Copyreading Copyreading is the fastidious and methodical word-by-word check of copy for spelling, grammar, syntax, conformity of style,

ascertainable factual error such as middle initials, titles, trade-names, whether figures add up, etc. It is a vital second check on taste, libel, general accuracy and clarity. It is an important first check on understandability: the copyreader is a kind of first test reader, protecting the subscriber against over-expertise on the one hand and writing down on the other. The copyreader is also the deskman who ushers a story into print. He follows a story from edition to edition, sometimes from page to page, through the various mutations of new leads, inserts, ads, fixes, changes in heads, etc. He guards not only against reporter and editor error but against composing room error, continually checking galley proofs, page proofs, and the edition just off the press. He worries about such details as the spacing of sub-heads, the making of 8 pt. fixes, the accuracy and relevancy of cut lines. His most noticeable creative role is the writing of heads - Phil Foisie How to write a news headline 1. News headlines should be descriptive, interesting, and concise. 2. Headlines should include a noun and verb. 3. Keep the headline as brief as possible. Headlines should be short. Only the first letter in the first word of the headline is uppercase. All other words in the headline are lowercase, except for proper names. Examples of proper names are "Roderick Fraser," the "University of Alberta," or "Edmonton." 4. Headlines do not need to be sentences. 5. Headlines can contain punctuation, but a period should never end a title. (Question marks, if relevant, are OK.) 6. Never use "all-caps" for a title. Challenge and refine your headline 1. Punch with your verbs. Consider whether you can use a stronger, fresher or more specific verb. With your limited space, you need to make every word count, and often the verb is the most important word in the headline. Give it the attention and time it deserves. Schlander offers

this advice: A fresh verb can really make a headline. Great example: Summer muscles its way into spring Deputies inch toward unionization. This also creates a strong mental picture. Strong, well-chosen verbs often do that. 3. Make fun of your headline. Does it state the obvious? Could it have a double meaning? Does a nearby photograph or another headline present an embarrassing juxtaposition? 4. Spell check after you write the head. Typos happen as easily in headlines as in stories, but theyre more embarrassing in large type. 5. Consider the tone of the story. A light, clever head on a serious story can be silly or even offensive. Yet a light, clever story demands a light, clever head. 6. Read the headline aloud. This will help you spot and avoid clunky headlinese writing and move toward more conversational heads. 7. Watch for traps. Read the headline one line at a time. Does the first line, read alone, take on a funny meaning that detracts from the headline and the story? Does a nearby but perhaps unrelated photo create a juxtaposition that could make the headline offensive or ridiculous? 8. Hold gimmicks to high standards. Effective alliteration, rhyming and puns make a memorable headline and draw readers to a story. When such techniques dont work, though, the headline becomes an embarrassment. On a good story its like putting an ugly paint job on beautiful wood; on a bad story its like an admission, Buddenberg says. If youre not sure whether it works, it probably doesnt. If your alliteration uses four words and only three of them actually fit the story, it doesnt work. Be especially demanding of headlines using titles or lines from movies, songs or books. 9. Dont plagiarize the writers phrases. If the reporter used a clever turn of phrase in the lead or the kicker, dont scoop the writer by putting it in the headline. Sometimes this happens inadvertently. As youre challenging your headline, ask whether its echoing the story (which sets the story up as the echo, since the reader sees the head first). From the internet