Image from superwarehouse.comBefore the age of computers editors developed copy editing symbols to edit copy. With the development of computers editing has been made more accessible and quicker; however, traditional copy editing symbols are still used at times in some news rooms. Which begs the question: are copy editing symbols becoming a thing of the past, or here to stay?
The Textbook "Creative Editing for Canadian Journalist" states that "Today's Computerized world has little need for traditional copy editing symbols," although the text does go on to say "Some editing jobs are still done the old-fashioned way." This juxtaposition of stances seems a tad redundant as the industry, and the world, are becoming computerized at an exponential rate. Some say, however, that editing on a hard copy makes errors easier to catch.
In the article "Copy Editing: Man vs. Machine" the author Jason F. declares his attraction to editing on hard copy. "But as I’ve been going over the marked up version of the paper manuscript, I’ve really come to appreciate the handwritten red pen edits. I find them more informative and ultimately more readable than the made-by-machine track changes edits."
Matt White backs up the theory that more errors are caught on print in his article "Editing Detective." "Unlike my blog on Editing for the Web, or my post focusing on the importance of accuracy, this particular blog post is meant to show how common simple-errors are made in the world of online journalism." This could be also due to the rushed pace of online journalism as Matt mentions in his article.
Whether or not copy editing symbols will burn out or fade away is yet to be determined, but for now they will stick around in newsrooms that choose to practice them.
wtf... but thanks for the image though. i used it for my school work.
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