5. Editing

Dennis(Xiao)Zhan

Exercise #5

            Being a newspaper editor is like being a referee: do a good job and no one notices but send a man off accidentally or announce prematurely the death of capitalism or Michael Heseltine and you can expect a call from Sepp Blatter or Rupert Murdoch. Or both. So watch it.

            Without a good editor, journalists would run wild, penning pieces about their favourite things (pubs, breasts, pubs) instead of focusing on what's important (Iraq, Labour, Lohan).

Does this feel like a career or is it a "leap and the net will appear" situation?

This is a career absolutely. I’m not looking for a net to appear. I’m leaping to grab the next trapeze and soar. Maybe I’m working without a net, but doesn’t that describe newspaper journalists today as well?

What's the future for newspapers -- will they always be around?
They'll be around for a long time. I think, though, that eventually they'll be quite different. For instance, I envision newspapers with smaller news holes. More people will rely on the Internet to get stocks, sports statistics, national news, etc.., so newspapers will be able to streamline their coverage in these areas; many papers already are doing this. Superior local and regional content will continue to take on more importance and dominate news space.

What's it like being a Deputy Editor?

It involves managing people. If you've been a hack all your life, tending to work independently - getting your story, writing it and handing it over - it's a change. At Deputy Editor level, you look at how the team is structured, Human Resources, restructuring, production schedules, resources and budgets. The less glamorous side! But as I said, I'm enjoying being able to put my stamp on the product. I'm very enthusiastic about the direction in which we're going here and I'd like to be the Editor in the future.

Do you like your job? What do you like best? Least?

Most days, I like my job a lot. Some days, though, I wish I were a marine biologist or maybe a carpenter. The best part of my job is when my reporters produce a story that makes a difference in the community. For example, when we find out about something that is wrong, and it gets fixed because we pointed it out, that is very satisfying. The thing I like least about my job is telling people "No." People call and think they have the best story in the world, but then I realize it's a real boring deal that even the best writer in the world couldn't make interesting. I have to tell those people that we won't be writing about them. Sometimes they get mad. Sometimes they yell. Oh well, part of the job.

 Is there special training or education involved in your job?

Yes, but most of it is learned on the job. The best way to prepare for a newspaper career is to study as many different subjects as possible, because you never know what you may be writing about the next day ro next month or next year. I went to college to get a degree in English, and along the way I took a lot of courses in history and Spanish and political science. I wish I had taken some classes in business and economics. But, you can prepare for journalism in a very simple way: Read a lot.

What is the process (are there specific steps) involved in editing?

The best way to edit a story is to read it through once to get a sense of it, before you start changing anything. After you have a feel for it, read it again to look for things that are missing, and ask yourself these questions: Are there gaps in what you are telling the reader? Does the story make sense? Are the important ideas at the beginning of the story? Is it fair, accurate and balanced? Have the reporter fill in anything that's missing. When you are satisfied, read the story again, this time looking for grammar and spelling problems. (Whoops, that should be problems. Good thing I edited this.) After you have made those fixes, read it over one last time just to see if you missed anything. Use the computer spell checker, and you're finished.

Did you always want to be a newspaper editor? How long have you been an editor?

I knew I always wanted to be a writer, or involved in writing in some way. I was an editor on high school and college newspapers. After college, I was a reporter for 10 years, and then decided to make a switch into editing. I have been an editor for about 15 years. I know what you're going to say -- I really don't look old enough to have spent all those hard years working for newspapers. Come on, that's what you were going to say, right?

However, and I really do hate being politically correct, it honestly does not fit the editorial mix of our newspapers

You get the final say on what goes in the newspaper....

You get a free paper...