Notes on Copyreading

The Copyreader

 Copyreaders edit newspaper copy, whose work is all about improving—improving

a version of a text, improving the quality of the writing.
 They edit copies for spelling, grammar, usage, and punctuation.
 They ensures that copies conform to house style
 They check copies for missing or inaccurate details.
 They tighten stories as necessary.
 They write headlines.

Importance of Copyreading

 When copyreading is not done to a campus publication, everyone suffers: the

readers, the authors, the publications, and the institutions the publication
represents.
 Poorly edited article can ruin an otherwise clear writing, resulting in the
journalist’s failure to communicate his ideas to his readers.
 Unedited campus publication sets bad example to students.
 Sloppily edited publications will eventually lose the trust of readers and destroy
the reputation of the publication.
 A campus publication represents an educational institution, which is in the
business of learning. It gets disseminated not only to the students but to parents
as well, and the community. Campus papers, therefore, should raise the bar on
the good use of language and good writing.
 Well-copyedited campus paper reflects well not only on the student writer but on
the school itself as an academic institution.

Qualities of a Good Copyreader

 A passion for, and deep knowledge of, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage.
 A love of good writing and the ability to see the potential in a piece, the skill to
help bring it out—or the good sense to know when to leave it alone.
 Skepticism that raises doubt in everything and fortitude to check it.
 Self-confidence to know how to improve even a veteran reporter’s copy
 Invisible—meaning, a good copyreader’s personality or style is not seen on each
article he copyreads. He does not impose his own style but respect the style or
individuality of each author.
 Knowledge of journalistic conventions: for hard-news copyreader: inverted
pyramid, the different types of stories; or the conventions of a feature article, an
editorial, etc.
 Ability to recall style rules.
 An eye for detail.

10 Commandments for Copyreaders

1. You shall not change the author’s meaning

1
2. You shall not introduce new errors; more important, you shall not change
something correct to something incorrect.
3. You shall not change anything except to improve it.
4. You shall just focus on your work and do precisely what is expected of you.
5. You shall honor and obey those in charge of you.
6. You shall mark clearly and write your corrections legibly.
7. You shall protect the copy from rain, hail, wind, coffee, children, pets, and all
things damaging.
8. You shall meet deadlines.
9. You shall assume nothing but should seek answers to all that is doubtful or
unspecified.
10. You shall read and study language continually.

(Adapted from the book Tricks of the Trade for Writers and Editors)

3 Rs of Copyreading

1. Reader centered
 Make sure the stories serve the readers’ interest, needs, and time (stories that
directly affect their lives; stories that interest them; stories about people or
things around them)
 The story should focus on what will be most interesting to the audience.
 The writer should make the story new for the reader

2. Readable
 Ensure that readers will be able to understand what’s being said.
 Is the story clear; does every sentence grow from the main pont?
 Are the words simple to understand?
 Is the story arranged in the most logical manner?
 Is the story concise?
 Is anything in the story irrelevant?
 Has the writer avoided redundancies and cliché’s?
 Does each quotation say something unique or important? Can quotations be
shortened?

3. Right
 Is the story correct in spelling, grammar, and punctuation?
 Are there inconsistencies in viewpoint and verb tense?
 Does it conform to house style?
 Are the facts consistent and accurate?
 Have the math been checked (percentages, ages with birth, etc.)?
 Have you checked names of people, their designations?
 Is the story objective?
 Does the story avoid any statements that might bring a lawsuit?
 Is someone is accused of or criticized for something, does he or she get a
chance to reply? Are all sides given?
 Is the story or picture in good taste?
 Has the writer avoided saying anything that may disparage someone on the
basis of age, race, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnic background?

2
Concepts of Macro Editing and Micro Editing

Macro editing is big-picture editing.

 Making sure stories are worth running
 Making sure stories have good leads, are organized, and flow well.
 Making sure stories do not leave unanswered questions.
 Making sure stories are accurate.
 Making sure stories are objective
 Making sure stories are legal, ethical, tasteful, and sensitive to the audience.
Micro editing is editing with an eye toward the details.
 Making sure the grammar and usage are correct.
 Making sure abbreviations, capitalization, numbers, and punctuation conform to
the publication’s or station’s stylebook.
 Making sure words are spelled correctly and that there aren’t any typos.
 Making sure the copy conforms to space limits.

Copyreaders’ Concerns

1. Grammar
 Subject-verb agreement
 Dangling modifiers
 Parallel construction
 Hanging participles
 Active and passive
 Repetition
 Misused prepositions

2. Spelling
 American or British English/variants in spelling
theatre theater
organisation organization
labour labor
realise realize

 Compound words: one word, two words, or hyphenated

decision making, decision-making

policy making, policy-making, policymaking

 Other words with variants

toward towards
traveled travelled
kidnaped kidnapped
judgment judgement
adviser advisor

3. Punctuations

4. Facts

3
  Names and titles/designations
 Numbers: Contradictory text and figures; percentages add up
 Places
 Inner logic

5. Brevity

 Get to the point.

 Remove deadwood and redundancies.

6. Clarity
 Keep the text simple (by using simple words instead of complex terms)
 Avoid jargon or specialized language
 Check the time sequence
 Use transitions (each sentence logically follows the previous sentence or relate
to it.)

7. Offensive words

8. Subheads

9. Headline

Suggested Steps in Copyreading

1. Read the story.

 Read quickly; do not change anything.
 Find out what the story is about.
 Note the story structure.
 Spot any major problems that are readily identifiable.

2. Edit it thoroughly (second reading; major editing is done)

 Read slowly
 Pay particular attention to the lead (check effectiveness; should include
essential information and introduce the angle; should also be brief,
captivating, and appropriate in tone)
 Story structure: organization of the story; point of the story. (Rearrange
paragraphs if necessary.)
 Improve the writing; check paragraphing and transitions (ideas should flow
smoothly and logically)
 Accuracy (names of people and organizations, titles and jobs, ages, dates,
place,)
 Clarity
 Brevity (irrelevant information)
 Style
 Triteness and clichés
 Editorializing
 Wordiness (a total of, in order to, at this point in time)
 Repetition/redundancy
 Offensive language

4
  Spelling
 Grammar
 Punctuation

3. Reread the story.

 Proofreading

Substantive Editing Checklist

1. Lead/Introductory
 Is it snappy?
 Does it grab the reader?
 Does it make sense?
 Is it up to date?
 Is it of readable length?

2. Structure
 Does the story back up the intro?
 Does the story unfold logically?
 Are there obvious gaps?
 Are quotes used sensibly?
 Are there any unnecessary repetitions?
 Check key facts are not left until last.

3. Language
 Is the story in house style?
 Are all the acronyms explained?
 Cut out clichés.
 Don’t overload sentences with subordinate clauses.

4. Quotes
 Are they worth using
 Is it obvious who said what?
 Are they in readable chunks?
 Is the punctuation correct?
 Don’t alter quotations without good reason.

Copyreaders’ Tools

1. Stylebook
2. Dictionary and thesaurus
3. Grammar books
4. Journalism handbooks
 Reuters Handbook of Journalism, which may be downloaded online:
http://handbook.reuters.com/extensions/docs/pdf/handbookofjournalism.pdf
5. Internet (Google/Google Books)
6. Book of familiar quotations

Common Inaccuracies
5
1. Unwarranted superlatives

first
only
biggest
best
record number

2. Editorializing or one’s own value judgments

Some Words That Convey Opinion

amazing astounding
awful bad
best bizarre
certainly complex
controversial crucial
definitely disturbing
dramatic effectively
evil exciting
fittingly good
grim honestly
important inevitable
insurmountable ironically
luckily mysterious
obviously perfectly
poignant positively
predictably radical
respected sadly
shocking spectacular
stunning successfully
tragic troubling
undoubtedly unique
unprecedented unquestionably
unusual very
worst

3. Offensive language

Some Words That Can Be Demeaning

addict adulterer
alcoholic alleged/allegedly
bankrupt blackmail
cheater child abuser
Communist corrupt
crazy crook
dishonest drunk
ex-convict hypocrite
incompetent influence peddler
kept woman mentally ill
moron murderer
pedophile peeping Tom
racist rapist
robber sexist

6
 sex offender sloppy
slut swindler
thief traitor
unchaste unethical
unmarried mother unprofessional

4. Redundancies and wordiness

Long Version Short Version

advance planning planning

armed gunmen gunmen
at this point in time now
at that point in time then
cancelled out cancelled
city of Manila Manila
completely unnecessary unnecessary
complimentary free gift gift
cooperate together cooperate
due to the fact that because
electrocuted to death electrocuted
exactly identical identical
few in number few
general consensus of opinion consensus
in reference to about
in the near future soon
traveling at a high rate of speed speeding
high-speed chase chase
large in size large
necessary requirement requirement
once in a great while seldom, rarely
postpone until later postpone
still remain remain
temporarily suspended suspended
totally destroyed destroyed
true facts facts
went on to say that said, then said
widow of the late widow of
yellow in color yellow

5. Sexist pronouns and gender-biased terms

 It is no longer acceptable to use the pronoun he when the referent may be a

man or a woman.
 Substitute gender-biased terms with gender-neutral ones.
fireman firefighter
chairman chairperson
mankind people/humanity
manpower workers, work force
founding fathers pioneers
policeman police officer
salesman salesperson

7
6. Unnecessary words
 Words that add nothing to the meaning
really very actually

8
Copyreading Symbols

9
 Notes on Headline Writing

Qualities of a Good Headline

1. Attracts the reader’s attention.

 The average reader does not read the average newspaper story.
 Good headlines attract a reader’s attention to stories that otherwise may be
ignored.

2. Summarizes the story.

 In writing headline, assume the reader won’t read the story.
 The reader should have a clear idea of the news from reading just the headline.

3. Helps the reader index the contents of the page.

 Headlines serve as index to the page, which enables readers to determine what
stories to read or bypass.

4. Depicts the mood of the story.

 Tells whether the news story is a serious one, humorous, or sensational.
 Important for tabloid, which thrives on sensationalism.

5. Helps set the tone of the newspaper.

 Front-page news headlines reveal the character of the newspaper.

6. Provides adequate typographic relief.

 Headlines separate stories on the page, and relieves tedium of a mass of text.

General Principles That Headline Writers Must Follow

1. Accuracy
 Headlines must give accurate information about the gist of the story.

2. Logic
 Headlines on themselves should make sense.

3. Specificity
 A headline should be as specific as possible in presenting information to the
reader.

4. Word precision
 Saying exactly what we mean to say.

Some Tips on Headline Writing

1. Headlines should be based on the main idea of the story, which should be found in
the lead or introduction.
2. If facts are not in the story, do not use them in a headline.

10
3. Avoid repetition. Don’t repeat key words in the same headline; don’t repeat the
exact wording of the story in the headline.
4. Avoid ambiguity, insinuations, and double meanings.
5. If a story qualifies a statement, the headline should also. Headline writers should
understand a story completely before they write the headline.
6. Use present-tense verbs for headlines that refer to past or present events.
7. For the future tense, use the infinitive form of the verb (such as to go, to run,
etc.) rather than the verb will.
8. To be verbs, such as is, are, was, and were, should be omitted.
9. Write headlines in the active voice (Man bites dog instead of Dog is Bitten by
Man)
10. Do not use articles a, an, and the. These take up space that could be put to better
use in informing the reader. In

New Police Patrols Help Make the Streets Safer

New Patrols Help Make Westside Streets Safer

11. Do not use the conjunction and; use a comma or semicolon instead

Mayor and Council Meet on Budget for Next Year

Mayor, Council Agree to Cuts on New Budget

12. Personalize where you can (avoid he, she, or they).

13. Attribution is best shown with the word says, but it is often shown with a colon
instead.
14. Avoid using unclear or little-known names, phrases, and abbreviations in
headlines.
15. Use punctuations sparingly.
16. Use single quotation marks instead of double quotation marks.
17. Drop end punctuation
18. Never begin a headline with a verb.
19. Never split names between lines of a headline
20. Headlines should be complete sentences or should imply complete sentences.
When a linking verb is used, it can be implied rather than spelled out.
21. Fill out most of the space allowed for headlines; do not leave gaping holes of
white space. In most newspapers, headlines should fill at least 90 percent of the
maximum space allowed.
22. Do not use pronouns alone and unidentified.
23. Only well-known abbreviations should be used.
24. Do not abbreviate days of the week and months, unless followed by a date.
25. In a multiline headline, a noun and its modifier should be on the same line.

Steps in Headline Writing

1. Make sure you understand what the story is about.

2. Find the action verb and the most important noun, which tell what is happening
in the story.
3. Sum up the story with key words; build this summary around the verb you have
chosen.
4. Cast the summary in a sentence
11
5. Shorten the sentence by putting it in headline form.
6. Once the first draft of the headline is written, find synonyms for key words in the
lead and begin substitution as necessary.

Headline Terms

Downstyle and upstyle

 These terms refer to capitalization in headlines/heads.
 Downstyle heads are treated like sentences, with only the first word and
proper nouns capitalized.

This is a downstyle head

 Upstyle heads capitalize first letter of all major words. All capital letters in
heads is also called upstyle.

This Is an Upstyle Head

THIS IS AN UPSTYLE HEAD
Main head
 The main head in headlines that are combinations of two or more heads
 Usually the largest in font size.
 Says the main point of the headline.

Deck or drop head

 A small secondary head that runs beneath the main head.

This is a main head

This is a deck beneath the main one

Hammer
 A label head above the main head, typically one to three words.
 In bold type, bigger than the main head.

Hammer
Here is the main head beneath the hammer

Kicker
 A label head above a main head, typically up to five words
 Usually about half the point size of the main head.

This is a kicker up here

Here is the main head

Label head
 A headline that has no verb.
 Often focuses on a theme or mood.
 Most often used with feature and magazine stories.

12
Flush left, centered
 Two ways of positioning a headline in relation to its story.
 Flush left heads begin at the left margin.
 Centered heads are equidistant between the left and right margins.

Slugs
 Short name or title—usually one or two words—a story is given for quick and
easy identification in the newsroom.

Points
 Refers to the font or type size (its height in points measured from the bottom
of a descender like g to the top of an ascender like h).
 Headline type typically ranges in size from 18 points to 72 points.

Picas
 Another unit of measurement, used to measure the width of the space allotted
to a head
 There are 6 picas in an inch, which means there are 12 points in a pica.
 The print area on a standard broadsheet is typically about 78 picas wide.

13
Columns
 Vertical strips of text.
 The thin white spaces between columns are called gutters.
 Broadsheets carry 6-7 columns; tabloid and magazines, 4-5 columns

Headline count
 Count or length in units of each line.
 See Table: Count of Letters, Figures, and Marks.

Headline order
 Refers to request for a given size of headline
 Three-number sequence that tells (1) how many columns a headline should
cover, (2) what point size it should be, and (3) how many lines it should fill.
Columns–Font Size–Lines (e.g., 6-42-1: six columns wide, 42-point type size,
one line)

Headline schedule
 Chart that allows one to translate a headline order into a specific count. It tells
how many counts of a given point size can fit into a given column width.
 See Headline Schedule Chart.

Source: Brian S. Brooks and James L. Pinson, The Art of Editing in the Age of
Convergence, 10th ed. (Pearson Education, 2014).

Counting Headlines

Count of Letters, Figures, Marks

Width Letters, Figures, Marks
½ unit Lowercase f, i, j, l, and t
Capital I and numerical figure 1
All punctuations except question
mark and dashes

1 unit All other lowercase letters except

m and w
All other numbers
Question mark
Spaces between words

1½ Lowercase m and w
units
All capital letters except I, M, and
W
Dashes
Symbols such as ₽, $, %, and &

2 units Capitals M and W

14
Headline Schedule Chart
1 2 3 4 5 6
Font
Colum Column Column Column Column Column
Size
n s s s s s
18 16 33 units
points units
24 13 27 units 40 units
points units
30 10.5 21.5 32 units 43 units
points units units
36 9 units 18.5 28 units 38 units 47.5
points units units
42 7.5 15.5 23.5 32 units 40 units 48 units
points units units units
48 13.5 20.5 28 units 35 units 42.5
points units units units
54 12 units 18 units 24.5 30.5 37 units
points units units
60 16 units 21.5 27.5 33 units
points units units
72 14 units 18.5 23 units 28 units
points units

Source: Cecilia Friend, Don Challenger, and Katherine C. McAdams, Contemporary

Editing (McGraw-Hill, 2005).

15
16
 Copyreading Exercise

Instructions:
1. Copyread the news article using copyreading symbols
2. Write a two-line headline. Each line should not be longer than 25
units. Indicate a headline order for a two-colum, two-line head.

______________________________________________________________________________

The Secretary of DSWD, Vilma Cabrera, strongly stated in a very recent

hearing at the Senate of the Philippines that there were efforts from the

part of the current Noynoy Aquino government to avoid the utilization of the

schools as temporary shelters for displaced residents unless there were no

alternative.

Officials, likewise, have also beeing doing their best to avoid the utilization

of daycare centers as evacuation centers in order this way not to disrupt

schoolchildren’s activities, according to him.

A number of senate bill that propose to limit the use of schools as

evacuation centers so as not to disrupt the student’s education has gained

wide and tremendous support from various sectors, although finding and to

provide other safe alternative sites has been, as always, easier said than

done.

17
The bills does not provide for an outright ban with regards to the use of

schools for displaced victims but instead stated that these should be used

last resort.

It was stated by Carbera that while school rooms tended to be utilized when

there were gymnasium, municipal halls and other buildings, these were

utilized for short term stays, said Carbera. Churches have also serve as

alternative shelter.

The proposal to limit the utilization of schools as evacuation centers, unless

there are other alternatives, are contained in five measure that seek to

provide comprehensive emergency relief and protection for children during

disasters, calamities and other emergency situations.

The bills state that schools should be designated as daycare centers only

when there are no other available structures for unlucky evacuees.

In such troubling situations when schools are tapped, the utilization should

be limited to areas other than classrooms, such as gymnasiums; auditorium;

and other spaces that are open. Their use as temporary shelters should only

be for a limited time of thirty days, unless an extension is really absolutely

necessary.

18
 Copyreading Exercise: Pagwawasto at Pag-uulo ng Balita

Direksiyon: Iwasto ang artikulo sa ibaba at gumamit ng mga simbolo sa

pag-eedit. Ayusin ang pagkakasunod-sunod ng mga talata kung
kinakailangan. Sumulat ng headline na hindi lalampas sa anim na salita at
ilagay ang bilang ng unit.

Headline:
_________________________________________________________________________

Sinimulan na ng mga tagapaglathala ng mga e-textbook, sa

pakikipagtulungan ng Departamento ng Edukasyon, Kultura, at Palakasan

(DepEd), ang paggamit ng mga electronic textbook or e-textbook sa ilang

mga paaralan bilang epektibong paraan ng pagtuturo sa pamamagitan ng

19
paggamit ng e-Textbook sa pagbubukas ng klase sa darating na Hunyo

2012.

Higit pa sa pagiging digital na katumbas ng mga inimprentang textbuk,

mas nakaeengganyo sa pag-aaral ang mga E-textbook dahil nilahukan ng

audio at video ang tradisyonal na texto.

Interaktibo din ang mga E-Textbook. Nagttampok ang mga ito ng mga

eherssiyo, tutorial, review ng mga aralin, mga study notes, at iba pa. Ang

mga pangunahing impormasyon sa teksto ay may mga hyperlink sa mga

website, na maaaring paghanapan ng mga mag-aaral ng iba pang

impormasyon na maaaring makadagdag sa kanilang kaalaman.

Sa pangunguna ng ilang academic publishers, naipasok nila ang

infurmation technology sa edukasyong Filipino sa pamagitan ng

pagpapalabas ng E-TEXTBOOKS para sa batayang edukasyon sa mga

araling English, filipino, science, at Araling Panlipunan.

Napaka-user-friendly, ang mga e-textbook ay navigable, maaring i-klik ang

table of contents para hindi makalipat sa nais na pahina. Mapapalaki o

mapapaliit upang mabasa nang maayos. Maaaring palakihin o paliitin,

markahan, ipakopya, at ipabahagi. Mayroon din itong Search at Dictionary

functions.

20
Maaring gamitin ang mga e-textbook sa mga PC, loptap, netbooks, tablets,

smartphone, at iba pa.

Upang makita ang bisa ng mga e-book sa klasrum, ang DepEd, kasama ang

pamahalaang panlalawigan ng Laguna na pinamumunuan ng kanilang

napakasipag na gobernador, J.V. Ejercito nagbigay ng daan-daang tablet

computer sa ilang mga eskuwelahan sa kanilang probinsiya noong Hunyo

2011.

Kilala bilang eRizal, ang mga nabanggit na tablet ay nagtataglay ng mga

klasikong rizaliana na nagbibigay-pugay sa ika-150 taon ng kapanganakan

ng pambansang bayani; si Andres Bonifacio.

Ayon sa mga pag-aaral sa ibang bansa, mas humuhusay ang mga

estudyante kung gumagamit siya ng mga digital device at nagbabasa ng

mga digital na materyal.

21