Copy Reading

Headline Writing

Copy reading

By TIRZO B. ZAPATA, JR.

Abra State Institute of Sciences and
Technology, Main Campus
Copy reading
 What is a COPY?

 A copy is a material sent to

the typist to be typeset.

 It may be a news story, a

feature article, an
editorial, or a literary
piece, etc.
 THE COPY READER
 He is a newspaper man who occupies a seat on
the news desk.
 The copy reader goes over the story and makes the
necessary corrections and revisions in the copy to
improve it.
 Butcher / mutilator
 Known as the most cruel staff member
 He creates more enemies then friends among the
reporters/ writers.
“Editing is the same as quarreling with writers -- same thing exactly.”
Harold Wallace Ross

 The copy reader is a newspaper man who has no

heart and imagination.
What to copy read?
1. Errors in facts
2. Errors in grammar
 S-V agreement
 Tenses
3. Mechanics
 Spelling
 Punctuation
 Capitalization
 Diction

3. Errors in structure and style

4. Libelous and derogatory statements
 Supported with concrete evidences
6. Seditious / rebellious statements

7. Opinionating / editorializing statements

 The most knowledgeable head of state,
President Duterte, urges charter change.
 The event was held in the spacious ASIST
gymnasium..

 She is the most brilliant mentor the

class ever had.
8. Deadwoods and wasteful words

Deadwoods / Redundant words -

duplicate words in the sentence
1. The board is currently having a conference
at the moment.
2. The store opens its doors at 8 AM in the morning.
3. Sen. Enrile wrote a biography of his life five
years ago.
4. The Malaylay Pottery Association holds an
annual seminar in the Sitio of Malaylay.
5. Tita Helen promised to give me a free gift when
she comes home in the month of December.
 Wasteful words - expression that uses more words than
necessary
because
1. She was absent yesterday for the reason that she suffered
from influenza .
Most / Majority
2. A larger proportion of the students voted for him.
now
3. The class is in the AVR at the present time.
uneducated
4. Many of the Filipinos who have not attended school are not
aware of their rights.
early
5. She came ahead of the scheduled time to make sure that
everything was in order before the session.
10. Technical terms, slang, jargons
 Use simple and familiar words in writing so that the
readers can easily understand what the writer tries to
say.

Slang Technical

wanna felacio
gonna status quo
tap borgoise
cab
 The conflagration spread through the houses and killed
over 20 residents and damaged 1.3M worth of properties.
conflagration - fire
 Elizabeth Candy was an eloquent writer and speaker
eloquent - fluent
 Vandals were accused of wanton destruction of the
school property.
wanton - unruly
 The editor-in-chief mentors the novice writers.
novice - beginner
 The two exchanged furtive smiles.
furtive - secret
 Qualities of a Good Copyreader:

1. Pioneer writer

2. Empathy
What is it they want? What do they need?

3. Self-confidence.
Don’t be ruled by the readers; it’s your job to know
what they need and deliver it to them.
4. Fearless
5. Stamina
- both physical and intellectual stamina.
- if you take it seriously, then you’re probably
working a lot of overtime
6. Know sensational copy when you see it
somebody delivers something truly kick-ass, it’s your
job to recognize it and make sure everyone else does, too.
7. Smart staff
Top-notch editors know what they don’t know, and
they’re not afraid to admit it. That’s why they surround
themselves with people who can fill the gaps in their own
knowledge.
8. Friends with Mr. Webster
9. Be a mentor
Editors are teachers as well as journalists. They
develop a staff of sharp writers, independent thinkers and
risk takers
 Common Symbols
used in Copy reading
• n

transpose

new paragraph
upper case

lower case
no paragraph

insert space
Break through – close up

insert comma

insert period
insert double quotation
marks

insert semi-colon

insert word
delete word

delete letter
abbreviate

spell out /
write in word

write in numeral
Write more at the bottom of
the copy if there is a
continuation.

- end of the copy

- end of he copy
Writing the Headline
 HEADLINE

 HEADLINE is the title of every story.

 The HEADLINE in printed type is much bigger and
bolder than its body which is the story itself.
 The HEADLINE of the number one story on the first
page is called a BANNER HEADLINE. If it runs
across the page, it may also be called a STREAMER.
 It capsulizes the story.
 It summarizes the lead.
 Structure of Headlines
1. Flush left – both lines are flushed to the left margi
Family planning
Seminar held
2. Dropline / Step form – first line flushed left while
the second is indented
Local boy scouts
bleed for a cause
3. Inverted pyramid
School launches
kalinissan
drive
4. Hanging indention – flushed line is followed by two
indented parallel lines
Chief editor
bats for more
development news

5. Crossline / barline – one-line headline that runs

across the column
Expanded dependents dental plan nears implementation
6. Boxed headline - for emphasis or art

Full box Community involvement

Science camp team

Half box Campus papers catalysts

For national development

Local students, teachers

Quarter box
Bleed for a cause today
7. Jump story headline – this may be the same as the
original headline or it may just be a word or a phrase
followed by a series of dots
Local students …
( From page 2)
 Types of headlines :

1. Straight headlines
They simply relate the main topic of the story. They are
the most common types of headlines and are the easiest to
understand.

Duterte urges ChaCha

2. Headlines that ask
Most question headlines are not really typical
questions at all. They are statements followed by a
question mark. These question marks are used when:
o The headline reports a future possibility
Example:
Are hotels in shape for games?
Marcos - Aquino reconciliation?
o There is some doubt about the truth or accuracy of
the story.
Example:
Hidden Treasures In Your safe-Deposit Box?
3. Headlines that contain a quotation
A quoted speech is used in headlines.
It’s another way to begin a story with an unproven
statement.
Example:
Mounties shot in Arctic ‘had no enemies at all’
Quotation marks are used also to show a word is being
used outside its normal meaning.
Example:

Microsoft divulges e-mail adds unless patrons

‘opt out’
4. Feature headlines
Headlines for some unusual or amusing stories don’t give
a complete meaning. It’s often necessary to read the story
to understand the headline.
Example:
Two shot dead at U.S. school
5. Double headlines
They are two-part headlines of the same story. They are
often used for major events.
Example:
An experiment in simplicity
I WANT A LIFE
 The language of newspaper headlines

 Headlines are almost always in the simple present tense.

 The simple present tense is used to describe something

happening in the present or in the past.
 S – V – DO pattern should be followed.
 Dos in Writing Headlines

 Make sure that the headline answers as many Ws as

possible.
 The headline should summarize the story. It should
not contain anything which is not found in the story.
 Positive headlines are preferable than the negative ones.
School physician allays flu fear
Flu epidemic not rampant in city
 Use the strongest word in the first line as much a
possible.

PNP nets dope pusher

Duterte fires 5 cops

Tondo amok haunted

CTE backs plow

Senate steps up slay probe

 Write numbers in figures.

Five cops – 5 cops

Seven million pesos – Php7-M
Ninety nine percent – 99%
Thirty participants – 30 participants

 Omit articles like a, an, the and all forms of the verb
to be ( is, are, be ) unless needed to make the meaning
clear.
Reclaimed banks cause of recurrent floods
Clinton is new US president
 Make the headline as short as possible. Ideally, maximum
of five words.
 End

Good luck !