When a copy editor gets to work on an article for The Times, it doesn’t matter what section its for, the guiding principal is the same one new doctors embrace when they take the Hipocratic Oath: First do no harm.
As soon as I finished reading this intro, written by a copy editor at one of the world's greatest newspapers, I was left dumbstruck. I had caught a glaring error. And I was all set to shoot off a stinker via the comments section.
Thank goodness I decided to read on before I made a fool of myself.
Why, you ask? Check out the clever and instructive "Times Insider" post by Eric Nagourney here: "The Copy Desk: The End of the Gauntlet (or Is It ‘Gantlet’?)".
- "Times Insider" has some incredibly illuminating posts on what happens behind the scenes at the newspaper. Read, for example, "Newlyweds on the Run: A Challenge in Reporting" in the STORY BEHIND THE STORY section and "How the Sports Narrative Works" in the SO TELL ME A STORY section. (You will need to register — it's free.)
- And since we are on the subject of copy-editing, or subbing, read this post by Commits alumnus DEBMALYA DUTTA: "What it means to be a newspaper sub".
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