Sub-editing.
Sub Editing is the simple sounding process of preparing articles for publishing.
Sub Editing for online is now a more one man job carried out by the journalist rather than a separate person in an office hundreds of miles away from the articles subject.
Sub Editing for online is now a more one man job carried out by the journalist rather than a separate person in an office hundreds of miles away from the articles subject.
What sub-editing does?
- Imposes quality control.
- Meets production requirements.
- Sells the story.
Imposes quality control-
The quality control of an article is the task of going over it and ensure that key sections are correct and accurate, these can be things such as dates, times, names and locations. It also covers such things as grammar, spelling and typing errors.
Meets production requirements-
The production requirements are basically the article is the correct length to fill the allocated spot in the publication, the headline and strap are present and correct, and finally that the article itself meets the given deadline.
Sells the story-
Sub-editing the story is the time in which the article can be scrutinised to see if it is capable of selling the story. The sub-editing will look in detail at the headline and strap to see if they are able to grab the attention of the reader, and it will focus on the images (if any) to ensure they are used well to gain attention to sell the article.
The production requirements are basically the article is the correct length to fill the allocated spot in the publication, the headline and strap are present and correct, and finally that the article itself meets the given deadline.
Sells the story-
Sub-editing the story is the time in which the article can be scrutinised to see if it is capable of selling the story. The sub-editing will look in detail at the headline and strap to see if they are able to grab the attention of the reader, and it will focus on the images (if any) to ensure they are used well to gain attention to sell the article.
Methods on how to sub-edit
Step 1- Read like a reader. Make sure everything scans and sounds right. Read aloud if it helps.
Step 1- Read like a reader. Make sure everything scans and sounds right. Read aloud if it helps.
Step 2- Is the story any good? Could you make it better?
Step 3- Ensure that all the facts stated in the article are accurate.
Step 4- Correct the spelling and grammar mistakes in the piece.
Step 5- Correct the structure of the article. Apply the inverted pyramid if necessary.
Step 6- ALter any paragraphs into one idea sections.
Step 7- Polish up the copy to ensure its ready for publishing and ensure that the copy fits the required specification, for example if the requirements states that the article has to be 200 words then alter the piece to fit the word count.
The inverted pyramid
The inverted pyramid is a journalist term which refers to how a story/article is written and published. It is a very simple style of writing in which the key aspects of the story are placed at the top of the page in order to garb the readers attention and keep it, the term don’t bury the lead is often used when writing articles as it refers to the facts of the story and that the writer ensures that they are the first item on the page.
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Workshop
Subbing Workshop
Sub-edit the following text, using the guidelines given in the presentation. Correct factual data, spelling and grammar. Rearrange paragraphs it so that it fits the “inverted pyramid” structure. Polish it so it reads well and cut it down to 250 words.
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The Stone Roses ‘set to reform for come-back tour in Britain and US’
The Stone Roses were a cult band that grew out of the ‘Madchester’ movement, they are reportedly re-forming to play a comeback tour.
Despite their continuing Cult Status, The Stone Roses largely missed out financially.
Reports suggest they will perform both in the United States and Britain with 3 shows at Heaton Park. The news comes only months after the bands front man Ian Brown insisted there could never be a reunion. No chance, he said. “Not in the next three lifetimes. Brown changed his mind following overtures from the band’s guitarist John Squire.A source said: “It’s taken a lot of time and effort to get Ian to agree but he’s really up for it. He was the sticking point throughout the proceedings, but finally relented and signed on the dotted line. Their’s been a lot of speculation in the past but this is the real deal.”The rest of the band was really up for it, especially when they realized the amount of money on the table.”But Ian has forged a really successful solo career and wasn’t very receptive to their plans. It’s taken a while but he’s finally come around to the notion.”The band released their second and final album, ‘Second Coming’, in 1994. However,, it was their debut that won the most acollades, and even in recent years it has continued to feature highly in top of lists 100 songs of the 21st century..
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Reflection
Sub-editing is an aspect of journalism which is rarely seen by the public. The study of the process of sub-editing has been an intriguing workshop and discussion about how it is done and the fact that it is very difficult to notice that published articles have been altered before they have been published.
Working through the method of sub-editing has given me more tools to work through my own published work and improve it for online and magazine style reading.
Looking through my own work with the mind of a reader not a journalist highlights the area’s which are in a way harder to follow than they could be, therefore using sub-editing throughout each piece i have written allows me to correct error’s which make the text easier to follow.
Overall i felt the workshop was a joy to do, highlighting aspects of journalism which were not known to me have given me more knowledge on how to produce work in the future.
Working through the method of sub-editing has given me more tools to work through my own published work and improve it for online and magazine style reading.
Looking through my own work with the mind of a reader not a journalist highlights the area’s which are in a way harder to follow than they could be, therefore using sub-editing throughout each piece i have written allows me to correct error’s which make the text easier to follow.
Overall i felt the workshop was a joy to do, highlighting aspects of journalism which were not known to me have given me more knowledge on how to produce work in the future.
digital journalism 
