Category Archives: Editing

01.17.17
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Golly Molly, let’s type

Old-school printers owned a collection of lead letters and numbers. They set the type for stories and headlines from that font. Limits can be freeing. Printers didn’t stand around every day wondering what typeface was best. They used what they had. I sometimes am overwhelmed by the choices before me. Designer Pablo Stanley, via The Type Snob, offers advice for choosing typefaces that are readable. That’s the point of text — to convey ideas. I even learned to make a real dash on the Mac — option shift hyphen. I know better than to use two em dashes in a row. But I had to practice.

12.13.16
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Covering politics in a “post-truth” America | Brookings Institution

We’ve achieved a lot more transparency in today’s Washington—without the accountability that was supposed to come with it.

Does it matter if we seek the truth and report it? Here’s a short history of covering politics from the “print is king” era to now — by a woman who has lived it: Covering politics in a “post-truth” America | Brookings Institution

03.03.15
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Focus, focus, focus, focus, focus

OK, the director of CNN Digital didn’t say the same word five times, but she could have. Have a specialty, measure what matters, match platform to message, tend to your story after publication, and go in order.

Here’s the flavor of Meredith Artley’s remarks made at Harvard last week and a link to the audio of her presentation:

Artley also discussed how analytics can be used to improve journalism — without compromising an outlet’s commitment to hard news. “It’s not saying, ‘Let’s not do Ukraine because nobody’s clicking on it.’ It’s saying, ‘This is a critically important story — how do we need to position this … to reach the broadest audience?'” she said. “Don’t simplify the argument into ‘data bad, journalistic instinct good.’”

Meredith Artley of CNN Digital: Five rules for modern journalists Journalist’s Resource: Research for Reporting, from Harvard Shorenstein Center.

10.27.14
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Scientific American wants a winter/spring intern

Scientific American, Editorial Intern (Winter/Spring)

Nature Publishing Group (NPG), the publisher of Scientific American and a family of scientific journals and reference works, is currently accepting applications for Winter/Spring editorial interns at Scientific American.

The internship includes such duties as assisting editors, reporting, proofreading, fact checking, and proposing and writing short articles for Scientific American magazine, Scientific American Mind magazine, Scientific American online and Scientific American Español online. Interns typically leave with at least a handful of clips. Please indicate in your letter which platform most interests you.

Qualifications: Must have command of basics of reporting and writing and a strong interest in science and technology topics. An undergraduate degree in a science discipline is preferred but not required. Intern for Scientific American Español must have strong writing and communication skills in Spanish and English.

To apply, use our link: https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=11264221

https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit/?id=11264221

 

via Scientific American Jobs – Scientific American.

10.13.14
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Science Online has reached the “difficult but unavoidable decision to dissolve the organization.” | KSJ Tracker | Knight Science Journalism at MIT

The world of independent science blogging and direct communication from scientist to audience sees another turn.

Science Online has reached the “difficult but unavoidable decision to dissolve the organization.” | KSJ Tracker | Knight Science Journalism at MIT.

 

06.18.14
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“Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number and gender”

… or so the rule goes. But while we hear the plural, inclusive “they” used often in speech for indefinite reference, how do we refer to specific individuals? And can we prescribe pronouns? A linguist from the University of Illinois is quoted as saying that prescribing usually doesn’t work.

Vancouver School Board’s genderless pronouns — xe, xem, xyr — not likely to stick, if history is any indication | National Post.