Copy editing has never sounded like a great job — strapped to a desk, nit-picking stray commas, never allowed to write anything of your own.
But as news rapidly moves off the page and onto the web, the role of copy editors is quickly changing. Laura Johnston, the senior news editor at the Columbia Missourian, talked to the SJI class today about the importance of her copy editing duties. "Think of copy editors as people who sell your story, people who help you get noticed," Johnston said. "Think of ways to do that yourself."
SEO is now especially important to keep in mind. Analytics can tell journalists what words pique readers' interests and when the peak reading hours are. One two-paragraph story about former Missouri football player Derrick Washington and his legal troubles, for example, blew up with 15,000 page views back in 2010. Even the Missourian's follow-up edits got 5,000 views. Using data, the Missourian editors realized that most readers were searching for Washington's name, prompting them to include it prominently in all headlines.
Because what's the point of directing all your effort into crafting the perfect sentence if no one ever sees that sentence? Besides helping your work get more eyeballs, copy editing other writers also makes your own writing better. By constantly checking others for style and grammar, you become less likely to make the same mistakes yourself. "There's always something new," Johnston said. "Someone said copy editors don't leave the office all day. The thing I like about my job, though, is I never know what it's going to be like that day."
Near the end of her session, she gave some book suggestions as well:
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