1. To increase knowledge and understanding of: 

•  The role of the copy desk in media organizations 
• .The technological tools available today for better editing and writing 
• The legal, ethical and other pitfalls in editing, including racism and sexism. 
• The collaboration in WEDiting (writing, editing and design) in today's newsrooms 
• Editing as observed in local, national and international settings 
• Current affairs 

2. To improve skills relating to the use of:

•  Editing marks 
•  Wire-service style, including punctuation 
• Grammar 
• Headline writing 
• Photo cropping, sizing and cutline writing 
• Contemporary newspaper design 
• WEDiting 
•  Newsletter production and related feature writing 
• Internet resources 

3. To develop professional attitudes relating to:

•  Ethical behavior in editing, and writing 
• .Importance of deadlines 

Textbooks

The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law with Internet Guide and Glossary. New York: The Associated Press. 
(Note: If you see any inconsistency between your textbook's "wire service style" and the AP Stylebook, the latter prevails.)

Brooks, B.S., Pinson, J. L., & Sissors, J. Z. (2005). The Art of Editing, 8th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.  

Brooks, B.S., & Pinson, J. L. (2005). Student Workbook for The Art of Editing, 8th ed. Boston: Pearson Education. 

Brooks, B.S., Pinson, J. L., & Wilson, J. G. (2003) Working with Words: A Handbook for Media Writers and Editors, 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin's..
 

Highly recommended:

Truss, Lynne (2003). Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New York: Gotham Books. (All Copyediting students should read this book. It's a hilarious British approach to master punctuation. This is also available as a downloadable audiobook)

Supplementary (on-line and other) references:

Arnold, G. T. (1996). Media Writer's Handbook: A Guide to Writing and Editing Problems. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark.

Bartlett's Quotations. 

Darling, C. (2004). Guide to Grammar and Writing. Hartford, CT: Capital Community College.

EditTeach.org

Exercise Central for AP Style (Bedford/ St. Martin's Web site)

Garcia, M. (1993). Contemporary Newspaper Design: A Structural Approach. 3d ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
(Chapter 1 "WED: the importance of writing, editing and design," pp. 10-37, is compulsory reading before Week 9.) OVERSIZE Z253 .G27 

Mencher, M. (2003). News Reporting and Writing. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill. 
(Chapter 5 "The Lead," pp. 111-136; Chapter 7 "The Writer's Art," pp. 153-188; and Chapter 8 "Features, Long Stories and Series," pp. 190-218, are compulsory reading before Week 8.) 

Merriam-Webster Online

News University (Poynter Institute)

Roget's Thesaurus. 

Stovall, J. G. (1997). Infographics: A Journalist's Guide. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.  

Strunk, W., & White, E. B. (1979) The Elements of Style. 3rd ed. New York: Macmillan.
(This is a classic handbook that all must read before getting into the grammar component of the course) 

Additional References

American Copy Editors Society
    Discussion Board
    Editing Booklet
Copy Editor (Poynter Institute)
The Copyediting-L Style FAQ
The Editorial Eye
Magazine Copy Editing (Mindy McAdams) 
The Slot
Writing Resources Center

Assessment of objectives

• Objective 1 (knowledge and understanding): Acquired through prescribed readings, class discussions and Internet exploration. Assessed through quizzes and exams.
• Objective 2 (skills): Assessed through several quizzes on copy and proof markings, wire-service style, punctuation, grammar and headline writing; team-produced WEDited stories, which reflect contemporary design, good headline writing, and superior editing of text, photos and graphics.
• Objective 3 (attitudes): Assessed through the ability to meet deadlines and adherence to ethical behavior in producing class assignments.

The final grade will be based on the total number of points scored on the following assignments: 

1. Regular exercises on editing skills                                                          500 points = 50%
2. WED team project (two-page spread)                                                  200 points = 20%                                           
3. Midsemester examination:                                                                     150 points = 15%
4. Final examination:                                                                                 150 points = 15%
5. Attendance  [Incentive grade of 50 extra points added to final grade]   
   Total                                                                                                 1,000 points = 100%

        Normally, A=900+     B=800+     C=700+     D=600+     F=<600. 
       (Final grades will show plus and minus distinctions within each grade category.)
  

1. Regular exercises on editing skills: Students will do Workbook exercises as specified in the schedule. These exercises will help improve skills in grammar (accurate use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, verbals, etc.),  AP style (the wire-service guidelines for capitalization, abbreviations, punctuation and numerals), headline writing, photo/graphics editing, page design, etc. Students should read the scheduled textbook chapter and do the related Workbook exercise/s prior to attending each class so class time can focus on problem solving. The grade for this component (50 percent of the final grade) will be based on 10 exercises some of which may be from the Workbook
(Note:  In objective tests, the percentage of correct answers will be the criterion for grading.) 

2. WED team project (two-page spread): The class will divide itself into three-person WED groups to write, edit and design a two-page spread for a local magazine or a company newsletter issued on a regular basis. Be sure that you identify a writer, editor and a designer within the group although all three must be involved in the three roles to some degree. We will get into a formal discussion on WED in Week 11, but you should plan your project as a team well before that. Read the following in advance:

--The four principles of artistic design (elaborated in pp. 308-314 of your textbook) that distinguishes traditional (sans design) layout from contemporary modular design/layout

--The six tips for better editing and design  that elevates contemporary design to the W.E.D. level by attracting the audience to the story through multiple entry points (pp. 13-20) plus Don Fry's five tips for W.E.D. implementation (pp. 21-23)  in Chapter 1 WED: the integration of writing, editing and design in Mario Garcia's 1993 book (available on reserve in MC office).

After reading the above material and attending the WED class discussion in weeks 10-11. each student must write a short paper explaining the differences between the traditional approach and the W.E.D. approach providing clear answers to the following:
     1. What distinguishes traditional layout from contemporary layout/design?
     2. What features elevate a story/page from mere contemporary design to the W.E.D. level?
     3. How would  your team follow Don Fry's five tips for W.E.D. implementation?
(I will use this paper to boost up your midsemester examination score.

-- The W.E.D. story should be a two-page printed spread of the  publication you have selected (with the approval of the instructor). You must use the exact typeface the publication uses for story headlines (e.g., Helvetica) and text (e.g., Times). Follow its page format as well. However, the design must be your own innovative creation.

-- The W.E.D. story ideas are due by Week 10.  The laser-printed two-page spread is due in Week 16.(Dec. 10 ) 

 Grading: Writing, editing and design components of each story will receive separate grades. The overall grade will be the average of the three.

3. Midsemester examination: This exam, which follows the format of the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund tests for internships, will test your copy editing skills and current affairs knowledge. Students should try out the previous tests available online.  (The paper on W.E.D. approach will be considered a part of this exam.)

4. Final examination: This will test your knowledge of the required readings. Revise all the chapter quizzes you did during the semester.. It will also include grammar and usage items.

5. Attendance is required (Up to 5 percentage points will be added to final course grade to reward good attendance). Students are expected to attend all class meetings. In case of absence due to health, military obligations, emergencies or official university activities, students must provide satisfactory documentation. I shall not give make-up quizzes or tests for frivolous reasons such as hunting or car problems. Students should avoid committing themselves for activities on days scheduled for tests and quizzes.

I shall follow the guidelines on attendance policy and academic honesty spelled out in the Student Handbook.

Special Accommodations: Students with disabilities who believe that they need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact Greg Toutes, coordinator of disability services at 477-2652 (phone) or 477-2047 (TTY), CMU 222, as soon as possible.

Class Schedule

Note: To make your class time worthwhile, complete the week's readings and exercises before attending the class. This will enable the instructor to conduct the class interactively with students as active participants rather than as passive listeners. 
 

Week 1

Aug. 27
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 1: Editing for Today's Changing Media
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 1 Quiz (p. 5)
Learn editing and proofing marks (Workbook, Appendix I Symbols) . 

Aug. 29 
 Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 2: The Editor and the Audience 
 Answer: Workbook, Ch. 2 Quiz (p. 11). Practice using editing and proofing marks
 

Aug.  31
 Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors Ch. 3: The Editing Process (Symbols on pp.46, & 54-58)
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 3 Quiz (p. 19)
Answer: Workbook, Self-Scoring Exercise (pp. 21-22)

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  Week 2

Sept. 3 (Labor Day)
 

Sept. 5
Complete the two Workbook exercises on pp. 23 and 25 to show competence in use of copy editing symbols.
You will have to consult the AP Stylebook for style errors, and check Appendixes III & IV in the back of the Workbook for fact errors pertaining to people's names, job tittles, ages, addresses, and street names.

Sept. 7 
Complete the two Workbook exercises on pp. 27 and 29 to show competence in use of proofreading symbols

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Week 3

Sept. 10
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 4 Macro Editing for the Big Picture
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 4 quizzes on pp. 35-36 (TF statements); 37-38 (on leads); and 39-40 (on quotations, etc.)

Sept.12
Complete the Workbook exercises on on pp. 41-42 (numbers), 43-44 (objectivity); and copyedit the story on p. 47 to correct all style, spelling and number errors.

Sept. 14
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 8 Writing Headlines, Titles, Captions and Blurbs
Pay  attention to Headline Schedule on Workbook Appendix II, also reproduced on p. 230 of the main text, to understand headline specification by column width, point size and number of lines.
 Basic guidelines for headline writing and EditTeach.org
Answer: Workbook Ch. 8 Quiz (p. 171)

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Week 4

Sept. 17:
Complete Workbook exercises on p.175 and p.177. (Use the standard head-count method: Each uppercase letter is counted as 1.5 units except for M and W, each of which is counted as 2 units; and I and L, each of which is counted as 0.5 units. Each lowercase letter is counted as 1 unit except for f l i t j, each of which is counted as 0.5 units; and m and w, each of which is counted as 1.5 units. Each space and punctuation mark is counted as 0.5 units.

Sept. 19
In class, practice writing headlines for each of the six stories in Workbook exercise on p. 181. Headlines specs to come.
During weekend, write headlines for each of the stories in Workbook exercise on p. 183. Headline specifications to be given.

Sept. 21
Discussion of headline writing exercises
Exploration of Internet writing and editing resources

Copyedit the story on pp. 187-188 in the Workbook and write a headline to fit the specification 3-36-2 (max. count 31)
 

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Week 5

Sept. 24
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 6: Micro Editing for Precision in Language.
You must read the entire chapter with extreme care to be proficient in grammar and style. If your grammatical skills are weak, please consult Working With Words (by Brooks, Pinson & Wilson).

Answer: Workbook Ch. 6 quizzes on pp. 83-84 (grammar and usage) and 85-86 (style, spelling and tightening)

Sept. 26
Exploration of  nouns and pronouns. Study the correct use of case--nominative, objective and possessive--of nouns and pronouns (pp. 37-40 in Working with Words). This week's exercise also requires an understanding of the use of verbal nouns--gerunds, participles and infinitives (pp. 45-46; 79-80 and p. 90, ibid.); and the use of relative pronouns (pp. 41-44, ibid.). You must also know that linking verbs (p. 58, ibid.) take predicate complements or nominatives, not objects. Apply the last guideline on p. 80 (ibid.) to answer items 3 and 13. Try EditTeach.org for examples.

Complete Workbook exercise on nouns and pronouns (pp. 87-88)

Sept. 28
Ask the instructor session: What did you not understand on nouns and pronouns?

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Week 6

Oct. 1
Exploration of  verbs. Study the principal parts of common irregular verbs (pp. 64-65 in Working with Words) such as lay, lie, set, sit, raise, rise. Refer to examples in EditTeach.org.

Complete Workbook exercise on verbs (pp. 89-90)

Oct. 3
Exploration of adjectives and adverbs (Ch. 6, Working with Words); EditTeach.org.
Note that linking verbs, which include sense verbs, take predicate adjectives, not adverbs. Study the comparative forms--positive, comparative and superlative--of adjectives and adverbs. Select the nominative case for the subject of each clause in a sentence. Recognize sentence adverbs.

Complete Workbook exercise on adjectives and adverbs (pp.91-92)

Oct. 5
Ask the instructor session: What did you not understand about verbs, adjectives, and adverbs?
Complete Workbook exercise on prepositions (pp. 93-94)
 

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Week 7

Oct. 8-12

Extended study of parts of speech

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Week 8

Oct. 15 (Fall breather)
             [Registration/Advising begins]

Oct. 17
Exploration of subject- verb agreement (Consult Working with Words); EditTeach.org
Complete Workbook exercise on subject-verb agreement (pp. 95-96)

Oct. 19
Exploration of  pronoun- antecedent agreement  (pp. 35-37 in Working with Words); EditTeach.org
Exploration of  voice via a writing lab (pp. 70-71 in Working with Words); EditTeach.org
Complete Workbook exercise on pronoun-antecedent agreement (pp.97-98)
Complete Workbook exercise on active-passive voice (p. 107-108)

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Week 9

Oct. 22
Honing AP Style. Consult Appendixes III and IV to check for fact errors.
Complete Workbook exercise on abbreviations and acronyms (p. 109)
Complete Workbook exercise on capitalization (p. 111)
 

Oct. 24
Complete Workbook exercise on punctuation and hyphenation (p. 113)

Oct. 26
Complete Workbook exercise on numerals (p. 115)
 

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Week 10

Oct. 29
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 7 Holistic Editing: Integrating the Macro and the Micro
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 7 quizzes on pp.163-164 and on p. 69

Oct.. 31
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 9 Using Photos, Graphics and Type
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 9 Quiz (p. 209)

Crop and size the three photos on Workbook pp.211-214 for a multiple-photo feature on a full tabloid page. When you use several photos in a module, apply design principles--balance, contrast, proportion and unity--to determine the size and placement of the photos/graphics and other heavy elements. Use crop marks to edit the photos. Cropping and sizing are not the same. First, crop the photo to highlight the focus. Second, determine the relative importance of each photo to tell the story. Then do the sizing--determining the column width and depth each photo should take on the printed page.

Nov. 2
Deadline for submitting WED story ideas

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Week 11

Nov. 5
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch.10 Editing Newspapers
Read (Supplementary): Garcia, Ch. 1: W.E.D.: the integration of writing, editing and design [On reserve at MC office]

Discussion of principles of design applicable to newspapers, the difference between traditional layout and contemporary design (the D in W.E.D) and how D is integrated with Writing and Editing to do WED stories.

Students should bring to class good and bad examples of newspaper layout/design. Be prepared to describe the purpose of newspaper design.   Show how the designer has implemented design  principles on a particular page. Determine whether your selected newspaper has a traditional layout or a contemporary design.

Nov. 7
Design a front page on the dummy on p. 234.of the Workbook to fit material on the editor's copy log on p. 233.  (See Appendix V for two examples of designed dummies. The appendix also tells you how to calculate story lengths for a standard 6-column newspaper page (78 picas = 6 cols. x 21.5 inches = 129 column inches. The copy log in our exercise adds up to 100 col. inches thereby allowing you 29 col. inches for headlines). 
 First, determine the relative importance of items on the basis of length and related photos/graphics. (The obviously big story is the one on budget with two charts, which will take up a module of more than 28 col. inches when you add the headline specification. The Mideast and Trip stories are next in importance. The headline size based on column width and point size--24, 30, 36, 48, 60, 72--is one indicator of showing the relative importance of each story.) Each story should be a module--a rectangle. Avoid zigzags.
Second, place the photos/graphics on the dummy to balance the entire page (see Figure 10-3 in textbook, p. 310). Then place the other material. Apply the design principles of balance, contrast, proportion and unity to achieve a dominant vertical or horizontal effect. (See Figure 10-5 in textbook, p. 314, for achieving a horizontal effect.) Note the four ways of achieving contrast--shape, size, weight and direction 

Nov. 9
Midsemester Examination
Deadline for submitting short paper answering the three questions on WED approach

Week 12

Nov. 12
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 5 Macro Editing: for Legality, Ethics and Propriety
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 5 quizzes on media law (pp. 59-60), ethics, taste and sensitivity (pp. 65-66)

Nov. 14
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 11: Editing Magazines and Newsletters
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 11 Quiz (p. 237)
Students should bring to class examples of good and bad magazine and newsletter layout/designs. Students in the public relations stream should lead the discussion
 
Nov. 16
WED teams of no more than three people should meet in class to develop their two-page spread for a local or regional magazine or newsletter.
Supplementary work on sentence tightening: Workbook exercises on p.129 and p. 131
 

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Week 13

Nov. 19  Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 12: Editing for the Web
Answer: Workbook, Ch 12 Quiz (p. 245)

Nov. 21 (Fall break)

Nov. 23 (Fall break)
 

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Week 14

Nov. 26
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 13: Editing for the Broadcast Media
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 13 Quiz (p. 251)

Nov. 28
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 14: Editing in Other Fields
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 14 Quiz (p. 261)

Nov..30
WED teams meet in class to discuss their work and report on progress.
Supplementary work on sentence tightening and spelling: Workbook exercises on p.133 and p. 135

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Week 15

Dec. 3
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 15: The Editor as Coach
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 15 Quiz (p. 269)
Supplementary work on style: Workbook exercise on p.119 and p. 121

Dec. 5
Read: Brooks, Pinson & Sissors, Ch. 16: The Editor as Manager and Leader
Answer: Workbook, Ch. 16 Quiz (p. 273)
Supplementary work on style: Workbook exercise on p.123 and p. 125

Dec. 7
WED teams meet in class to discuss their work and report on progress.
Supplementary work on style: Workbook exercises on p.127
 

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Week 16

Dec. 10
Deadline for WED team project

Dec.12  (Study Day)
 

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Dec. 13
MC310 Copy Editing Final Examination: Noon 

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Send comments to Professor Shelton Gunaratne. 
©2007. All rights reserved. 
Last revised: 9 Aug.. 2007