[Ipg-smz] A question for everyone, particularly Esther Schindler

[Lynn Greiner]

Also in a defunct print pub: a copy editor "improved" my text in such a way
as to reverse the meaning of a critical sentence. I griped at the EiC, and
soon heard that the culprit had been fired. It apparently wasn't the first
time this had happened. 

 

That was an anomaly, though. On the whole, I've worked with great editors
(and great members of that endangered species, the copy editor).

 

From: Ipg-smz <ipg-smz-bounces at netpress.org> On Behalf Of Joe Stanganelli
Sent: Friday, February 8, 2019 10:46 AM
To: ipg-smz at netpress.org
Subject: Re: [Ipg-smz] A question for everyone, particularly Esther
Schindler

 

I can top that: On a pub that no longer exists, the copy desk removed a joke
of mine (which, if that was the only thing they did, fine) and replaced it
with a worse, shittier "joke" that made no sense.

It was so embarrassing that I never shared the piece on social, and
distanced myself from it.

I don't mind having my jokes removed; just please don't change or replace
them.

I've actually come to expect my editors to remove my jokes; these days, I'm
surprised when one gets through.

One of the inventors of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing is named Jennifer Doudna.
In a piece I wrote a couple of years ago about patent rights surrounding
CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing, I used the subhed "Doudna, Where's My Cas?"

I was shocked and disappointed in my editor.

 

Joe

 

  _____  

From: Ipg-smz <ipg-smz-bounces at netpress.org
<mailto:ipg-smz-bounces at netpress.org> > on behalf of Mac McCarthy
<mac.mccarthy at gmail.com <mailto:mac.mccarthy at gmail.com> >
Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2019 7:04:16 PM
To: ipg-smz at netpress.org <mailto:ipg-smz at netpress.org> 
Subject: Re: [Ipg-smz] A question for everyone, particularly Esther
Schindler 

 

We had a copy editor at Infoworld, "Jill," who edited for space by deleting
the last sentence in a product review. Unfortunately, that sentence was the
punchline for a joke. When I complained, she simply replied, "I didn't think
it was funny."

 

Editing can be maddening.

 

Mac

 

On Thu, Feb 7, 2019 at 3:58 PM Tom Geller <tom at tgeller.com
<mailto:tom at tgeller.com> > wrote:

Oh, I have a good one about deleted ledes. (Getting deleded?) 

 

For my 2013 Lynda.com <http://Lynda.com>  video course "Writing Articles"
(https://www.linkedin.com/learning/writing-articles), I (of course) wrote a
dummy article to study. Then in a video that shows how to construct an
article, I say:

 

"Then after everything else is done, go back and revisit that first
paragraph to make it even stronger. One common trick is to simply delete
that first sentence and then see if it's reads any better. A lot of writers,
including me, need a sentence or two to get into the swing of things."

 

Sounds good, right? Except that the producers said, "O.K., do that. Delete
the first sentence." I... hadn't planned for that. Luckily, the piece still
worked without it. I schooled myself!


---
Tom Geller  *  Writer & Video/journalist  *  http://tomgeller.com
       Rotterdam, The Netherlands, +31 (0)6 87071468
            Oberlin, Ohio  *  +1-415-317-1805

 

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Mac McCarthy

 

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