Copy Edit, Copy Edit, Copy Edit!!!!
Trust me, I get it. The newsrooms fast-paced, deadline pressure makes everyone move quickly and be in a constant rush to just get things done. And I have no problem admitting that I am more than guilty of making a typo or two. But copy editing a broadcast is not something to put at the end of your list of things to do. It is something that needs to be done by everyone in the newsroom, not just producers, ALL DAY LONG. It's funny how a simple typo can change the entire meaning of a sentence, or (God forbid) a story. And this fear of the "typo" is where teamwork comes into play. And no one knows about teamwork like TEAM THURSDAY!!! Working together is the only way to make sure the broadcast is copy edited to perfection. I strongly believe that every story needs way more than two pairs of eyes. Since we are under strict deadline pressure, sometimes it seems easy to "skim" over a story and call it copy editing. But oh no, that is not copy editing and I guarantee skimming leads to errors slipping by all the way to the teleprompter. But remember, it's not just the writing that needs special attention, it is also all of the graphics. This week we had a misspelled word get caught in a full screen graphic. Thankfully we fixed it before air, but its just a lesson to read everything. So teamwork, time, reading (not skimming) and triple quadruple checking everything is crucial for an error free broadcast.
