Editing
As Co-Editor-in-Chief, one of my main roles is aiming for a quality publication. From the very first edits of the rough draft to the end publication that sends to print, my eyes examine writing and designing through the whole process. Open communication and accessibility is the basis of my editing system. After four years of working on The Hoofbeat, I have learned how to be an effective editor from many different people. From former editors of The Hoofbeat to our journalism adviser, watching others provide open feedback to create the best work possible has enabled me to create a constructive form of editing.
Copy Editing
When editing stories, my goal is not only to improve the style and the content of the writing, but also to provide feedback for the actual writer to improve. I can quickly scan articles to ensure that they abide by AP style as well as our unique stylistic notation at The Hoofbeat. However, I put extra emphasis on accessible feedback and construct criticisms so my staff can grow as journalists. Along with my Co-Editor-in-Chief and our journalism adviser, we have conferences with every writer for every article written. This is when I focus on open communication and verbal feedback, which allows us to discuss the process of storytelling and how to most effectively communicate a message. My suggestions aim to improve the format, style and accuracy of the text, but I allow enough room for the writer to maintain his/her voice.
Staff Editorial Edits
Blackface
Blackface
After students at our high school painted their faces black at a football game, a large dispute emerged on social media about the racist implications of "blackface". We knew immediately that our staff editorial needed to cover this issue. When editing articles about sensitive topic, a large part of the process is ensuring that the framing of the piece is correct. After fixing some grammatical and AP stylistic errors, I also edited this staff editorial to create a framing based on "education" as opposed to "blame". I suggested neutral sourcing and rewriting some areas that could be misinterpreted as bias.
Read final story →
The first draft is shown below with my comments.
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Sept. 16, 2016)
Read final story →
The first draft is shown below with my comments.
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Sept. 16, 2016)
Sports Feature Edits
Varsity Tennis
Varsity Tennis
My edits for a sports feature article are shown below. Aside from the usual grammar and AP style fixes, my suggestions focused on reorienting the structure of the article. The original draft seemed disconnected, so I made sure that the final draft had a strong flow with a lede that urged the reader to read further.
Read final story →
The first draft is shown below with my comments.
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Sept. 16, 2016)
Read final story →
The first draft is shown below with my comments.
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Sept. 16, 2016)
Entertainment Review Edits
Vegan Restaurant
Vegan Restaurant
I edited a review article of a vegan restaurant by a new writer. Since she had never written an entertainment review before, my edits were focused around format and writing style. I emphasized being descriptive and specific throughout the article because that is the most effective method of writing for a review.
Read final story →
The first draft is shown below with my comments.
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Nov 21, 2016)
Read final story →
The first draft is shown below with my comments.
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Nov 21, 2016)
Page Layout Editing
New page editors on staff generally take some time to learn visually appealing tips and consistency rules for their pages. In addition to stories, I also tediously edit every layout before we send to print. Not only do I reread every story to catch overlooked grammatical and stylistic mistakes, I also pay close attention to spacing, consistency, font, and stylistic details. I follow up with each editor to clarify layout concepts and avoid making similar mistakes in the future. In many cases, I sit down with student editors to teach them tricks on InDesign and explain how to best create elegant layouts.
News, Pages 2-3
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Feb. 6, 2017)
(Published in The Hoofbeat on Feb. 6, 2017)