COPYREADING

It means editing written copy for publ

ication

It requires serious and comprehensiv

e revision of an article using Copyreadin
g marks based on the standards of pub
lication.
 WHAT DOES A COPYREADER DO?

He takes the story as it comes from t

he reporter and puts it through a refinin
g process.
He uses a heavy black or blue pencil
for corrections.
He does not erase the original writing
when he edits
WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF
A COPYREADER?
He has good command of a language
and comprehensive knowledge of rules
of grammar.
He must be wide reader and always u
pdated on current information.
As watchman of newspaper he must
know well the policies of newspaper.
WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A COPYREADE
R?

A. Errors in form

To correct errors in grammar

To correct errors in spelling
To correct errors in punctuation
To correct errors in usage
 WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A COPYREADE
R?
B. Errors in content
To correct errors in fact
To improve news value
To guard against criticism
To expand copy
To reduce copy
To write headlines of news and check heads or titles of edi
torials, features and literary articles
WHAT ARE THE DUTIES OF A COPYREADE
R?
To delete unnecessary adjectives and opinion in news
To delete libelous, seditious, and rebellious matter and al
l those contrary to laws, and good taste
To correct redundancy and rewrite sentences with verbal
deadwood.
To rewrite sentences or paragraphs that violate the princi
ples of unity, coherence, and emphasis
To correct errors in style and structure
 EXERCISES:
A. Identify the error, then tell whether it is in form or in content.
Explain your answer.
1. The guard did not saw all the students coming in.
2. The agenda for the meeting is quite long.
3. The Core luckily tops prestigious press tilts
4. Floods destroy field house- clean- up to take three weeks.
5. In a news story-The most efficient and knowledgeable princip
al represented the school in the well known national schools
press conference.
EXERCISES:

6. The final conclusion revealed that the dead corpse wa

s a victim of fatal murder.
7. You’re the one whose going to be promoted.
8. President Aquino has been encountering rough sailing
with the philippine media.
9. The old man was brought to the hospital.
10. Grenade blast killed 2 kids
EXERCISES:

B. Copyread the following leads.

1. President Aquino yesterday said graduates off

the philippine military academy (PMA) this yea
r were embarking on a military Carreer not to
enrich themselves but to serve the nation.
EXERCISES:

2. The nexxt administration will have no on

e to blaming but itself should the countr
ys economic growth sputter after growin
g 7.3 percentage during the first quarter
of the year, Malacanang yesterday Said.
EXERCISES:

3. philippine- Chartered ship has making a

second rescue mission in LIBYA, evacuat
ing more than 1,000 Filipinos including
dependents of Filipino diplomats, from t
he besieged capital of tripoli, officials sa
id Yesterday,
 HEADLINE WRITING

HEADLINE is the title of a newspaper story. It serves a

s a quick source of information. It is written to tell t
he story what is it all about, to attract readers, and
to grade the news on its importance. It is always sh
ort and simple.
Headline writing requires skill and concentration .It m
ust give the essence of the story. While explaining t
he story accurately, your headline also must fit into
a limited space.
 STEPS IN WRITING HEADLINE

Step 1- Read the article, especially the lead (fi

rst) paragraph. The headline must convey a bri
ef synopsis of the article and must be accurat
e, so knowledge of the information in the articl
e is imperative.
 STEPS IN WRITING HEADLINE

Step 2-Decide on the most important information to b

e conveyed in the headline: what will grab the attentio
n of the most readers? In news articles, the most signi
ficant information should be in the very first couple of
sentences. The headline has to fit within the space av
ailable for it. If the amount of space available is unkno
wn, be prepared to edit down the headline as needed
in order to fit.
 STEPS IN WRITING HEADLINE

Step 3-Check guidelines: each publication has

different guidelines regarding what to include i
n the headline. Some allow certain forms of p
unctuation, such as a colon, while others do n
ot. Verify with the publication what their guidel
ines require.
 STEPS IN WRITING HEADLINE
Step 4-Consider the appearance of the headli
ne. The font size of the letters used often conv
ey to the reader the article's importance. Majo
r world events are typically one or two words in
very large font size across the entire top of the
newspaper, while smaller local stories or news
that isn't that unusual are printed in a smaller
font size that only takes up a column or two in
the paper.
 STEPS IN WRITING HEADLINE

Step 5- Write the headline. There are sev

eral things to consider while writing the
headline
Step 6-Confirm that there are no more e
rrors in form and in content.
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

1. Use specific words. Make the information a

s exact as you can in the limited space of the
headline

Wrong: Politician wins election.

Correct: Noynoy wins presidential post.
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE
2. State facts, avoid opinion
Ex. Fact: The Core first in press tilts
With opinion: The Core luckily tops
prestigious press tilts
3. Use Active voice. The doer of the action must b
e in the subject position. However, use the passiv
e voice when the action is more significant than th
e doer.
Example: SC postpones general meeting
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

4. Use the historical present (the present form

of the verb for the past events, and the infiniti
ve form for the future events.

Wrong: The Core copped 5 trophies at NSSPC

Correct: The Core cops 5 trophies at NSSPC
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE
5. Omit all articles a, an, the and other unnece
ssary words.
Wrong: The 7 cops hurt in ambush
Correct: 7 cops hurt in ambush

6. Avoid label head

Wrong: Auctioned
Correct: Imelda jewelry auctioned
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

7. Do not editorialize your headline.

Wrong: Ang Alab shows great performance in DSSPC.
Correct: Ang Alab wins 6 out of 7 in DSSPC writing contests
8. Do not use the same word twice in the headline or kicker
Gun haul
Manila cops seize 25 guns
from suspected bandits
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

9. Never use the word “may”. It denotes the

uncertain element of the story.

Wrong: Sayyaf may demand P1M for release of

3 captives
Correct: Sayyaf demands P1M for release of
3 captives.
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE
10. To use direct quotation as head, use any of the f
ollowing forms instead of the traditional quotation m
arks:

A. Using the dash instead of the quotation mark.

Example: Truth commission repugnant – Miriam

B. Using the colon

Example: Joker: Cut debates, fast-track canvass
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE
C. Using narrative form
Example: No poverty reduction, says Br
iones

11. Do not be in the negative.

Poor: Summer Training in Journalism won’t be held
Better: Summer Training in Journalism cancelled
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

12. The first letter of the word and proper nouns are gene
rally capitalized.
Example: Bell saves Tigers from Coffee Makers
13. Avoid awkward verbal breaks
Wrong: Noynoy dreads ‘isolated’ life in
Malacanang
Right: Noynoy dreads ‘isolated’ life
in Malacanang
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

14. Mention only the name of person, who is promin

ent
Wrong: Jacoba wins Microsoft global award
Right: Filipino wins Microsoft Global award

15. Use M for million and B for billion

Example: West Visayas gets P 600 M for typhoon vic
tims
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

16. Use comma instead of and.

Example: No goodbyes for Jamby, Nene, Mar, Noy at S
enate

17. Separate double headline by a semicolon.

Example: Bomb explodes at Koronadal market; 13 kill
ed, 53 hurt

18. Do not end the headline with a period.

 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

19. Use infinitive for future events.

Example: Aquino to visit Saudi on way to NY

20. Avoid splitting compound word

Wrong: Aquino to award taxi
driver for honesty
Right: Aquino to award taxi driver for honesty
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

21. Avoid wooden heads or headlines without a verb.

Wrong: Ten student delegates at UN
Correct: Ten student delegates visit UN
22. Avoid splitting words that naturally go together
Wrong: Garcians celebrate Buwan
ng Wika with beauty tilt
Right: Garcians hold Buwan ng Wika with beauty
contest
 GUIDELINES IN WRITING HEADLINE

23. Do not start the headline with a verb.

Wrong: Destroy crops worth P 50 M

Correct: P 50M worth crops destroyed
 TYPES OF HEADLINE

A. According to Purpose
1. Informative or conventional headlines. They are des
igned to inform. These are the ones the public usually
reads in broadsheet and tabloids
a. Palace dares Aquino to sustain economic growt
h
b. Manual audit shows ‘no vote tampering’
 TYPES OF HEADLINE
2. Intriguing or feature headlines. Their main p
urpose is to intrigue readers and elicit respons
es. They often do not give the summary of the
story. Feature heads are made more arresting
by using different style of writing and attractiv
e font types.
a. What Happened to Tax Evaders?
b. Is there a need for Sex Education?
 TYPES OF HEADLINE
B. According to Style
1. All Caps Letters
Macau Approves New Labor Law

2. Combination of Cap and lower cases (CLC)

US scribes honor Pacquiao as year’s best

3. Sentence Case or Down Style

(Only the first letter of the first word is capitalized)
Macau approves new labor law
 TYPES OF HEADLINE
C. According to Structure
1. Flush left – two or more lines of headline are aligned at the left ed
ge the column
Example:
Lions, Archers
reach quarters
2. Flush right – two or more lines of headline are aligned at the right
edge of the column
Example:
US urges free access
to South China Sea
 TYPES OF HEADLINE

3. Dropline – two or three lines of headline, usually

of the same length and arranged diagonally

Example:
Female cop cited
For poll heroism
 TYPES OF HEADLINE

4. Hanging indention – usually three or more lines of headli

ne, the first line set flush to both margins and the succeedi
ng lines are indented or beginning several spaces in from th
e left margin, thus hanging as if from the first
Example:
Military ready to step in
if anti-gov’t protests
turn violent
 TYPES OF HEADLINE
5. Crossline or barline – a single line of headline running
over two or more columns
Example:
Grenade blast kills 2 kids
6. Inverted pyramid – two or more lines of headline with t
he first line flushed to both margin and the succeeding lin
es getting shorter and centered
Example:
DepEd sets new guidelines
For teacher-applicants
 TYPES OF HEADLINE
7. Flushline of full line- consists of two or more lines
of the same length
Example:
2 low -pressure
areas spotted
8. Streamer – striking boldface head extending acro
ss the top of the page
9. Umbrella – a streamer that is placed at the very t
op of the page above the nameplate of the newspap
er
 TYPES OF HEADLINE
10. Binder – a streamer at the top of an inside
page
11. Boxed head – the headline is boxed either for
prominence or to avoid tombstoning
12. Jump head (run-over head) – headline of a ne
ws story, which is cut and continued on the inside
page; it is followed by the words from page __ or t
he like
13. Tagline, kicker or teaser – a short single line p
laced above the main head, may be of smaller typ
e, underlined and set flush left or centered.
HEADLINE VOCABULARY
accord – agreement cite – enumerate, mention
allay – calm confab – conference
allot – apportion, set a side cop – police
anew – again cow- frighten
assail – attack crown – win
ax – dismiss curb – control, stop
bare – reveal, expose cut – decrease
bat – defend dip – decrease, decline
bid – request draw fire – to be criticized
blast – criticize dry run – rehearsal
HEADLINE VOCABULARY
due – deadline, scheduled hike – increase
ex – former hit – attack
to eye – consider inquiry – investigation
feud – quarrel, dispute ink – to sign a contract
foil – thwart, reject junk – to throw way, decline
gab – conference kin – family
gird – brace, prepare kit – package
go – try letup – temporary easing up
grill – question, interrogate link – connect
hail – welcome lull – calm
HEADLINE VOCABULARY
meet – conference, to convene power – electricity
memo – memorandum probe – to investigate
mull – plan, to think of prod – prick
mum – silent quit – resign
nab – arrest quiz – question
nix – reject ratify – approve
okay – approve, accept raze – destroy
peg – to fix at a certain amount or revamp – to change, reshuffle
level rift – disagreement
pit – oppose row – dispute, disagreement
post – position, to assign
HEADLINE VOCABULARY
rule – decide, decision
sans – without
scan – examine
scribe – newspaperman
shakeup – reshuffle
skip – avoid
slay – kill, assassinate
solon – lawmaker
try – attempt
MECHANICS OF HEADLINE WRITING
The next job of the copy editor after developing the he
adline is to see to it that it fits on the allotted space on
the page. He now gives the necessary technical instru
ction to the layout man on what font type and size to b
e used and how it should be presented on the page.

Example:
2-20TNRB W/ KICKER
MECHANICS OF HEADLINE WRITING
Number 2 means that head will run across two colum
ns of the page. Number 20 stands for the font size to
be used. TNRB refers to the font type Times New Rom
an Bold and KICKER means a preliminary head. The li
ne below refers to the number of line or deck the head
line will have.
The final headline will look like this:
National Press Conference
NCR braces for top slot
UNIT COUNT IN HEADLINE

All small letters (except j, l, i, f, t, m and w)

Small letters j, l, i, f, t = 1 unit
Small letters m and w = ½ unit
All capital letter (except I, M and W) = 1 ½ unit
Capital letters J I L T F
Capital letters M and W = 1 ½ unit
= 1 unit
= 2 unit
 UNIT COUNT IN HEADLINE
All punctuation marks (except the dash, questio
= 1 unit
n mark, dollar, peso and percent sign)
Dash, question mark, dollar, peso and percent s
ign = 1 unit
All number figures from 0 to 9 (except 1)
Number 1 = 1 unit
All spaces = ½ unit
= 1 unit
EXERCISES
Write headline from the following leads:

1. Investigators have found two apparent murder vic

tims at properties owned by a Muslim clan accused
of the Philippine’s worst political massacre, the co
untry’s justice secretary said.
Forensic experts found the skeketons in shallow g
raves at a grassy field and a corn plantation owned
by the Ampatuan family in Southern Maguindanao p
rovince, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said.
EXERCISES

2. Starting April, the Quezon City government

will not allow construction of new buildings i
n the city without complying with “green bui
lding standards.”
EXERCISES

3. A United Nations independent expert has

urged the Philippines to adopt the necessary
measures to guarantee the protection and s
afety of journalists.