Copy Reading

Copy reading

Headline Writing

By TIRZO B. ZAPATA, JR.Abra State Institute of Sciences and

Technology, Main Campus

Copy reading

What is a COPY?

A copy is a material sent to the typist to be typeset.

It may be a news story, a feature article, an editorial, or a literary piece, etc.

THE COPY READER

Butcher / mutilator Known as the most cruel staff member He creates more enemies then friends among the

reporters/ writers.“Editing is the same as quarreling with writers -- same thing exactly.”

Harold Wallace Ross

The copy reader is a newspaper man who has no heart and imagination.

He is a newspaper man who occupies a seat on the news desk.

The copy reader goes over the story and makes the necessary corrections and revisions in the copy to improve it.

What to copy read?1. Errors in facts2. Errors in grammar 

3. Mechanics

3. Errors in structure and style4. Libelous and derogatory statements

Supported with concrete evidences

Punctuation Capitalization

S-V agreement Tenses

Spelling

Diction

6. Seditious / rebellious statements 

7. Opinionating / editorializing statements

The most knowledgeable head of state, President Duterte, urges charter change.

The event was held in the spacious ASIST gymnasium..

She is the most brilliant mentor the class ever had.

8. Deadwoods and wasteful words

Deadwoods / Redundant words - duplicate words in the sentence1. The board is currently having a conference

at the moment.2. The store opens its doors at 8 AM in the morning.3. Sen. Enrile wrote a biography of his life five years ago.4. The Malaylay Pottery Association holds an

annual seminar in the Sitio of Malaylay.5. Tita Helen promised to give me a free gift when she comes home in the month of December.

Wasteful words - expression that uses more words than necessary

1. She was absent yesterday for the reason that she suffered from influenza .

2. A larger proportion of the students voted for him.

3. The class is in the AVR at the present time.

4. Many of the Filipinos who have not attended school are not aware of their rights.

5. She came ahead of the scheduled time to make sure that everything was in order before the session.

because

Most / Majority

now

uneducated

early

10. Technical terms, slang, jargons Use simple and familiar words in writing so that the

readers can easily understand what the writer tries to say.

Slang

wannagonna tapcab

Technical

felaciostatus quoborgoise

The conflagration spread through the houses and killed over 20 residents and damaged 1.3M worth of properties.

Elizabeth Candy was an eloquent writer and speaker

Vandals were accused of wanton destruction of the school property.

The editor-in-chief mentors the novice writers.

The two exchanged furtive smiles.

conflagration - fire

eloquent - fluent

wanton - unruly

novice - beginner

furtive - secret

Qualities of a Good Copyreader:

1. Pioneer writer

2. Empathy

What is it they want? What do they need?

3. Self-confidence. 

Don’t be ruled by the readers; it’s your job to know what they need and deliver it to them.

4. Fearless

5. Stamina

- both physical and intellectual stamina.

- if you take it seriously, then you’re probably working a lot of overtime

6. Know sensational copy when you see it

somebody delivers something truly kick-ass, it’s your job to recognize it and make sure everyone else does, too.

7. Smart staff

Top-notch editors know what they don’t know, and they’re not afraid to admit it. That’s why they surround themselves with people who can fill the gaps in their own knowledge.

8. Friends with Mr. Webster

9. Be a mentor

Editors are teachers as well as journalists. They develop a staff of sharp writers, independent thinkers and risk takers

Common Symbols used in Copy reading

• n

transpose

new paragraph

upper case

lower case

no paragraph

insert space

Break through – close up

insert comma

insert period

insert double quotation marks

insert semi-colon

insert word

delete word

delete letter

abbreviate

write in numeral

spell out / write in word

Write more at the bottom of the copy if there is a continuation.

- end of the copy

- end of he copy

Writing the Headline

HEADLINE

HEADLINE is the title of every story. The HEADLINE in printed type is much bigger and

bolder than its body which is the story itself. The HEADLINE of the number one story on the first

page is called a BANNER HEADLINE. If it runs across the page, it may also be called a STREAMER.

It capsulizes the story. It summarizes the lead.

Structure of Headlines1. Flush left – both lines are flushed to the left margi

2. Dropline / Step form – first line flushed left while the second is indented

3. Inverted pyramid

Family planningSeminar held

Local boy scouts bleed for a cause

School launches kalinissan drive

4. Hanging indention – flushed line is followed by two indented parallel lines

5. Crossline / barline – one-line headline that runs across the column

Chief editor bats for more development news

Expanded dependents dental plan nears implementation

6. Boxed headline - for emphasis or art

Full box

Half box

Quarter box

Community involvementScience camp team

Campus papers catalystsFor national development

Local students, teachersBleed for a cause today

7. Jump story headline – this may be the same as the original headline or it may just be a word or a phrase followed by a series of dots

Local students …( From page 2)

Types of headlines :

1. Straight headlinesThey simply relate the main topic of the story. They are the most common types of headlines and are the easiest to understand.

Duterte urges ChaCha

2. Headlines that ask Most question headlines are not really typical questions at all. They are statements followed by a question mark. These question marks are used when:

o The headline reports a future possibilityExample:

o There is some doubt about the truth or accuracy of the story.Example:

Are hotels in shape for games?

Hidden Treasures In Your safe-Deposit Box?

Marcos - Aquino reconciliation?

3. Headlines that contain a quotationA quoted speech is used in headlines.It’s another way to begin a story with an unproven statement.

Example:

Quotation marks are used also to show a word is being used outside its normal meaning.

Example:

Mounties shot in Arctic ‘had no enemies at all’  

Microsoft divulges e-mail adds unless patrons ‘opt out’

4. Feature headlinesHeadlines for some unusual or amusing stories don’t give a complete meaning. It’s often necessary to read the story to understand the headline.

Example:

5. Double headlinesThey are two-part headlines of the same story. They are often used for major events.

Example:

Two shot dead at U.S. school

An experiment in simplicityI WANT A LIFE

The language of newspaper headlines

Headlines are almost always in the simple present tense.

The simple present tense is used to describe somethinghappening in the present or in the past.

S – V – DO pattern should be followed.

Dos in Writing Headlines

Make sure that the headline answers as many Ws as possible.

The headline should summarize the story. It should not contain anything which is not found in the story.

Positive headlines are preferable than the negative ones.School physician allays flu fearFlu epidemic not rampant in city

Use the strongest word in the first line as much a possible.

PNP nets dope pusher

Duterte fires 5 cops

Tondo amok haunted

CTE backs plow

Senate steps up slay probe

Write numbers in figures.

Omit articles like a, an, the and all forms of the verb to be ( is, are, be ) unless needed to make the meaning clear.

Reclaimed banks cause of recurrent floodsClinton is new US president

Five cops – 5 copsSeven million pesos – Php7-MNinety nine percent – 99%Thirty participants – 30 participants

Make the headline as short as possible. Ideally, maximum of five words.

End

Good luck !