As I'm sure you know, copyeditors barely exist in newsrooms anymore. I don't know about the healthier newspapers, but I saw the phrase "wrecking havoc" in the NY Times the other day, if that tells you anything.
It’s telling that the NYT got rid of its “Copy Edit This” interactive quiz that used errors gleaned from its own pages that had gotten past the copy editors.
I am a copyeditor and I’ve always noticed how flawless your newsletters are. I love this peek behind the curtain and seeing the appreciation for yours! ❤️
I'm mad ...at dem leaders too! Where are they? Yeah, you guys have the same ones on all the time but where are the rest of them? We need EVERY SINGLE DEM REP out there/here EVERY SINGLE DAY... EVERY WHERE!
Wait, do copy editors not have their own dedicated goddess?There has to be someone YOU pray to when a writer sends you a pile of commas that need homes ;)
Off topic: People need to start hitting Musk hard! He is the biggest beneficiary of our tax dollars in America. Musk and his companies wouldn’t exist without government contracts paid for by my tax dollars. Stop the steal Musk! Stop the hypocrisy Musk. You are bankrupting Americans to get richer!
And we (good) translators also have to be excellent copyeditors. You've gotta slap the original into shape to figure out what the author is saying before you can even begin to translate it (because translators translate *ideas*, not words).
Proofreader/copyeditor here, and I have to add that I really love the work. The balance is to not be too pedantic and to know which things are a matter of style preference — serial commas, yes or no — and which things are actually errors, like comma splices. See, there I go… 😀
I think we could eliminate about 80% of grammatical errors with a thorough understanding of the difference between subjective and objective, subject/verb agreement and how to use the past participle. It would save my teeth from clenching through such offenses as "had went" and "have ran." :)
Good day Heather! I love your content.
Please excuse if you have already addressed this:
Will Trump/Vance be able to be pushed to a high crimes / impeachment again? Is there any way that the public can start this process? Thank you! Your low key EM doc, who is learning the process.
I've heard HCR say - recently, and I agree - that of course impeachment is the option...but there aren't the votes for any part of it. (and, no, I don't think the public can actually start anything, BUT we can certainly keep up the pressure!)
You could write nonsensical gibberish at this point and I’d read it and thank you.
But I appreciate your attention to getting the facts right. It’s the reason I come to you first for news.
There is one true God, as revealed to us through the words/deeds of Jesus Christ. The same Jesus executed as an enemy of the Roman Empire for his willingness to advocate for the poor, the widow, the prisoner, the marginalized and AGAINST corrupt state and religious power mongers. Read the gospels.
If we are a naval vessel charting our own course then we've been hijacked by pirates who have plundered the ship and radically changed course towards dangerous waters and certain shipwreck do we stand idly by or do we arrest the pirates by any means necessary and restore our wealth and proper course
I’m a retired copy editor. How wonderful to be appreciated by you, one of my favorite writers of knowledgeable, intelligent, timely essays—invaluable for understanding current events and politics within their larger historical context.
Thanks, HCR!
I am an avid reader and former typesetter. As I read, I catch many errors that knock me out of the story. As a result, I highlight and edit as I go along. It satisfies my outrage that some authors can't be bothered with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and using the correct word.
The Latinos who voted for the orange turd, not only he's deporting your brethren, but he's ignoring your culture and language. You voted for this. You fucking idiots!
More than 78 million speak a language at home other than english.
I'm a retired editor, and it's so rare to have such recognition for work that many never see or know about. Excellent writers like you are also rare - we appreciate you, Heather!
Thank you for the kudos---this is my profession, and it's a thankless job 98% of the time. Academics who can't alphabetize a bibliography or use spellchecker to save their lives aren't big fans of us copyeditors...
I did freelance tech blog ghostwriting a few years ago. One company gave me access to a copy editor and I wrote her a thank you email at the end of the project. I loved having her work make mine better.
I cannot put a comma in the right place to save my life. One night I simply sent my copyeditor a comment with a hundred commas and wrote: "Here. Just put them wherever they should go." And she laughed and did it all right. She's a goddess.
I’m a copy editor, and the comma struggle is real for many! It’s probably the most common type of correction I have to make. (But don’t even get me started on scare quotes.)
Couldn't agree more! Copy editing was the bulk of my career too, for more than four decades, and I was fortunate to work with people who were genuinely appreciative. I hate how devalued it has become in so many places.
I’m with you on that, Heather. A copy editor I had on my first edition of “the quotable woman,” was amazing. I’m certain that the book would never have become as notable as it has without her.
maybe one of those universe gods could worry less about your editor and help everyone else on the planet.
but yeah thanks to all of the others for your paragraphs of good words.
They're somewhat similar. Proofreading is the final step; they catch whatever tiny little errors copyeditors missed. Copyeditors deal with grammar, consistency, coherency, correctness, flow, and minor fact checking. There's overlap, but copyediting is more intensive than proofreading.
I would add one important thing. Proofreading is also used to catch issues that happen after laying out the text into its final published state (i.e., the "proof"), such as bad breaks that allow too much white space (e.g., widows and orphans).
Which is SO important in web copy and with our short attention spans. A bad break distracts from the message, like a visual record scratch, and can even slightly alter how the message is received. It's so important for the right person to QA the pages after design and development.
I just watched the movie “Lost on a Mountain in Maine”, then I read his Wikipedia page & IMDB reviews. Loved that Donn Fendler told his story to school children for years.
I’m a constituent that is not. And I’m willing to bet that if they knew the facts, instead of what he talks about on tv all day, they wouldn’t be as fine with it as it seems. Trying to help them hear the truth. 🗣️
I have always wondered why there are no rules for Congress. You have to be productive by this amount, you have to be present this many times,you must uphold oath of office, You must understand how government works! Otherwise probation/loss of salary then you are out. Replacement from state
Why is he getting paid has he brought any worth at all to the citizensof Ohio, infrastructure, better consumer protection, advances in technology? No, how incredibly wasteful, perhaps the voters of Ohio should fire him, then he can do nothing on his own dime.
I am going to say something, only because I greatly admire the man and his work, but Timothy Snyder needs to use a copyeditor, or a proofreader at the very least.
Comments
Thank you for the kind words!
Please excuse if you have already addressed this:
Will Trump/Vance be able to be pushed to a high crimes / impeachment again? Is there any way that the public can start this process? Thank you! Your low key EM doc, who is learning the process.
But I appreciate your attention to getting the facts right. It’s the reason I come to you first for news.
Thanks, HCR!
More than 78 million speak a language at home other than english.
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/01/nx-s1-5313883/trump-english-official-language-executive-order
And thank you for your always inspiring texts.
A lovely result of the Boston Tea Party...wonder what we would get after throwing #swasticars in there?🤔
RICH DON'T PAY TAXES!!! SHOULD WE? REVALUATION 2025.
CAN'T JAIL US ALL!!! TRUMPS LAYING OFF IRS(7000).
WE THE PEOPLE WILL WIN 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🌎☮️ 🙏
Love editors
Married to one ❤️
but yeah thanks to all of the others for your paragraphs of good words.
Anybody with a masterful command of multiple style guides is not a person to cross.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BCivuop3b/?mibextid=wwXIfr
He's definitely a waste.
His career is an abuse of the system.
Check, check, and check.
Jordan is an arsonist.
If only Ohio voters had the intelligence to understand what a useless bag of crap he is.
Your spell-check needs fixing, Dear..
Decades ago, I had a rep as a good city editor, and it never would have happened without great copy editors next in line.