In the middle of Late Night, Hill takes a moment to look at the second page of the print edition. During every cycle, Hill checks in with page editors daily, but also steals a few moments with each page to see what needs to be done. Because of Hill's experience with Creative Cloud, she often helps designers fix issues on the page.
Editing
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I vividly remember the first time I had to ask someone to edit one of my stories. It was September of my sophomore year and I was terrified. It took much longer than it should have for me to approach my editors, simply because I was scared. But, eventually, I did it.
When I was promoted to editor-in-chief, I decided I never wanted anyone to be as scared of me as I was of other editors. It’s nothing specific any of them did, but nonetheless it was a feeling I had, echoed by many of my friends. I strive to be approachable, available and caring so no one has to be afraid of me. Along with my co-editor-in-chief, I read all the content produced by Echo, which is more than 50 stories a cycle. While I don’t fully edit every single story — there is quite literally not enough time for that — I always leave a few comments of things to improve and things the writer is doing well. When I first started out as editor-in-chief, I had no clue what I was doing. I am retrospectively sorry to anyone who I edited early in my junior year; I’m sure it wasn’t that helpful. I easily got sucked into the trap of being a copy editor, because I know the AP style rules we use frequently. I have since learned to pull back and look at the story in a more general way. It is not my job to find small mistakes. Rather, I need to look at the big picture of the content.
The best writers know they need editors. Though, to many newer staff members, the editing process is annoying and time intensive, I have learned to love it. It not only helps our content be better, but if editing is done right it can help everyone involved. When we have a story that is more sensitive or controversial or an inexperienced writer, I take the time to fully edit that content. I try to coach, not strictly edit. I have come to realize people can learn a lot more from guiding questions and suggestions, rather than a direct ‘change this’ comment. When editing a story, I am always careful to maintain a balance of positive and negative comments. While it is important to make it clear if the work is good or needs help, writers will not be inclined to write more if all they get is negative feedback. Similarly, if an editor only includes positive comments, the writer will not improve. |
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One-on-one editing |
I never work on my own content in class and I encourage other editors to do the same. It is much more meaningful to edit a story with the writer than it is to simply leave comments on Google Docs.
When at all possible, I try to sit down with a different writer in class and work through some content. Even if it is just for a few minutes while we brainstorm interview questions or spice up their infographic, it is worth it. On top of creating better content, it helps me build relationships with my staff. That is what I love most about journalism: the community that is found within a staff. |
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