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    Copyreading and Headline Writing

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    Christine T. Mompol
    The document provides information on copyreading and headline writing for newspapers. It discusses the duties of a copyreader which include correcting errors, rewriting stories, and fact-checking. It also outlines what should be copyread to ensure quality. Additionally, it covers what headlines are, rules for writing effective headlines, headline patterns, word substitutions, printer's directions, and sluglines.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Copyreading and Headline Writing

    Uploaded by

    Christine T. Mompol
    237 views32 pages
    The document provides information on copyreading and headline writing for newspapers. It discusses the duties of a copyreader which include correcting errors, rewriting stories, and fact-checking. It also outlines what should be copyread to ensure quality. Additionally, it covers what headlines are, rules for writing effective headlines, headline patterns, word substitutions, printer's directions, and sluglines.

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    CHW Pamamahayag

    Original Title

    Copyreading-and-Headline-Writing

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    The document provides information on copyreading and headline writing for newspapers. It discusses the duties of a copyreader which include correcting errors, rewriting stories, and fact-checking. It also outlines what should be copyread to ensure quality. Additionally, it covers what headlines are, rules for writing effective headlines, headline patterns, word substitutions, printer's directions, and sluglines.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    237 views32 pages

    Copyreading and Headline Writing

    Uploaded by

    Christine T. Mompol
    The document provides information on copyreading and headline writing for newspapers. It discusses the duties of a copyreader which include correcting errors, rewriting stories, and fact-checking. It also outlines what should be copyread to ensure quality. Additionally, it covers what headlines are, rules for writing effective headlines, headline patterns, word substitutions, printer's directions, and sluglines.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 32

    COPYREADING

    AND
    HEADLINE
    WRITING
    Copyreading is much like the
    work of a communication arts
    teacher correcting compositions,
    except that he uses different
    symbols. A copy may be a news
    item, an editorial, a feature story or
    any literary article.
    Who is assigned
    as a COPYREADER?
    Duties & responsibilities of a copyreader:
    Straighten out ungrammatical construction.
    •Shorten sentences and tighten paragraphs.
    •See that the paper’s style requirements are strictly followed.
    Check names, addresses, title, designations, identifications,
    figures, etc.
    •Rewrite the story completely if it is poorly written.
    •Rewrite the lead or the first few paragraphs whenever necessary,
    but must never tamper with the facts unless he is sure of his
    corrections.
    •Delete all opinion, speculations and statements on news which
    are without attribution or sources
    • Watch out for slanting or any attempt to present the story
    in a subtly biased way.
    • Watch for libelous statements.
    • Recheck figures and totals.

    • Cross-out adjectives in news which tend to make a


    story sound over-written.
    • Cut a story to size or to the required length if necessary.
    • Check attributions &see to it that they are properly identified.
    • Challenge facts, claims, or reports when they sound
    anomalous, illogical and incredible.
    • Write headlines
    • help in the lay-out
    Tools for Copyreading and headline writing

    a. Reference books and dictionaries

    b. Soft black pencil, eraser

    c. Pair of scissors, ruler and paste


    What to copyread?
    Errors in fact
    Errors in grammar
    Errors in structure
    Errors in style
    Libelous and derogatory statements
    Seditious and rebellious matter
    Expressions contrary to law and good taste

    Opinion and editorializing statements


    Verbal deadwood, redundancy

    Technical terms, slang, jargons


    What is a HEADLINE?

    It is the title of a news written in capsule


    form. It uses attractive, simple and specific
    words.

    The headline has a subject and a verb and


    whenever necessary an object.
    HEADLINE terms:
    clc - caps and lower cases

    All caps - all capitalized

    -ds-/downstyle - written with only the 1st letter of 1st word capitalized including proper
    nouns & acronyms are however capitalized.

    Boxed head - a headline enclosed in a box(either half, full or quarter boxed)

    Deck - a line in the headline

    Hammer - a label written in bigger font above the head itself for the purpose of
    striking or blowing the main head

    Teaser, kicker or tagline is a word, phrase or label written in smaller types above the headline

    Streamer/Flag/Banner is a headline in the front page that runs across the paper from edge
    to edge

    Umbrella head - is a headline that is found above the nameplate

    Ribbon head - is a headline that is found below the banner. The news story is
    different from that of the banner.

    Binder - is a headline found in the inside page


    RULES in
    WRITING HEADLINES
    Write a headline that is easy to read.
    The simple declarative subject
    predicate sentence
    is easy to write and read.

    Ex. Professor John to coach school paper


    advisers.
    Give the main idea in
    the first line – the
    “who” “what” angle
    Ex. Napoles surrenders to President Aquino
    In a head with two or more
    decks, make the top tell the
    most significant points of the
    story and no other
    Avoid heads that carry a double
    meaning.
    Ex. Wrong – Aged fight pension plan for future.
    Right – Aged group fights new pension plan.
    Avoid repeating key words or ideas
    in a headline with two or more decks.
    Ex. Wrong – GSIS strike settled;
    Right – GSIS dispute ends;
    strikers back to work
    Don’t use names unless persons
    are well-known.
    Ex. Wrong – Tim Bora stabbed in brawl.
    Right – Student stabbed in brawl

    Be specific – avoid generalities.


    Ex. Wrong – Student given scholarship.
    Right – Nava wins La Salle grant.
    Don’t editorialize. State facts;
    avoid opinions.
    Ex. Wrong – Pingris make a good showing.
    Right – Pingris captures MVP.

    Avoid using a negative verb.


    Ex. Wrong – Senate probe on PDAF won’t happen.
    Right – Senate probe on PDAF scam cancelled.
    Use forceful dynamic verbs.
    Ex. Wrong – TNT beats Petron, 87-76
    Right – TNT crushes Petron, 87-76

    Use present tense for past events.

    Ex. Wrong – Senate passed budget.


    Right – Senate passes budget.
    Use the infinitive for future events.
    Ex. Wrong – Student will handle activities for fund raising.
    Right – Student to handle activities for fund raising.

    Don’t use “is” or “are”


    • Use comma to indicate “and” or
    a semicolon
    Avoid splitting the following:
    I. Names that belong together.
    Ex. Wrong - Fortaleza wins Gold
    Medal
    Right - Fortaleza wins Gold Medal

    II.A Preposition & its object, especially on the top


    line.
    Ex. Wrong – Contest sponsored by
    English Department.
    Right - Contest sponsored
    by English Department.
    III. An adjective and a noun it
    modifies.
    Ex. Wrong – 2 Ilocos
    Leaders trade
    accusations
    Right – 2 Ilocos Leaders
    Swap accusations.
    IV. Abbreviations.
    Ex. Wrong - Enrile sues NA
    WASA
    Right – Enrile sues NAWASA.
    Don’t use the articles “a” “an” and “the”.
    Ex. Wrong – Aquino revamps the Cabinet.
    Right – Aquino revamps Cabinet.

    Use number only if important. Write


    numbers in figures, write them out in
    words. If the figure occupy more space
    and will be more difficult to read, say
    for example, B for Billion and M for Million.
    Minimize Punctuation.

    •Never use a period; use a semi-colon to separate sentences.

    •Use single quotation marks.


    Ex. Cultural Development ‘Linggo ng Wika’ theme.
    •Use a comma in place of conjunction and “and”.
    Ex. Self-reliance, discipline up at the Press Confab.
    Headlines do not end with a period

    Most papers use “down style”


    - Only the first word and proper nouns are
    capitalized
    Counting of units in the headline
    The units are counted using the following guide:

    1.All capital letters are counted 1 ½ except M and W which are counted as two
    (2) units and JILTF which are counted as one (1) unit each.

    2.All small letters are counted as one (1) except letter “m” and “w” which are
    counted as 1 ½ units and letters “j,I,l,t,f” which are counted as ½ unit each.

    3.All spaces are counted as one (1) unit each.

    4.All figures 2-9 are counted as one (1) unit each except ‘l’ which is counted as
    ½. The question mark and “em dash (-) are counted as one and a half (1 ½) unit
    each. Dollar and peso signs are also counted as 1 unit each.
    HEADLINE PATTERNS
    A. CROSSLINE - a head that crosses all the columns of the paper from edge
    to edge
    B. FULL LINE - it is a headline of two or three decks which are of equal unit
    counts on the left and on the right columns.
    C. FLUSHED LEFT - it is a head of two or more lines where the words in the left
    column are in line.
    D. FLUSHED RIGHT – it is a head of two or more lines where the words in the right
    column are in line.
    E. HANGING INDENTION – it is a head of two lines where the second line or the
    succeeding lines are indented.
    F. STEPFORM or DROPLINE – it is a kind of head with two or more lines where the
    2nd line is indented and the 3rd line has longer indention than the 2nd
    deck.
    G. INVERTED PYRAMID – refers to the kind of head with 2 or more lines where the
    2nd and 3rd lines or more are arranged at the center of the column

    H. PYRAMID - refers to the kind of head with 2 or more lines where the 2 nd and 3rd
    lines or more are arranged are divided like the pyramid scheme
    WORD SUBSTITUTION IN HEADLINE
    FORM
    Examples:

    a.Training winds up today (ends, culminates)

    b.DepEd slashes tution hike (lowers, decreases – increases)

    c.Palace announces revamp (bares)

    d.Fire razes down 1000 houses (burns)

    e.Dengue cases hit (reaches)


    PRINTER’S DIRECTION
    This gives the printer the specific instruction on what
    to follow in printing the headline of the article.

    Example: 2-24 TNR B/kicker

    • Number 2 represents the number of columns to be used as headline.

    • 24 is for the size of the font to be used.

    • TNR (Times New Roman) represents the kind or type of print.

    • B refers to BOLD or I refers to ITALICS .

    The two lines drawn below point to the number of lines used. If a kicker or a
    hammer is used then a slash is placed and a kicker/hammer is written.
    SLUGLINE
    - A word or phrase that states the topic of the article.
    Sometimes, the page number is indicated in the slugline to guide
    the printer in what page will the article be placed.

    Example:

    Slugline – Fire – p2.

    Writer’s initials
    Year, Issue No.
    Slug (word or phrase)
    Date

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