As we discussed in today’s session, being a good editor is like coaching a sports team. You all thought that being a good coach means being strict but fair, clear in your ideas, able to communicate ideas clearly and unafraid to have some fun.
The coaching method that the Poynter Institute’s Chip Scanlan recommends is a great process that builds on a writer’s strengths and makes editing much easier and more effective.
Remember, the steps to coaching writers are:
- BRAINSTORM and MAP OUT story ideas — This will help your staff come up with the most creative and newsworthy approach to the story and sources.
- REPORT — Once the idea is solid, a reporter goes about interviewing and researching.
- DEBRIEF — The most important step in the process! This is the stage when a reporter meets up with the editor and talks about what he or she has learned so far. The editor then asks key unanswered questions and suggests additional sources of information.
- MORE REPORTING — After the debriefing, a reporter sets out to finish up the story, gathering final bits of information and filling in any holes in his/her story.
- EDITING — The final draft comes to the editor, who works with the reporter to clarify information and polish the story into its final print-ready state. BUT, it’s important to remember that editing should start with the big picture, then grammar and style problems. Editors need to make sure to read the story first with the big questions in mind: What’s the news? What’s the story we’re telling? Does this story make sense? Then, you can worry about checking spelling and facts and sentence structure last.
Coaching respects writers’ knowledge of their story. It also gives editors a much better final product. Happy coaching!
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