Copy editor explains journalism lingo

Britany GuilfoyleBy Brittany Guilfoyle

“I believe the new Johnsonian Web site looks great!” she exclaimed.

If you’re a mass communication student, you’ve probably already noticed five cardinal sins of journalism I’ve committed in just the first sentence. If not, then you might not have any idea what I’m talking about. First of all, I shouldn’t have started off this column with a quotation (even though it’s true). Mass communication majors know to avoid quote leads.

In this case, instead of using the word “believe,” I should have used “think.” You use “think” when stating your opinion and “believe” when you want to express your belief in something.

Also, “Web site” was the correct way to spell out the word last year, but did you know the newest addition of the AP Stylebook changed it to “website?”

Lastly, journalists know to rarely, if ever, use exclamation marks; it should be “she said” in place of “she exclaimed” (Dr. Timbs won’t let you forget it either).

But enough of my rambling. I’m not here to provide readers with a grammar lesson; I just can’t help myself – this is my job.

I’ve gotten the hang of all this journalism lingo because I’m a senior mass communication major, but I’m also a returning copy editor for The Johnsonian.

So what exactly does my job entail you may be wondering? Well, I edit copy.

But you’d be surprised by how many people still don’t understand exactly what I do, and to be honest, at first I didn’t know what copy editors did either. So let me explain.

Basically, I read almost all the articles you see in each edition of The Johnsonian before the paper goes to press. And I re-read them, and re-read them, and correct mistakes and re-read them again.

In fact, I do this so often, I’ve noticed I even break down sentence structures and check for grammatical errors when I read anything now, including TV episode descriptions.

Who knew copy editing would change my life?

Anytime someone in The Johnsonian office has a spelling question, I’m usually the go-to woman (I would rather say “girl” instead of “woman,” but that would be incorrect according to the AP Stylebook because I’m older than 18).

Before the paper goes to press, you can also find me in the office carefully going over the layout of the pages, which means late nights of drinking Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos and “fighting” with Anna Douglas over who gets the last drop of Dr. Pepper.

But what’s important here is that although I usually do my work behind-the-scenes, I’m always present. If you have any more questions about my job, the glorious AP Stylebook or myself, feel free to e-mail me at guilfoyleb@ thejohnsonian.com (please don’t e-mail me your papers and ask me to edit them; yes it’s happened).