“Missourian puts copy editors in charge of social networking”

Written in response to: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/media-lab/social-media/113174/missourian-puts-copy-editors-in-charge-of-social-networking/

By Damon Kiesow

2.28.20111 (For Penn State University Journalism class)

            I continue to be interested in the ways copy editors are adapting to the increased usage of online sources for newsgathering purposes. This article discusses one paper’s attempt at gearing the focus of copy editors to the new realm of social networking. For this paper, the student-run staff has refocused their attention and reevaluated their priorities from print to web. Their main focuses now are online presentation and engagement.

            The importance of this article is that it again points out that the most successful online news sources are the ones that understand the concept of being interactive with their readership. It also points out the importance of getting news out quickly but still making sure the information is accurate. Making sure to engage the readers is an important task for these copy editors because the online news community is all about the constant conversation between the readers and the authors. At this paper, the copy editors are in charge of maintaining that engagement, and fostering an environment where comments are encouraged and where staff members respond.

            Since the paper is still working on creating a print version as well, there is a smaller team of editors and designers that develop the print paper based off of information that has already been published online. This shows that it is very clear the online publication is more important to them at this point than the print version. It’s almost as if the print version of their publication is more of an after thought to the online content.

            I’m really impressed that they assigned the duties of watching the comment boards to members of their staff. That way it’s not just the responsibility of the author to keep checking back on the comments, but other members of the staff are watching and providing their own feedback as well. This brings together the entire community of readers and staff and generates a well-rounded conversation than just the one author and the few comments from the readers.

“AEJMC: Social Media in the Classroom”

Written in response to: http://aejmc.blogspot.com/2010/05/social-media-and-copy-editing.html

Coursework for Penn State University Journalism class

2.22.2011

            With the advancements in technology and the recent increase in popularity of social media, copy editors are finding new challenges in their line of work. One way that social media is changing the world of copy editing is in the classroom. In this case, social media is becoming a convenient and widely accepted means for receiving and sharing news. Many businesses and news sources are embracing social media and online news blogs in order to break news faster and therefore keep up in the fast paced world we live in now. With this increased speed in reporting, emphasis on copy editing proficiency is vital.

            Associate Professor at Howard University Yanick Lamb notes that they are “placing a greater emphasis on Interactive Editing” for print news sources as well as those who use the Internet. A great point is made that it’s still imperative to emphasize the importance of high journalistic standards to keep students away from the glamour of the speediness that can surround breaking a story via twitter. Quality should not be sacrificed at the expense of being the first to report something.

            The teachings from this article can be applied to students who aren’t interested in going the route of Copy Editor because better journalists stem from a solid foundation of self-editing skills. Speaking from experience (I write for OnwardState.com) I can attest to this fact: often times I am responsible for writing my own headlines and excerpts, and it’s always expected that our posts are to be well-written – specifically the later you submit a post the cleaner it should be as to make less work for the editors.

            One point from the article I really connected with was when the author writers that journalism is a “two-way conversation with readers”. I thought this was a great point to make, especially if a journalist wants to be successful, because it encourages the interactive side of providing news. A story doesn’t die once it is reported – there’s always something more to follow up with whether it be a response from a reader or more information after the fact. With the increase of social media and online conversations, journalists and editors can create and maintain relationships with their readerships through actual back and forth dialogue. Some of the examples from the article such as StumbleUpon, Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube are proven means for disseminating information, especially to the younger upcoming generations. One client that wasn’t mentioned in the article is Yammer. This is an online forum that businesses or organizations can use that looks similar to a stream of Facebook updates – but members can only be invited to join. Within these communities the organizations can form groups, generate different feeds depending on topics, designate positions, private message each other, and overall form an online newsroom (which is what we do at OnwardState).

            The author says that Twitter helps students focus on the main point of a story because a tweet can only consist of 140 characters. This helps writers and editors realize the point of a story, and allows them to make it in a more concise manner. Examples from the New York Times, Washington Post, and Heart & Soul magazine show how these organizations utilize the culture of twitter to spread their information. The article then goes on to provide examples of different exercises teachers can do to help students realize how they can utilize different social media tools for journalistic purposes.