Copyreading and

Headline Writing
ROWENA DEL ROSARIO-SALAZAR
Copyreading – using appropriate symbols in
correcting articles

Copyreader
– corrects errors in grammar, fact, structure
and style
- eliminates libelous and derogatory
statements and opinions
 Pointers in Copy
Editing
NUMBERS
• The 1-9 are written in words while
the numbers 10 and above are
written in figures.
Example:
nine students 13 children
Numbers
Exceptions:
• dates, address: always in figures.
• proper nouns: may be written in
figures/ words
• beginning of sentence: always in
words
• events: 1st-9th is allowed
SPELLING
• Look for misspelled words.
• Here in the Philippines, American
English is used, not British English
Ex. color, not colour
• If a word has more than one
accepted spelling, the shortest one
is preferred.
CAPITALIZATION
• The first letter of the sentence is
always capitalized.
• Proper nouns are capitalized,
common nouns are not.
Ex. singer
Regine Velasquez
CAPITALIZATION
• Small letters are usually used for
title or position.
Ex. Mrs. Cecilia Cruz, the principal
of…
• Capitalized titles: Governor
Remulla
ABBREVIATIONS
• Spell out Dept., gov’t, and other
abbreviations.
• The abbreviations Jr. and Sr. are
allowed in names.
ABBREVIATIONS
• A title or position of a person may
be abbreviated if it appears before
the name but not if simply used in
the sentence.
Ex. Sen. Recto filed another taxation
bill The senator filed another
taxation bill
ACRONYMS
• Acronyms are usually written in
capital letters.
Ex. BCIS
• Check if the letters of the acronym
are in the correct order.
ACRONYMS
• When an acronym appears for the
first time in a news story, it is
written after its meaning and it is
enclosed in parentheses.
Ex. University of the Philippines (UP)
PARAGRAPH
• The first sentence of a paragraph
is indented.
• In news stories, the rule is one
paragraph, one sentence only.
GRAMMAR
Check for errors in:
• Tenses of verbs
• Subject-verb-agreement
• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
(agreement in gender and number)
• Articles (a, an, the)
GRAMMAR
• Remember: he said and not said
he;
Duterte said and not said Aquino
• Remember: three-day training and
not three-days training.
Trained for three days and not
trained for three-day.
PUNCTUATION: PERIOD
• It is used at the end of declarative
and imperative sentences.
• It is used in abbreviations such as
p.m., a.m., Jr., Sr., Pres., Sen.,
Rep., Gov., Gen., Capt., Dr., Fr.,
Atty., Corp., and Inc.
PUNCTUATION: COMMA
Use commas:
• To separate the month and day from the
year.
• To separate the street, barangay, town
and province in an address.
• To separate facts concerning victims and
suspects.
Ex. Jolas Cruz, 17, of Barangay Salitran,
Dasma
PUNCTUATION: COMMA
Do not use commas:
• To separate the abbreviation Jr., Sr.,
or III from the name.
Ex. Emmanuel Delgado Jr.
PUNCTUATION: HYPHEN
Use hyphen:
• In most compound nouns
Ex. editor-in-chief
• In fractions
Ex. two-thirds, three-fourths
• In numerals
Ex. Twenty-two, fifty-nine
PUNCTUATION: QUOTATION MARKS
• Quotation marks are used in direct
quotations. Indirect quotations do not
need them.
Ex. “I forgot it,” he said.
He said he forgot it.
• Periods and commas are written first
before closing quotation marks.
Ex. “Let’s go to SM,” the boy said.
PUNCTUATION: QUOTATION MARKS
• Quotation marks are used to set off titles
of events, shows, movies, books, etc.
Ex. We watched “The Titanic.”
• Quotation marks are used to set off as
alias or nickname.
Ex. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
Juan Chua a.k.a. “Boy Singkit”
PUNCTUATION: APOSTROPHE
• Apostrophes are used in the possessive
form of the noun.
Ex. the teacher’s table
the teachers’ meeting
• In contractions
Ex. I’m (I am)
you’re (you are)
REMINDERS
• Watch out for jumbled letters, words and
paragraphs.
• Check for joined/ disjoined words.
Ex. class room, newteacher
• Delete editorializing words/phrases.
Ex. The very beautiful and intelligent
principal...
The cops were right in arresting…
REMINDERS
• Check for redundancies (recurring
words/phrases/paragraphs, synonymous
or redundant terms).
Ex. the concert the concert ended
• REMEMBER: after editing the news
story, write
30 # or at the end of the
article. If the article is not yet finished,
more

write at the bottom of the page.

HEADLINES…

• title of the news story

• windows of the newspapers as they serve as
the quick source of info for busy readers
GOOD HEADS DO THREE THINGS:

• Tell the readers what the story is about

• Give the information in quick and easy form
• Entice the reader to follow the story and “read
all about it”
Use the Present Tense…

Bohol food crisis feared

Mayors of Bohol towns badly devastated by the 7.2-
magnitude earthquake aired this appeal yesterday as they
expressed fear of possible food and water crisis as rescue
and relief operations have yet to reach their localities.
Use the Present Tense…

 Bohol dads fear food crisis

Use the Present Tense…
Microcredit access for Agri-sector backed
Manila, Philippines – Agricultural growth may be stunted unless
focus is set on a “long-term government spending” to mitigate the
effects of climate change.
AGRI Party-list Rep. Delphine Gan Lee aired this warning as she
pushed for the enactment of the proposed Agriculture Micro Credit
Act of 2013 that would initially be funded from a P25-billion
allocation by the government.
Use the Present Tense…

Agri Party-list backs microcredit

access
Use the Present Tense…
Misuari trial transferred to Taguig
The trial for the rebellion charges filed against leaders and
members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in
connection with last month's attack on Zamboanga City will be held
in Taguig City instead of in Mindanao.

This was after the Supreme Court granted the request of the
Department of Justice (DOJ) to transfer the case from Zamboanga
City due to safety concerns.
Use the Present Tense…

 SC moves Misuari trial to Taguig

Use the Present Tense…

Ukay-Ukay traders charged

Manila, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) filed

smuggling charges yesterday against two ukay-ukay traders and
their brokers for alleged illegal importations of used clothing at the
Manila International Container Port (MICP).
Use the Present Tense…

BOC charges Ukay-Ukay traders

Use active voice…

• Polls decided by coin toss

 Coin toss breaks poll ties

• Whistle-blowers are sued by solon

 Bong sues whistle-blowers
Use active voice…
• President’s DAP stand is backed by allies
 Allies back P-noy on DAP stand

• Top police officials are sent back to school by

NCPRO
 NCPRO sends top police officials back to
school
Use active voice…

• Man with P25-M shabu is arrested by police

 Makati sting nets man with P25-M shabu

• 1 dead, 7 hurt in Zambo blast

 Zambo blast kills 1, hurts 7
Use active voice…
• Grocery robbed by children
 Children rob grocer
Future event – use infinitive ‘to’
• P8 billion to solve Bataan flooding
• Surigao to boost seaweed industry
• DOJ panel to pursue raps vs Misuari et al.
• CamSur power rates to increase in December
• Japan to spend $500 million to fix Fukushima
leaks
Is, are, the & a
• The mayor’s wife is hurt in a car crash
 Mayor’s wife hurt in car crash

• The forensic experts are in Manila

 Forensic experts arrive in Manila
Is, are, the & a
• An American tourist is slain
 Psycho slays American tourist

• The meteor showers are visible over PH

 Meteor showers visible over PH
Is, are, the & a
• 5 soldiers are hurt in a clash with the NPA
rebels
 5 soldiers hurt in clash with NPA rebels

• A suspected bomb-maker is gunned down

 Cops kill suspected bomb-maker
Labels
• Tourism potentials
 P210 million to boost Davao tourism

• Auxiliary services
 Civilian groups beef up Coast Guard
Labels
• Day-care upgrading
 Saranggani allots P2.5 million for day-care
centers

• Tagum port
 P3 billion int’l port construction to start in
2015
Use verbs that paint a picture
• Tyhoon Pablo hits Northern Mindanao
 Typhoon Pablo lashes Northern Mindanao

• Yolanda roars toward Visayas

 Avoid words that add nothing to the
power of headline
• Valuable jewelry stolen
 Thieves grab 15 000 gems
• PLDT to expand fiber network investment in
Bohol
 PLDT to invest P1 billion in Bohol fiber
network
 Punctuations
• Dash
 Abad’s delegation of signing authority
not a problem—Palace
Colon
 DepEd: Teachers' bonus not DAP-
funded
 Quotation Marks: To indicate doubt
• ‘Dead’ man attends own funeral
• ‘Lost’ boy safe in bed
• Senator urges critics to show ‘proof’
of corruption
 Simplicity is the key
• Witnessed – saw
• Depart – go
• Consultations – talks
• Commence – start
• Purchase – buy
• Recommend – urge
• Appropriate - due
 Simplicity is the key
• Witnessed – saw
• Depart – go
• Consultations – talks
• Commence – start
• Purchase – buy
• Recommend – urge
• Appropriate - due
 Let us try…
 
The Philippine government has ordered the
temporary ban of bird and poultry imports from
China due to confirmed outbreaks of the Highly
Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or bird flu virus
in this country.
 
DA bans birds, poultry imports from
China
 
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV called for the
suspension of the implementation of the K to 12
program of the Department of Education
(DepEd) until all of the fundamental problems in
the country’s educational system have been
addressed.
  
Trillanes seeks for K to 12 suspension
Solon seeks for K to 12 suspension
UNIT COUNTS
• A count system considers differences in the widths
of letters.
Capital letters: Small letters:
M, W – 2 units m, w – 1 ½ units
JLIFT – 1 unit jlift - ½
Others – 1 ½ units others – 1 unit
UNIT COUNTS
Punctuation marks
Dash (–) – 1 ½ units
Question mark (?) – 1 unit
Others – ½ unit
Number digits
0 to 9 – 1 unit
Space – 1 unit
SLUG
Ex.
Source PDI
Type of Article News
Topic Marawi Siege
Author/Date RDS/7-21-17
PRINTER’S DIRECTION
Ex.

Unit counts 20 uc
Font size 36 pts
Font Family/Style Garamond/ds
Columns 2 columns
Line/deck 1 line
BODY SCHEDULE
Lead Body

11 pts 10 pts
TNR Bold TNR light
23 ems 11 ems
THANK YOU FOR
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