perceived as a merely gratuitous or judgmental change.

Always read, reread and reread your work again. How many of us read the printed piece after it has been published? Sure, we've read it numerous times before it went to press, but here's the opportunity to confirm that it says what it is supposed to say. Read it in print, and keep a marked copy of past issues handy so that you don't repeat any mistakes.