Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Quality Issues To Watch
Quality Issues To Watch
Check if the headline matches the story and is balanced and fair. The information in
the headline should be the same as in the text.
Check that the lead is no more than 35 words. The keyword that will sell the story
should land early. The lead should impart one idea and tell the reader who is
involved, what happened, where it happened and when it happened. It should then
Check if all the names and locations are the same throughout. If they are different,
never assume one is right. Check that the name on picture captions is the same as
in the text of the story. Verify all place names on a map.
Check if the numbers make sense. For example, percentage breakdowns add up to
100 percent. Or when a variable such as foreign exchange is rising or falling, the
5. Confirm facts
Never assume anything. If you suspect a piece of information is untrue, verify it. If
you do not have enough time, leave out the unimportant information. Ensure that
A reader should never wonder where the information contained in a story comes
from. Make the sourcing strong and avoid sourcing such as ‘we have learned’ or ‘it
is thought.’
Review the copy for any potential problems with defamation – bringing a person,
company or product into disrepute – privacy or contempt of court. If you have
Know your style guide. Review the copy for style issues such as the rules for writing
numbers, rounding numbers up and down, treating titles and so on.
Use the spellchecker, but with discretion. For example, the spellchecker does not
spot a there/their mistake. Also, while the spell checker highlights names
Finally, look for small issues. For example, if superlatives such as biggest, longest,
highest, have been used correctly; or if ‘now’ should be ‘not’.