COPYREADING &

HEADLINE WRITING
MAY GRACE D. SALAZAR
SDO Lucena City

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 ◦ MAY GRACE D. SALAZAR
◦ Teacher of English at Lucena
Dalahican NHS – SDO Lucena
The City
Speaker ◦ RACAS Scholar
◦ Diploma in Campus
Journalism – Philippine Normal
University (PNU)

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 ◦ Define copyreading and
headline writing
◦ Use appropriate
Objectives
symbols in copyreading
◦ Construct accurate
headlines

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COPYREADING

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 ◦ It is the art of arranging,
correcting and
selecting the quality
What is
and type of news.
it? ◦ It is editing the different
types of errors in the
sheet.

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 “
What should be
copyedited?

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What should be
copyedited?

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Grammatical ◦ Check the verb tense.
Errors ◦ What is the dominant verb
VERB USE tense for the news article?

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 ◦ Does the pronoun agree
with its antecedent?
Grammatical
◦ Neither the astronauts nor
Errors
NASA neglected its duties.
PRONOUN
USE ◦ Neither NASA nor the
astronauts neglected their
duties.

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 ◦ Are the adjectives and
adverbs necessary in the
article?
◦ The abled and trustworthy
Grammatical Foreign Affairs Secretary
Errors Teodoro Locsin Jr. has
USE OF slammed the idea of
MODIFIERS threatening overseas Filipinos
of having their passports
withheld to force them to
participate in government
programs. 15
 ◦ Errors that are attributed
in making sense

Conceptual
Errors

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 ◦ Errors in organization
◦ Are the paragraphs properly
Conceptual
arranged?
Errors
◦ Are there elements that
need to be transposed

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 ◦ Was the geographical
location accurate?
◦ Police killed two suspects in a stabbing incident
after they allegedly engaged the authorities in a
Errors in firefight in San Vicente town in Quezon province
Saturday afternoon, police said Sunday.
Facts 
◦ Were the officials properly
DETAILS
named?
◦ Minority Floor Leader Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo fondly recalled working with former
Speaker Prospero Nograles after his
sudden death on Sunday…

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 ◦ Were the figures,
amount, dates right?
Errors in ◦ The National Commission on
Facts  Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) has
DETAILS announced that the Islamic
holy month of Ramadan will
start on Monday, May 7.
◦ NUMERICAL ACCURACY.

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 ◦ Are the figures
properly written?
◦ The numbers 1 – 9 are written in words while the

Errors in numbers 10 and above are written in figures

◦ Examples: nine students, 13 children
Style  ◦ Exceptions:
NUMBERS ◦ dates, address: always in figures

◦ proper nouns: may be written in words or in

figures

◦ beginning of sentence: always in words

◦ events: 1st – 9th is allowed

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 ◦ Are the
personalities/entities
properly cited?
Errors in ◦ A magnitude 5 quake struck
Style  near a town of Surigao del Sur
PERSONS on Sunday morning, the
Philippine Atmospheric,
CITED
Geophysical and
Astronomical Services
Administration (Pagasa) said.

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 ◦ Keep it short.
◦ brutal slaying murder
◦ by virtue of the fact because
Errors in ◦ close proximity near
Style  ◦ come in contact with meet
WORDINESS ◦ at this point in time now
◦ be in receipt of get
◦ a large proportion many
◦ at an early date soon
◦ affixed his signature signed
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 ◦ Keep it simple.
Errors in ◦ “A bachelor party is happening
Style  next door. Hence the
HIGH- cacophony.”
SOUNDING ◦ “I know you’re just an Internet
WORDS troll with no sense of right or
wrong, but you didn’t have to
cause me so much umbrage.”

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 ◦ Say them in plain
terms or define them.
Errors in ◦ BP - Medical shorthand for blood
Style  pressure

JARGONS ◦ Sweat equity - Getting a stake in

the business instead of pay
◦ FAQ - Frequently asked questions
◦ HTH - Hope this helps

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 ◦ Omit repetitive ideas.
◦ At 5 p.m. last night
◦ At tumulo ang luha mula sa
kaniyang mga mata
Errors in
◦ Isinandal ko ang aking likod dahil sa
Style  pagod
REDUNDANCIES
◦ advance prediction
◦ free gifts
◦ final conclusion
◦ supling na anak
◦ pumanhik sa itaas
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 ◦ Does the copy observe
capitalization rules?
◦ Titles
◦ Governor David Suarez initiated
Errors in Quezon's First 1000 Days of
Mechanics Life Program or Q1K in 2015.
CAPITALIZATION ◦ David Suarez, governor of Quezon
initiated Quezon's First 1000 Days
of Life Program or Q1K in 2015.
◦ All proper nouns
◦ Acronyms with some exceptions
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 ◦ Were all the sentences
properly punctuated?
◦ Periods and commas are written first
Errors in before closing quotation marks
Mechanics ◦ Example: “I forgot it," he said.
PUNCTUATION ◦ Use no hyphen in most compound
nouns.
◦ Examples: editor in chief, officer in
charge

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 ◦ Were all acronyms
properly written?
◦ Acronyms are usually written in capital
letters.
Errors in ◦ Check if the letters of the acronym are
Mechanics in the correct order.
◦ When an acronym appears for the first
ACRONYMS time in a news story , it is written after its
meaning and it is enclosed in parentheses.

◦ Example. The Department of Health

(DOH) conducted the first dengue
immunization for Grade IV public school
pupils.
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Errors in ◦ Were all the sentences
Mechanics properly indented?
INDENTION

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 ◦ Were there misspelled
words?
◦ Look for misspelled words.
◦ We use American English, not British
Errors in English.

Mechanics ◦ Examples: honor not honour, labor not

labour
SPELLING ◦ If a word has more than one spelling, the
shortest one is preferred.
◦ Example: cigarette – cigaret
enrollment - enrolment

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COPYREADING
SYMBOLS

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HEADLINE WRITING

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 ◦ Window of the
newspapers as it serves
as the quick source of
The
information for busy
Headline
readers
◦ Usually comes from the
lead paragraph

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 1. To attract readers
2. To tell the story (in a
summary)
Functions 3. To add variety of type
4. To identify personality of
newspaper (use of font/style
of letters)

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 1. Factually correct
2. Grammatically correct
3. Has “punch”
Characteristics 4. Uses active voice
5. Uses fresh or novel
approaches
6. Fits available space

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 1. First, read the story for
general meaning.

How to 2. Look for the clues which are

write a usually in the lead.
headline? o What happened?
o Who did what?
o How did it happen?

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 3. The head should tell the gist
How to of the story.
write a Example:
headline? Davao bus blast kills 6

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 4. The first letter of the first
word and proper nouns are
How to generally capitalized.
write a
Example:
headline?
Over P300 B projects up
for NEDA approval

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 5. The first line of two-line or three-
line head should not end with a
preposition, conjunction, articles
How to or any form of verb to be, unless
write a the preposition goes with the
verb, as fill in
headline?
Example:
Police, school execs urged to
step up security measures

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 6. Never use the word “may”. It shows
How to
the uncertain element of the story.
write a
Example:
headline?
Japan may host 2020 Olympics

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 7. Cite your sources.
How to
Example:
write a
Illegal drugs supply down
headline?
by 90% - PNP Chief

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 8. Refrain from converting verbs into
gerunds.
How to
 Protesters urge oustering of
write a
NBP chief
headline?
 Protesters urge to oust NBP
chief

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 9. Use the shorter word whenever
possible.
How to Examples:
write a use “cut” for decrease
headline? Gov’t cuts oil subsidy
use “hike” for increase
Gov’t hikes oil prices

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 10. Use active voice.
How to
Example:
write a
NCCA seeks public awareness
headline?
on landmark architecture

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 11. Use single quotation marks if in
How to
doubt.
write a
Example:
headline?
PNP probes „narco vice mayor‟

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 12. Use the present tense for past
stories
Example:
DOLE launches info drive
How to
on „endo‟
write a
13. Use the infinitive form for news in
headline? the future tense.
Example:
DOST develops app to help
MSMEs sell products on mobile
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 14. Use specific words.
How to
Example:
write a
Pasig cop shot dead in front
headline?
of church (instead of killed)

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 15. Use comma instead of and in
How to headlines.
write a Example:
headline? Villar, JV seek overhaul of CCT
program

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Other tips…

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Has punch

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Subject &
Verb
Agreement

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Single
quotation
marks if
there is no
source

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Do not use
‘and’

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If the person is
more
important
than the
event, use the
past
form of the
verb

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Use the
symbol %
in the
head, spell
out in the
body.

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Use colon
after the
source;
use dash
before the
source.

BIR probing Janet - Kim

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 ◦ All caps
◦ PAGASA WARNS OF
THUNDERSTORMS AS CLOUDS
FORECAST OVER PHILIPPINES
◦ Cap and lower case (Clc)
Headline
◦ Pagasa Warns Of Thunderstorms
Styles As Clouds Forecast Over
Philippines
◦ Downstyle (ds)
◦ Pagasa warns of thunderstorms as
clouds forecast over Philippines

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 ◦ A count system considers
differences in the widths of
Unit letters.
Counts Capital letters: Small letters:
M, W – 2 units m, w – 1 ½ units
JLIFT – 1 unit jlift – ½ unit
Others – 1 ½ units others – 1unit

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 Punctuation marks
dash (–) – 1 ½ units
question mark (?) – 1 unit
Unit others - ½ unit
Counts
Number digits
0 to 9 – 1 unit
Space – 1 unit

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 ◦ Tell the specifications for the
headline, body, and lead
paragraph
HEADLINE
Printer’s
Directions unit counts 30.5 u.c
font size 30
font type Verdana
column 4
deck 1
style downstyle

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 Lead

12 pts.
TNR bold
25 ems
Printer’s BODY
Directions SCHEDULE Body Text

12 pts.
TNR light
12 ems
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Headline
Schedule
Guide

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 ◦ A slug is a short name, a phrase, a label or
a keyword that clearly tells the content of
the article.
◦ The slug line contains several markers-
the slug and other information such as the
name of the newspaper, the kind of article
The Slug & (news, editorial, feature etc), the name of
the reporter and the date.
Slug line
Structure News
Name of Paper PDI
Key Word Pagasa
Initials / Date fo / 05-09-19

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 • Read.
• Edit.
• Write headline.
STEPS IN
COPYREADING • Count units.
& HEADLINE
WRITING • Prepare PD.
• Put body schedule.
• Write slug line.
• Read again. 73
SCORING

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 1. Edited errors will be counted. Use
standard copyreading symbols.
2. Five points each will be given to the
printer’s directions for the head, lead
How will and body text.

your copy 3. The headline has a maximum of 15

points.
be judged?
15-accurate and concise
10-14-accurate yet lengthy
5-9- has minor errors (acronymy,etc.)
1-4- has major errors (grammar, word choice)
none--inaccurate headline

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 ◦ Domingo R. Cueto
◦ Mrs. Nelia E. Tamio
◦ Dennis M. Vidar
CREDITS
◦ Mrs. Ana Marie Calapit
◦ Philippine Star
◦ Philippine Daily Inquirer

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 “
​"We edit your words, your
writing, your sentences and
paragraphs... but never
your voice." ”
― Rogena Mitchell-Jones

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 THANKS!
Any questions?
You can find me at
maygrace.salazar@deped.gov.ph

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