Anonymous sources, 002, 3 p.m. class

Post your comments here if you are in the 3 p.m. c lass.

Anonymous Sources, 003, 9:30 a.m. class

Post your comments here.

Can an accurate story be unfair?

We’ve talked about how even minor errors – misspellings and grammar mistakes   – can damage a news outlet’s credibility. But editors often have to make calls involving fairness too. And clearly, based on the surveys of media credibility, editors don’t always succeed in their attempts to be fair. Read Alicia Shepard, the NPR ombudsman’s column, about identifying the  lab technician in the Yale University slaying before he was charged and while he was “a person of interest.” Then read the New York Times story about the Richard Jewell case.

What do you think? These are not easy calls to make. The Yale case makes that pretty clear. What do you think editors should consider when making “fairness” calls about stories. Beyond making a decision about publishing or not publishing, are there other fairness factors an editor should look for when editing even routine stories? What are they? Have you seen stories published that you think were unfair? Tell me about them and why you thought they were unfair? Answer these questions in the comments  section for your class before the start of class on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Remember self-editing is important before you post.

Fairness, Section 003, 9:30 a.m. class

Post your fairness comments here.

Fairness, Section 002, 3:30 p.m. class

Post your comments here.

Errors damage media credibility

What sets mainstream media apart from Joe Six Pack writing a blog in his pajamas? It should be credibility. Most professional journalists and journalism ethics codes place high value on accuracy and fairness. Yet credibility for news organizations has been plummeting. A 2008 study by the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism concluded that most Americans are highly skeptical of what they see, hear and read in the news media. Only 18 percent, for instance, said they believed all or most of what they read in the New York Times. Only 22 percent believe what they read in their local newspapers.

This summer, a New York Times writer wrote an appraisal of Walter Cronkite’s career after he died.   The Times later published a correction noting there were seven mistakes in this one story. Clark Hoyt, the Times ombudsman, addressed the embarrassing mistakes in his column.

Craig Silverman, the author of the “Regret the Error: book and blog, weighed in on the Times story. He also offers some advice for preventing errors. 

Your assignment: Read all three of the articles I’ve linked to in this post. Be prepared to discuss them in class on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Also due Tuesday: Find an error in a newspaper or on a news Web site. Bring a printout from the Web or a copy of the newspaper with the error marked. Attach to the error: a short typed note (with your name on it) , explaining how you think the error may have happened. Tell me what could have been done to fix or avoid the error.  This note should be no more than one page.

What’s it take to be a good editor?

Confused about the role of a copy editor? Many consider copy editors the last line of defense for a news outlet, protecting it from silly or even dangerous mistakes. The Washington Post’s Bill Walsh says copy editors are the final defense against bad writing too. Think it’s all about nitpicking grammar, style and details in stories? Editing is that, but it is much more too. John McIntyre, a longtime editor at the Baltimore Sun, spells out how the best editors edit. You may want to hang on to his list of questions as you edit copy either for class or for a student publication.

Read Walsh and McIntyre by clicking on their links. Then answer the following questions in the comments section of your lab. This assignment is due at the beginning of class Tuesday, Sept. 8.  What traits must a good editor have? Do you think you have the temperament to be a good editor? Why or why not? If you were applying for a copy editing job, what qualities would you emphasize on your resume?

Section 003, 9:30 a.m. class, What’s it take?

Answer the blog questions due Sept. 8 here if you are in the morning class.

Section 002, 3 p.m. class, What’s it take?

Answer the blog questions due Sept. 8 here if you are in the 3 p.m. class.

Welcome to editing: It’s all about you

Welcome to 201, Principles of Editing.

Please copy this and then answer each question below  in the comment section designated for your class.  Make sure you (1) put your name at the top and (2) that you  pay attention to spelling and grammar. After all, this is an editing class. Don’t push the button until you flawlessly edit what you’ve written. 

Finally, if there’s something relevant about yourself that you want to add, please do so.

• Your Name. Year in school.
• Where are you from?
• Why did you come to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?

• What is your major?
• Career Goals?
• Why are you taking this course (besides the fact it is required)? What do you hope to get out of it?
• Outside interests, hobbies, avocations, things you are passionate about?
• Tell me one interesting or surprising thing about you – something that makes you unique.
• Are you the first person in your family to attend a university?
• On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being top-notch, how would you rate your knowledge of grammar, punctuation and AP style?
• What books are you reading or  have read in the past three months?
• What magazines, newspapers and news Web sites do you read regularly?
• What is your favorite Web site?
• Do you blog?
• Do you have any media/communication experience? If so, what?
• Are you pursuing a media related internship or job at this time?
• Do you have an updated resume in your files?