*The art of arranging, correcting, and

selecting the quality and type of news

that are within acceptable journalistic
standards in terms of style and editorial
policy.

*Specialist in this field is called a

copyreader/copyeditor
*Copyreading gives the article the final
touch before it goes to the printer.

*Copyreading, editing, correcting the

article are synonymous terms.

*The copyreader goes over the article,

makes all the necessary corrections
*He reads the article very carefully looking
out for errors in grammar and spelling,
errors in fact and in style.

*He also does away with libelous statements

which harm the reputation of the persons
or subjects mentioned in the article and which
may put the editorial staff in hot water.

*The copyreader also writes the headline

and determines the typography for it.
♦ edits errors on grammar (spelling,
tenses,etc.)
♦ edits errors of fact (accuracy check)
♦ judges news value
(grading of news)
♦ edits verbose copy
(keeps the copy tight)
♦ writes the headline
♥ Must possess certain qualities not everybody
in the staff may have.

♥ Must have a good command of the language.

♥ Must have at his fingertips a good working

knowledge of the rules of grammar.
♥ Must have a wide vocabulary.

♥ Must be well-read and

must have a storage of
general and current
information.

♥ Must be well aware of

libel news.
♦ connect letters ( cea se fire won’t be an issue )

♦ transpose letters ( time si glod)

♦ transpose words (if you happen know to the

rules)
♦ delete letters/words
(to prevent the plounder / reached a final
conclusion)
♦ spell out (nos,) ( 10 human rights victims)

♦ spell out (words) (VP Noli de Castro)

♦ abbreviate (nos.) ( one-hundred per cent of the

respondents)

♦ abbreviate (words) (President Barack Obama)

♦ insert letters/words
( the trimph of Pcquiao dela Hoya)
♦ separate words theissue on CharterChange
♦ capitalize letters gen. jovito Palparan
♦ make letter lowercase Two solons
♦ period mark The seamen were freed
♦ restore The kidnap victim was released)
♦ insert space andthey live happily everafter)
♦ bold face the pauper
♦ paragraph Villar called for an entrepreneurial
revolution
♦ do not paragraph Villar called for an
entrepreneurial revolution.
♣ Whenever the copyreader sits down to work, he
has the intention of making the copy free of errors.

♣ It is the goal of copyreader, therefore, to do his

work systematically and efficiently.
♣ It would be good to follow the following
steps.

1. Read the whole article first

to determine what kind of story
it is.
2. Having determined the type of story, read the
article again.

3. This time, determine which is the lead

paragraph.

4. Read the story again and mark all paragraph

beginnings. Then correct errors in
grammar, spelling, punctuations
and style using copyreading
symbols.
5. Improve the organization of the story. Make
sure the lead features the lead fact.

6. Go over the whole story again. Remove all

unnecessary and irrelevant materials.

7. Check the length of the

story, then prepare the
clean copy.
8. Write a very catchy and fitting head-
line for the story.

9. Give the printer’s mark for the

body text and the headline.
Encircle the slug line.

10. The article is now ready

for printing.
☺An assemblage of words
written in bigger, bolder
letters than the usual
page text at the beginning
of the news, also known
as the head, but not a
title.
The word “headline” is understood
by many people to mean the biggest
story of the day. In journalism,
however, “headline” is the
title of a news story big
or small.
• There’s no doubt headlines are one
of the most important things to get
right, unfortunately they can also
be the most problematic too.

• A good headline grabs the readers

attention, and compels them to
read on.
A well-written story will go
unread if the headline does
not grab the reader.
Headlines also serve as a
graphic element on the page.
• Good headlines capture the
readers’ attention and make
them want to explore the story.

• Bad headlines confuse readers,

turn them off, invite criticism,
invoke laughter (for the wrong
reasons), or are just moronic.
♦ news headline – deals with hard facts and
summary
Ex.: Business leaders tackle global crisis

♦ feature headline – deals with novelty,

human interest element
Ex.: The sea is on red alert! (pertains to red
tide menace)
As title of the news, the headline serves
the following purposes:

1. It gives the summary of the news.

2. It allows the hurried reader to get a quick

glimpse of the news. Later in the day,
when he has the time, he will
read the story in its entirety.
As title of the news, the headline
serves the following purposes:

3. It indicates relative importance of the

story by the amount of display and
thus helps the reader evaluate the
significance of the news.

4. It contributes to the
physical attractiveness
of the paper.
• to attract readers (come-on element of headline)
• to tell the story (in a gist/summary)
• to add variety of type (break the monotony of
sea of type)
• to identify personality of newspaper (use of
font/style of letters)
• to index/grade the news (big type for important
news than less important)
1. The headline presents the news in
capsule, thus it is telegraphic.

2. It must contain the most important, the

most intriguing, the most unusual fact
of the story. It is not the place for
details.
3. It must be constructed as to catch the
reader’s attention and make him read
the story.
4. Size and length of the headline must be
proportional to the length of the story
and its importance.
5. The headline is based on the
lead.
6. The headline makes use of special
vocabulary which is not suitable for
ordinary communication situations.
For example: the word “stude” is
headline equivalent for “student” as in
“Four studes win in quiz bee” However,
it is not acceptable to say there are
2,000 studes in our school.
1. The headline must have a verb and
it must be in the present tense.

Wrong: Cuadra topped editorial tilt

Correct: Cuadra tops editorial tilt

2. Do not use period.

3. Minimize punctuation marks. Use single
quotation marks. Use a comma in place
of “and” and a semicolon to separate
sentences.

Wrong:Rolling stores to sell rice and groceries

Correct: Rolling stores to sell rice, groceries
4. Don’t use the articles- a, an, the

Wrong: A fire hits the squatters’

Correct: Fire hits squatters’ area

5. Don’t use names unless the person is

well-known.
Wrong: Simon electrocuted
Correct: Electrician electrocuted
6. Use the infinitive for future events.

Wrong: City Hall will push anti-squatting drive

Correct: City Hall to push anti-squatting drive

7. Use specific terms instead of generalities

Wrong: School official gets scholarship

Correct: Principal gets US scholarship
1. always in active voice / use action word
2. use the present tense, historical present
and future tense
3. Prioritize use of subject / direct object
4. Must not hang prepositions
5. Never repeat words
6. Use familiar abbreviations only
7. No typographical errors/ grammar
errors
8. Reflect the tone of the story

9. Avoid labels / titles

10. Do not editorialize

11. Do not use negative construction

except when necessary
• fit into space
• must know the font size of letters
• must know the head unit count
• must know the number
of decks (layers of headline)
• must know the number
of columns (one, two,
three, four etc.)
♦ The verb is said to be in the active
voice when the doer of the action is in
the subject position.

♦ The ACTIVE Voice is preferred over the

PASSIVE voice because it is more vigorous;
however, the PASSIVE voice must be used
when the action is more significant than the
doer of the action.
Exercise 1: Write the correct form of the verb in the
following headlines. Observe agreement
between subject and the verb.

• CA (deny) Leviste’s petition for bail

• World pirate attacks (soar) in first quarter
• Noli (hail) Syria as RP ‘strategic partner
• Shell, Petron (raise) gas prices
• SC (uphold) oil deregulation law
• DSWD (launch) ‘war’ vs child abuse
• Local bets (win) in science fair
Cont… >>> Write the correct form of the verb in the
following headlines. Observe agreement
between subject and the verb.

• Fishermen (stage) Earth Day protest

• Rotary Club (donate) computers
• COMELEC (proclaim) 32 party list bets
• Failon (appeal) for privacy
• Cuadra (cop) 3 National awards
• Researcher (receive) US grant
• Local cadets (spearhead) projects
• RP, Spain (ink) accord
Exercise 2: Write the correct form of the verb in
the passive voice:

♦ Feeding program (launch)

♦ Two jail guards caught gambling (fire)
♦ Resto owner (sue)
♦ Governor (probe) for P72M deficit
♦ Jueteng protectors in CL (identify)
♦ Scout master (kill) in camp site
♦ Shanties in Quiapo (demolish)
♦ Absentees (warn) of expulsion
♦ Parents of honor studes (cite)
♦ 4 holduppers (arrest) in Tondo
(wordy & weak) (better/briefer)
• for the reason that ------------ because
• a large proportion ------------ many
• at the present time ------------ now
• succumbed to injuries-------- died
• at an early date----------------- soon
• is of the opinion that ---------- believes
• in the neighborhood of ------- near
(wordy & weak)
(better/briefer)
• in the event of -------------------in case
• in spite of the fact ---------------although
• draw attention of --------------remind
• tendered his resignation ------resigned
• affixed his signature ---------- signed
• united in holy matrimony-----married
• held a conference ---------------met
• told his listeners ----------------said
• Access ………………......… Obtain
• Accompanied by ………… With
• Acute emergency ………… Emergency
• Additionally ……………… In addition
• Adequate enough ………... Adequate
• Administrative assistant ...
Secretary/clerk
• Advance planning ………. Planning
• Advance reservations ………. Reservations
• Affiliated with ……………….
With
• After careful consideration …..
After
considering
• Aggravated/non consensual/
forcible rape ………... Rape
• Alcoholic liquor ……………… Liquor
• And or ……………………….
Or
• Answered in the negative …… Said no
• At 4 a.m. this morning ……… 4 a.m.
• At 5 p.m. last night …….. 5 p.m.
• At an early date …………Soon
• At that time …………….. Then
• At the intersection of
market and the main …. At market and
main streets
• As in the case of ………..Like
• At this point in time ……… Now
• At which time …………….. When /During
• Attempted hold up ……….. Hold up
• Authored ………………….. Wrote
• Avenues to explore ……….. Ways
• Avid readers/sports fan ….. Readers
• Be cognizant of …………… Know
• Be in receipt of …………… Get
• Bitter quarrel …………….. Quarrel
• Conceptualize ……………… Think
• Concept …………………… Idea
• By virtue of the fact that …... Because
• During the period from ……. From
• Has the capability of ………. Can
• He is the man who ………….. He
• In the final analysis ………… Finally
• Brutal slaying ……………… Murder
• By the same token ………….. Equally
• By virtue of the fact ………… Because
• Call for ………………………. Propose /Urge /ask
• Called her attention to
the fact that ……… Reminded
• Close proximity ……………. Near
• Come in contact with ………. Meet
• Counterproductive ……… Futile
• Currently ………………… Now
• Deplaned …………………. Left
• Despite the fact that ……... Although
• Downsizing ………………. Layoffs
• End result …………………result
• Exact replica …………….. Replica
• Featured speaker ………… Speaker
• Economically disadvantaged …. Poor
• Feedback ………………………..Response
• For the purpose of ……………. For / to
• Foreseeable future ……………. Future
• General consensus ……………. Consensus
• In case of ……………………… If
• In close proximity ……………. Near
• In excess of ……………………. More than
• In regard to ………………… About
• In the event that ……………. If
• Innovative …………………… New
• Is of the opinion ……………... Believes
• Make inquiry regarding ……. Inquiry
• Make mention of …………… Mention
• Near future …………………. Future
• Oral conversations …………. Talks
• Prioritize ……………………….Rank
• Produce an inhibitory
effect on ………….. Inhibit
• Ramification ………………….. Results
• Razed to the ground ………….. Razed
• Reach a truce ………………… Agree
• Repeat again ………………….. Repeat
• Rose to his feet ………………... Rose
• Serves the function of being ... Is
• State of the art ……………….New / Modern
• Student body ………………... Student
• Subsequent to ……………….. After
• Sufficient number ……………Enough
• Terminated ………………….. Fired
• time frame …………………… Schedule
• Track record ………………… Record
• Track record ……………….. Record
• Transpire n………………….. Happen
• True facts …………………… Facts
• Unconfirmed rumor ………... Rumor
• Visual observation …………. See / saw
• Voted unanimously …………. Passed
• Were as follows …………….. Were
• Would be killer …………….. Suspect
• congressman ………...solon
• decrease ……………. dip
• examination …………quiz
• announce …………….bare
• highlight ……………..cap
• speak …………………urge
• conference …………...confab
• investigation …………probe
• investigator …………..prober
• disapprove ……………buck, scrap
• dismiss …….quash • dispute …….... row
• charge ………rap • strengthen…... beef up
• agreement …. Accord • practice ………hone up
• sign ………….ink • praise …………laud
• question …….grill • year ………….milestone
• urge …………prod • delay …………snag
• mad killer …..amok • identify ……….finger
• capture ……...net • start …………..trigger
• disregard ……rule out • end …………...wind up
• lessen-----------allay
• approval --------nod
• arrest -----------nab
• student ---------student
• writer -----------scribe
• government ----govt
• councilor --------dad
j i l t f --------½ unit J I L T F ----------1
? --------------1 unit space ------------- 1
all figures ---1 unit all small letters-- 1
dash (-) -----1½ small m & w -- 1½
M & W -----------2
all caps except MWJ I LT F--1½
42 points - 3 cols. – (21) max. count
____________________________
____________________________ (no. of decks)

Race Bias in Schools -20 unit counts

Described as Stupid -19.5 unit counts
☺drop-line (like a staircase)
XXXXXXXXXX
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☺hanging indention (top line flush at right)
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
☺inverted pyramid (from wide to narrow)
XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXX
XXXX
☺flush-left (begin at left hand corner)
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
☺block (flush left and right, from margin to margin)
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX
☺cross-line (one-line headline)
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
 ___________________________________

Two people died and five others were hurt

when an unidentified man lobbed a
fragmentation grenade along Baguio City’s
Leonard Wood Road shortly before dawn
Tuesday, a police official said.
 ___________________________

The Philippine government will

repatriate some Filipinos who were
affected by the earthquake in Italy early
this month, according to Overseas
Workers Welfare Administration chief
Carmelita Dimzon.
 __________________________________

Whoever becomes the next president of the

country will face a bigger economic burden.
Former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno
yesterday warned that the next president will
be inheriting from the Arroyo administration
a weaker economy and higher
unemployment.
 __________________________________

MANILA, Philippines – A downpour at

around noon on Wednesday caused floods
ranging from thigh- to gutter-deep in several
areas across Metro Manila, the Metropolitan
Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
reported.
 ____________________________

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines

and Spain signed three agreements on
assistance for health reform efforts in
the Bicol and Caraga regions.
 COPYREADING AND HEADLINE WRITING
DIRECTIONS: Read the article carefully, then copyedit using
appropriate copyreading symbols. Write a one-line head as
indicated. News Headline: ( 2 cols , 60 points, TNRB, downstyle)

_______________________________________

Manila, Phil – the dept. of Foreign Affairs haas confirm

no no that Fil. was kill the in massive earth quake that

rocck central italy yesterday. but that some filipino family

loss their home in the treemor. the DfA receives initial

report fr. the phil embassy at rome that there is no fil.

Amon the cvasualties in the earthquake that strucks

cntral Italy particular in the city of L’Aquila Malaya

said in a text msg. DFA spokes person edardo malaya

says the Phil embassy in rome rported that the filipino

Who loss their homes was bein assisted by the local

Proteczioni Civile (civil protection office)

According to Italian Ministry records, there are some

150 Fil. in L’Aquila. the embassy is coordinates wit

the Interior ministry & Localities authorities in

assisting comm. members. Press sec. cerge Remonde

said Pres. Arroyo would extense help and do what

needs to be done to help.

 FOR FUN!

TRANSLATE:

Pulchritude possesses
profundity of a merely
cutaneous nature.
 FOR FUN!

TRANSLATE:

Lack of propinquity
causes an effulgence of
partiality in the cardiac
area.
 FOR FUN!

TRANSLATE

It is fruitless to become
lachrymose over
precipitately departed
lacteal fluid.
There is no substitute for good writing. It flows.
It glows. It lives. -Susan Duncan