Q. Where do you think copy editors fit into all of this? Most of what you're talking about relates to gathering news; what skills should those of us who edit the news be learning? (This question comes out of a
live Poynter Online chat we ran last week.)
MichelleA. I'm glad you asked that, Michelle, and I'm sorry we didn't get to it in the chat.
It is appalling to think about what's happened to copy editors in just the past few years. Two or three years ago, copy editors were seen as "mission critical." Their work might not have been fully appreciated, but editors knew that if they didn't have enough copy editors and designers, they couldn't get the paper out.
There has been a reversal of fortunes.
With changing technology and a few changes in some key corporate positions, copy editors have sometimes been referred to contemptuously as people who don't create content. Editing has been consolidated in distant cities or exported to other countries. This is all a mistake.
Copy editors have to reassert themselves. Certainly, they have to rely on the value of their work as their
biggest value, but there is much to be learned in multimedia, too. In a lot of shops, we're seeing that copy editors are the people who are trained first and deepest in digital platforms. The similarity between editing and producing, the expertise some copy editors have for a little coding and the attention to detail make them naturals.
One copy editor who has made the switch told me he has to keep reminding himself to edit -- and not merely produce -- Web pages. He says, though, that his job security has increased and his future now has more options.
Look to Web design, database creation and search engine optimization as great places to grow your multimedia skills as a copy editor. Video, audio and slideshow editing are also possible, but many of those skills will logically develop first with photo editors. A copy editor who has these skills, though, will be able to have a much bigger multimedia presence.
If you have more ideas for Michelle, please help us all by
clicking here.
The American Copy Editors Society has a good Web site at
www.copydesk.org. Its
national conference is coming up in Minneapolis, April 30 to May 2.
Coming Friday: He has a big internship for the summer, but has now landed a job offer for the end of the summer. Could that cost him his internship?
