Copy Editor Voices   

Here is a sampling of comments from a survey by Editor's Ink, a Web site for copy editors (www.copydesk.org/editorsink/) :

" Have they built us a shrine where editors and reporters leave us burnt offerings in thanks? No. Are our complaints heard, and are we given the materials to do our job? Usually. Do we get respect from senior managers and editors? We're often ignored or treated with benign neglect – which is about par for the industry – but in the past we've also been singled out for praise by top managers – which means we get treated better than at many newspapers."

– Copy editor at the Dallas Morning News

"Copy editors can no longer sit back and be low-profile. Design and heads offer chances to shine. Do great work, make sure you get the credit and cultivate your own style and persona. This goes against our natural self-righteousness, but we must learn to market ourselves. Enter contests; reporters do all the time."

– Copy editor at Fort Lauderdale's Sun-Sentinel

"Sometimes our questions about stories are appreciated and dealt with. Too many times, though, we are blown off or even mildly insulted. This is atrocious. We're not asking questions for the fun of it. Au contraire. We ask despite facing good odds of a snotty response. And THAT is the few more aggressive copy editors."

– Copy editor at the Modesto Bee in California

"Managers view the copy desk as a necessary evil, a place where spelling and grammatical errors are corrected and headlines are written... We are the lowest of the low."

– Copy editor at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver

"The workload is beyond any reasonable expectations. The pages get done, but very little ACTUAL EDITING is done."

– Copy editor at the Aiken Standard in South Carolina

"Despite the lingering perception of copy editors as people dumped on the desk after failing elsewhere or – hardly more charitable – hacks who run all copy through the Dullatron, the Sun's copy desk has achieved a higher profile and an enhanced degree of respect within the newsroom over the past half-dozen years... Whenever copy editors and slot editors have chosen their ground carefully and articulated clear reasons for recommendations, they have been backed up on appeal in almost all cases."

– Copy editor at the Baltimore Sun