Corrections policies, etc.

Recently, we learned about a few different ways of approaching errors in the news -- something that unfortunately happens everywhere at one time or another. The big question is what the best way would be to deal with those problems. If I were in charge of a paper and had to come up with a correction policy, here's what it would look like:

All errors, whether factual or typographical, must be handled as efficiently, yet reasonably, as possible. This means that any reports of inaccurate and/or libelous reporting will first being investigated by the editor of the section in which the error is said to occur. If the claim is found to be truthful, the reporter will be notified and warned. Subsequent errors will result in disciplinary action. Always offer a "hat tip" if the error is brought to our attention by someone in the community.

If the error is libelous or potentially defamatory: The editor-in-chief will determine further course of action with the writer, section editor, ombudsman and the attorney for the paper, if needed.

If the error is merely typographical: typographical errors may be scrubbed on the Web, provided they are not factually relevant (like a name of a person, address, etc.)

If the error is factual: Once confirmed, there will be a bold notice above the headline referencing the original date of publication, the error, and what the correction should be. It is not necessary to state the reason for the error, unless it stems from the use of reputable sources.

In print, there should be a consistent box (in the same place) that is used on a daily basis for reporting corrections. Ideally, this should be on the inside of the front page, but if this is not possible for layout reasons under special circumstances, than the editorial page is suitable.

The use of social media to alert readers of the error is at the discretion of the erroneous article's section editor, and would depend on the nature of the error itself as well as the time elapsed since its initial publication.

The copy editor's toolbox

Sometimes, it seems that the world of journalism is evolving faster than those of us already in the field can keep up with. Just when we think we’re on top of the latest advancements, trends, or even the newest entries in the AP Stylebook, bam, we’re back at square one. Unfortunately, the learning curve has a tendency to be on the high end, especially for those with years of experience. (I don’t want to turn this into an “old-dogs-doing-new-tricks” statement, but hey, it’s the truth.)

But when we look at the younger generation of journalists that include cub reporters and editors like me, you’ll often find that they’re not only more flexible and skilled, but just tend to figure things out faster than their veteran counterparts. We don’t know everything (even though we think so), but because we grew up tech-saavy there are a few tricks that I suppose we can offer our elders. So here are the skills any journalist should have in his or her tool kit in this digital age. First…

Skills needed specifically related to technology and new advancements:

1)      Fact-checking gone wild. In the “old days,” a copy editor had to look everything up by hand, or through phone calls that could take time, especially with no answer. But today, the Internet can make everything both faster and more complicated. The Web is a huge place, and it can be easy to get lost in, well…the tangled web. (It’s late, leave me alone.) Ask yourself where to look for the information you need from its most official website. It’s often a lot simpler to go directly to the source (like rowanathletics.com for a Rowan soccer score) instead of wasting time digging through Google results.

2)      Know the Web. There are a lot of crazy people out there, and the same holds true when we’re online. When coming across an Internet source, scope it out thoroughly before you trust it. Is the site run by people in your story or their official reps? If not, what credentials do they have? Does the information match up with what you can find on other sites? Always crosscheck if you can; search engines make this a quick job.

3)      On social media: Just. Because. Someone. Tweeted. It. Doesn’t. Make. It. True. Ditto for Facebook, Tumblr, or even a blog on the person’s website (like an actress or a musician). You have no idea if the person is actually who they claim to be. (That little checkmark on Twitter means nothing.) It could be a rep tweeting things that aren’t true. The source could even be fabricating information. Look at the guy from the Washington Post that got fired for starting a false rumor on Twitter. In short, just don’t trust it. Stick to email – the old-fashioned way – or other sources.

But what about the skills we had already before the tech world took over the “real world”? Those reliable editing tricks are still necessary today.

Traditional copy editing skills:

1)      Use the damn dictionary. And I mean the real, tangible one. My 70-plus freshman English professor at CCC told us that verbatim on our first day, along with this other truth: “The spell check lies to you. That squiggly line knows nothing.” Don’t trust a computer to do the things you should know how to do already.

2)      Think critically. Sure, the journalistic writing found online is often a lot shorter than what we’d see in print, but that doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to ignore the details. Information gaps and holes in the story should always be filled. In order to be thorough, you need to know how to read between the lines and ask questions.

3)      Learn your roots. Always know what resources are available to you in the newsroom and how to use them, even the traditional tools like the phone book, reverse lookup, and how to obtain public records in person. Let’s face it, the ‘net goes down sometimes. Computers crash. Your story gets eaten 15 minutes before deadline and is unrecoverable. It’s like being in Scouts: Be prepared. You never know when you’re going to need to do things by hand.

Oh, lastly...  

Sleep when you can, if only to keep your eyeballs in their sockets. This copy editor has been at it for way too many hours today.

Here we go again!

In today's journalism, it seems to me that blogging is both a great tool and a huge threat. It's also our latest buzzword.

Maybe that's why I have so many of them...

But before I set down my soapbox, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Melissa Pileiro, and I'm a senior journalism major at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. I specialize in online and print journalism.

Deciding to major in journalism after graduating from Vineland High School in 2007 was a bit of a leap of faith, honestly. My interest in writing actually began with fiction, but I knew that making a living in that way would be difficult. But I knew that I could write, and even if I wasn't very interested in news at the time, I figured it would be a good start.

I went to Cumberland County College, where the program is entirely hands-on. We learned journalism by doing it, and it was in that environment that I discovered my love for feature writing. I'm an extrovert and love it when people tell me their stories. Writing about those stories was almost second nature to me right from the start.

The summer of my first year was spent at The Grapevine, a weekly newspaper in my hometown. They had just launched a year before, and the small staff gave me a chance to hone my profiling skills. It was there that I realized I had made the right career choice, and since then, I've not looked back once.

In my last year at CCC, I was editor-in-chief of The Voice, the college paper. It was a lot of work, but it really shaped the reporter I am today. I think I'm a lot more dedicated and driven than I would have been otherwise, because I know how much editors appreciate a writer they don't need to hover over. Around the same time, I discovered copy editing...and with my scarily obsessive love for purple ink and fixing bad grammar, it was a perfect fit. ;)

I'm now the copy editor of The Whit, Rowan's newspaper. I love being able to satiate my "itch to fix" instead of my complaints falling on deaf ears. My first love, however, will always be writing features. This summer, I worked as a features intern for The Daily Journal in Vineland, and walked out of the experience with 17 bylines and a freelance position. Getting to copy edit on the side is a big plus, too!

In my spare time, I'm an avid fantasy reader, piano player, and social media addict. I'm also passionately Catholic, and so grateful for the opportunities God has provided for me. I spend much of my time at the Newman House just off campus, home to Rowan's Catholic Campus Ministry. They're my second family.

That's me, in a nutshell. Thanks for joining me. I hope you come along for the ride.