Comments on: Copy editors going the way of the dodo http://blog.agrawals.org/2008/06/21/copy-editors-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/ Rocky Agrawal's blog on search, wireless, maps and Web 2.0 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:08:58 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Rocky Agrawal http://blog.agrawals.org/2008/06/21/copy-editors-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/#comment-24384 Rocky Agrawal Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:27:05 +0000 http://redesign.wordpress.com/?p=609#comment-24384 Those particular errors wouldn't bother me a whole lot, no. As I said, the number of errors in the column was deliberately exaggerated. I know all about the SAT Test and other such redundancies. As a former copy editor, I would've caught most of those errors. But I'm a former copy editor. Most typical readers would read right over the ATM one and probably chuckle over the penis. There will be more grammatical and punctuation errors in news stories with fewer resources in copy editing; that's a given. My general point is that if you have to allocate scarce resources, you should allocate them toward making sure you're delivering interesting, accurate content. Newspapers had been living in a world where they had monopoly profits and could afford to strive for perfection. They can't anymore. Those particular errors wouldn’t bother me a whole lot, no. As I said, the number of errors in the column was deliberately exaggerated. I know all about the SAT Test and other such redundancies. As a former copy editor, I would’ve caught most of those errors. But I’m a former copy editor. Most typical readers would read right over the ATM one and probably chuckle over the penis.

There will be more grammatical and punctuation errors in news stories with fewer resources in copy editing; that’s a given.

My general point is that if you have to allocate scarce resources, you should allocate them toward making sure you’re delivering interesting, accurate content.

Newspapers had been living in a world where they had monopoly profits and could afford to strive for perfection. They can’t anymore.

]]> By: Jan Fehler http://blog.agrawals.org/2008/06/21/copy-editors-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/#comment-24383 Jan Fehler Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:21:32 +0000 http://redesign.wordpress.com/?p=609#comment-24383 "...lament the replacement of bank tellers with automated ATM machines." Hello? The point was "automated ATM machines" is stupid. That's automated automated teller machine machines. Also, you don't think they need a copy editor for "penis mightier than the sword"? “…lament the replacement of bank tellers with automated ATM machines.” Hello? The point was “automated ATM machines” is stupid. That’s automated automated teller machine machines.

Also, you don’t think they need a copy editor for “penis mightier than the sword”?

]]> By: Rocky Agrawal http://blog.agrawals.org/2008/06/21/copy-editors-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/#comment-24378 Rocky Agrawal Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:17:59 +0000 http://redesign.wordpress.com/?p=609#comment-24378 I agree that there is value in smart, experienced copy editors. Proportionately, way too much time is spent on things that add marginal value. (Fixing who/whom, data/datum, etc.) They're spending too much time worrying about the nits and not enough on "does this make sense?" "is the premise of this plausible?" Given a finite set of resources, I'd focus those resources on identifying holes in stories and adding value to content through tagging and adding semantic data. I agree that there is value in smart, experienced copy editors. Proportionately, way too much time is spent on things that add marginal value. (Fixing who/whom, data/datum, etc.)

They’re spending too much time worrying about the nits and not enough on “does this make sense?” “is the premise of this plausible?”

Given a finite set of resources, I’d focus those resources on identifying holes in stories and adding value to content through tagging and adding semantic data.

]]> By: Mark http://blog.agrawals.org/2008/06/21/copy-editors-going-the-way-of-the-dodo/#comment-24377 Mark Sat, 21 Jun 2008 17:00:39 +0000 http://redesign.wordpress.com/?p=609#comment-24377 There are newspapers experimenting with auto-copy-editors--I kid you not--basically really sophisticated spellcheckers that can eliminate a layer or two, or more, of copy editors. I'm a big proponent of the value of copy editors, but I think in a lot of ways they're a relic of an industrial age. A lot of what they do, at least from a stylistic and formatting standpoint, can be handled by a smart version of Microsoft Word. There's no substitute, though, for the smart, experienced copy editor who can catch a hole in a story that the reporter and assigning editor missed. There are newspapers experimenting with auto-copy-editors–I kid you not–basically really sophisticated spellcheckers that can eliminate a layer or two, or more, of copy editors.

I’m a big proponent of the value of copy editors, but I think in a lot of ways they’re a relic of an industrial age. A lot of what they do, at least from a stylistic and formatting standpoint, can be handled by a smart version of Microsoft Word.

There’s no substitute, though, for the smart, experienced copy editor who can catch a hole in a story that the reporter and assigning editor missed.

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