The Copy Editor's Role in the Newsroom | p. 1 |
How we got here | p. 2 |
The importance of good copy editing | p. 5 |
The duties of a copy editor | p. 6 |
The characteristics of a good copy editor | p. 7 |
The copy desk in a modern newsroom | p. 9 |
The editing process | p. 11 |
A modern editor looks to the future | p. 15 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 18 |
Exercises | p. 19 |
Using Correct Grammar and Punctuation | p. 22 |
Common pitfalls in grammar and usage | p. 22 |
Subject and verb agreement | p. 23 |
Noun and pronoun agreement | p. 25 |
Reflexive and intensive pronouns | p. 27 |
Pronoun case | p. 27 |
Essential and nonessential clauses | p. 28 |
Possessive nouns | p. 29 |
Sequence of tenses | p. 30 |
Irregular verb forms | p. 31 |
Subjunctive mood | p. 32 |
Misplaced and dangling modifiers | p. 33 |
Double negatives | p. 34 |
Parallel construction | p. 34 |
Punctuation | p. 35 |
Editing with computers | p. 42 |
Traditional copy editing symbols | p. 43 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 46 |
Exercises | p. 47 |
Consistent Style and Correct Words | p. 57 |
Consistent style for carefully edited publications | p. 57 |
Numerals | p. 59 |
Abbreviations | p. 60 |
Capitalization | p. 61 |
Time | p. 62 |
Cities and datelines | p. 62 |
Other style issues | p. 63 |
Correct word usage | p. 64 |
Common spelling errors | p. 67 |
How to be a hit as an intern | p. 69 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 70 |
Exercises | p. 71 |
Editing Stories | p. 93 |
Editing leads | p. 93 |
Including essential information | p. 95 |
Accuracy in numbers | p. 95 |
Reporting survey results | p. 96 |
Accuracy in word usage | p. 97 |
Eliminating redundancies | p. 97 |
Editing story structure | p. 98 |
Using transitions | p. 99 |
Handling quotations | p. 100 |
Shortening stories | p. 103 |
Estimating story length | p. 103 |
Editing with precision | p. 104 |
Editing news-service copy | p. 105 |
Primary news services | p. 105 |
Supplemental services | p. 106 |
Handling copy | p. 107 |
The wire editor's job | p. 112 |
The first edition | p. 113 |
The story conference | p. 114 |
During and after the crunch | p. 114 |
Editing for the Web | p. 115 |
Keep it short | p. 115 |
Make it skimmable | p. 115 |
Link it | p. 116 |
Online journalism: Tradition weds technology | p. 118 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 122 |
Exercises | p. 123 |
Checking Facts | p. 141 |
Reliability of reference sources | p. 142 |
Indexes | p. 144 |
Internet search tools | p. 146 |
Search engines | p. 146 |
Meta-search engines | p. 147 |
Lists | p. 147 |
Internet discussion groups | p. 149 |
Usenet newsgroups | p. 151 |
Gopher | p. 152 |
Commercial electronic databases | p. 153 |
Standard reference works | p. 153 |
Current events sources | p. 154 |
Factual data, statistics | p. 154 |
Biographical information | p. 155 |
Book reviews | p. 156 |
Directories of newspapers and magazines | p. 157 |
Dictionaries and manuals of language and style | p. 157 |
Business and advertising | p. 158 |
Broadcasting and film | p. 158 |
Religion | p. 159 |
Government, politics and law | p. 159 |
Health and medical | p. 161 |
Maps and geographic information | p. 161 |
Quotations | p. 161 |
Science | p. 161 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 162 |
Exercises | p. 163 |
Legal Concerns | p. 167 |
Prior restraint | p. 167 |
Competing personal interests | p. 168 |
Libel | p. 169 |
Plaintiff's burden of proof | p. 169 |
Defenses against libel | p. 171 |
Privacy | p. 176 |
Copyright | p. 178 |
Trademarks | p. 179 |
Techniques for avoiding lawsuits | p. 180 |
Cost of a lawsuit | p. 180 |
Complaints from the public | p. 181 |
Prepublication cautions at the newsgathering stage | p. 182 |
Prepublication cautions at the copy desk | p. 183 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 186 |
Exercise | p. 187 |
Editing and Ethics | p. 191 |
How to decide questions of ethics | p. 193 |
What is ethics? | p. 194 |
Philosophical principles | p. 194 |
How to use the Potter box | p. 195 |
Codes of ethics | p. 197 |
Editing with good taste and sensitivity | p. 204 |
Situational ethics | p. 206 |
Press response to criticism | p. 207 |
Ethics in the 21st century | p. 208 |
The future of journalism | p. 212 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 214 |
Exercises | p. 215 |
Typography | p. 223 |
Type sizes | p. 224 |
Type widths | p. 227 |
Type styles | p. 228 |
Type weights | p. 231 |
Type families | p. 232 |
Legibility | p. 232 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 234 |
Exercises | p. 235 |
Writing Headlines | p. 239 |
Purposes of news headlines | p. 239 |
Characteristics of good headlines | p. 240 |
How to write headlines | p. 241 |
News heads | p. 241 |
Feature headlines | p. 245 |
Online headlines | p. 245 |
Examples of good headlines | p. 246 |
Headline punctuation | p. 247 |
Headline capitalization | p. 248 |
Headline counting | p. 249 |
Counting manually | p. 249 |
Counting with computer software | p. 250 |
Placement of headlines | p. 253 |
Styles of headlines | p. 253 |
Headline writing is an art form | p. 261 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 264 |
Exercises | p. 265 |
Editing Pictures and Infographics | p. 271 |
Better visuals through teamwork | p. 271 |
Selecting pictures | p. 272 |
Preparing photographs for publication | p. 273 |
Cropping | p. 273 |
Scaling | p. 274 |
Digital images | p. 279 |
Editing informational graphics | p. 281 |
Advice for graphic artists | p. 281 |
Role of the copy editor | p. 282 |
Editing captions | p. 289 |
Picture stories | p. 290 |
Caption styles | p. 291 |
Graphics require good reporting | p. 294 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 295 |
Exercises | p. 297 |
Design and Layout | p. 303 |
Design principles | p. 303 |
Balance | p. 303 |
Contrast | p. 309 |
Proportion | p. 309 |
Unity | p. 309 |
Design elements | p. 311 |
Body type | p. 311 |
Display type | p. 311 |
Borders | p. 313 |
Open space | p. 313 |
Art | p. 314 |
Color | p. 314 |
Forms of layout | p. 315 |
Newspaper layout | p. 319 |
Basic guidelines | p. 322 |
Dummying Page One | p. 326 |
Dummying inside pages | p. 328 |
Pagination | p. 329 |
Magazine layout | p. 331 |
Formats | p. 331 |
Basic guidelines for magazine layout | p. 331 |
Web layout and design | p. 338 |
Mapping a Web site | p. 339 |
Helping readers navigate a site | p. 339 |
Editing pages within a site | p. 342 |
The only layout guide you'll ever need | p. 347 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 350 |
Exercises | p. 351 |
Creating Fliers, Brochures and Newsletters | p. 375 |
The flier | p. 375 |
Purpose of a flier | p. 376 |
Writing headlines | p. 377 |
Writing text copy | p. 377 |
Design and layout | p. 379 |
Production considerations | p. 382 |
The brochure | p. 383 |
Characteristics of a brochure | p. 384 |
Purpose of a brochure | p. 385 |
Message construction | p. 385 |
Design and layout | p. 386 |
Production considerations | p. 390 |
The newsletter | p. 392 |
Purpose of a newsletter | p. 392 |
Content decisions | p. 392 |
Design and layout | p. 394 |
Production considerations | p. 396 |
Challenges of corporate communications | p. 397 |
Suggestions for additional reading | p. 400 |
Exercises | p. 401 |
Frequently Misused Words | p. 405 |
Index | p. 413 |
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