How to Edit a Newspaper Article

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Editing a news story is perhaps one of the most important jobs within a publication. Without proper editing skills, articles could potentially hit the page with disastrous spelling and grammatical errors.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

First, read the entire story over at least once. Get a basic idea for what the message of the story is before deciding if any changes need to be made to the overall structure.

Step2

Once everything is properly organized and in the correct format, begin to look it over again for any sort of grammatical or spelling errors. Punctuation and AP style should be taken into consideration as well.

Step3

Read the story over again at least twice once the appropriate corrections are made. Make sure the copy reads smoothly and there are no further errors anywhere within the story.

Step4

Create a headline for the story if one has not already been provided.

Tips & Warnings

News stories should generally be edited lightly. Try not to rewrite the entire article simply because it is not how you would've done it. Let writers and reporters express their individuality through their writing.
It may not be a bad idea to have another editor look over the story as well just in case if your eyes missed something.
Don't be afraid to ask for a rewrite. If a story is written so poorly that it is beyond repair, send it back to the reporter and ask them to try again. It should not appear in print if it does not meet the publication's standards.