Editing for Today's Newsroom

Author Carl Sessions Stepp is professor of journalism at the University of Maryland, where he has taught since 1983. He is senior editor of American Journalism Review and worked a reporter and editor for 12 years with the St. Petersburg Times, Charlotte Observer and USA Today. Stepp has served as visiting writing and editing coach at dozens of newspapers and news organizations and frequently conducts writing and editing clinics for newspapers, journalism groups and other organizations.

Carl Sessions Stepp’s second edition of Editing for Today’s Newsroom arrives at just the right time. In today’s "anyone can be a journalist" environment, Stepp reminds us that editors and editing stand between journalistic mediocrity and excellence. Readers will find crisp technique, context and encouragement in this coherent, accessible text. Certain to emerge as the standard. John F. Greenman, University of GeorgiaCarl Stepp thoroughly understands every phase of editing. He knows editing’s past and present, and, most importantly, he leads us toward its future. Editing for Today’s Newsroom provides insightful point-by-point guidance on everything from applying basic grammar rules to making decisions about coverage. This book will inspire the college student working toward his first rim job. It will restore confidence to the veteran desk person struggling to keep pace with a growing demand for speed (Don’t miss Carl’s discussion of the RECESS method). It will encourage a veteran reporter just promoted to a seat on the city desk. And it will motivate a longtime editor who’s striving to provide leadership in the changing newsroom environment. Anyone who edits, studies editing or teaches aspiring editors should read Editing for Today’s Newsroom.Bill Cloud, Julian W. Scheer Term Associate Professor and director of the Summer Institute for Midcareer Copy Editors, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillA young editor once asked Carl Sessions Stepp whether editing was a job or a lifestyle. Stepp’s answer is this book, which covers the "breathtaking breadth" of editing as a way of life. Updated to reflect journalism’s transformation by the Internet, Editing for Today’s Newsroom is a guide to the job of editing in all its roles: leader, coach, quality controller, umpire – even, thanks to the linking nature of online journalism, brand manager. Stepp pulls powerful examples of the best and worst editors from his own career, as well as from the experiences of other professionals, to leave readers chuckling – and sometimes flinching, occasionally quaking. In the end, students of editing, novice and pro alike, are deeply impressed by the imperative to focus on the heart of editing – making news decisions that are grounded in fact and fairness and helping writers to express their ideas in the most effective way possible. If future editors heed the wisdom in this book, journalism’s future will be in surer hands.Deborah Gump, Committee of Concerned Journalists"[...] Here is what you should know about Stepp's second edition of Editing for Today's Newsroom: Buy it, read it, and savor it as a passionate testimony to, and a practical handbook for, editors everywhere."-- Jan Leach, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly"Readers will enjoy the bonus vignettes, short slices of real newsroom insight, such as proceedings from a paper's news meeting, problems student editors have dealt with, recommendations from former editors, cases, debates, and newsroom lore."-- Jan Leach, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly"This book should be circulated in newsrooms and classrooms to help energize and inspire editors; they deserve to celebrate the joy that is journalism."-- Jan Leach, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

• ContentsPreface xi1 The Changing World of EditingThe Chronic Shortage of Editors 6Lifestyles of the Nonrich and the Nonfamous 7The Changing Nature of Journalism 11Conclusion 14Sidebar 1—Experiences in Editing 152 The Rise of the New Editor 21The Editor in History 22The Editor As Businessperson 26The Editor As Planner 29The Editor As Manager 30The Editor As Journalist 31Conclusion 33Sidebar 2—Defining the Typical Editor: "How Come SoMany of Them Tend to be Geeks?"by David Barry 343 What Is an Editor? 38How Writers See Editors 39How Editors See Themselves 43What Makes a Good Editor 45Sidebar 3—Giftsby Charles McCorkle Hauser 514 The Editor As Decision Maker 54Making Decisions: The Foundation 55Properly Equipping the Newsroom 56Strategically Allocating Time 57Setting a Tone for Good Communications 60Shaping a Personal Decision-Making Model 61Conclusion 62Sidebar 4—Human Perversityfrom Editor & Publisher 635 Making Decisions About People 64Managing in Today’s Newsroom 64Leading Other Journalists 76Conclusion 79Sidebar 5—Editors Muse on Their Management Stylefrom the ASNE Bulletin 806 Making Decisions About Coverage 83What News Is and Isn’t 84Organizing Coverage 87Conclusion 92Sidebar 6—Sure Ways to Becomethe World’s Worst Editorby Carl Sessions Stepp 937 Making Decisions About Copy 95A Model for Editing 97Conclusion 114Sidebar 7—10 Steps Toward Better Editingby Carl Sessions Stepp 1148 Making Decisions About Design 116Headlines 118Photos 121Graphics 123Layout 125Conclusion 129Sidebar 8—The New Age of Graphicsby Bill Steinauer 1309 Making Decisions About Legal Issues 134Libel 137Invasion of Privacy 141Courts and Contempt 142Plagiarism and Copyright 145National Security 146Conclusion 148Sidebar 9—An Editor’s Reading List 14910 Making Decisions About Ethics 151The Ethics of Day-to-Day Journalism 153The Ethics of Newsroom Policymaking 158The Ethics of Upper Management 162Conclusion 165 Sidebar 10—Excerpts From "NewsroomPolicies and Guidelines"from the Seattle Times 16511 Toward Excellence in Editing 169Developing New Editors 171Nurturing Editors 175Some Specific Starting Points 178Conclusion: To the Future 179Appendix: Helping Writers With Form 180Spelling 180Grammar and Punctuation 181Usage 183Helping Writers With Style and Form 185A Checklist 187Index 188