COPY READING AND

HEADLINE WRITING

What is copyreading?
Correcting copies (news, feature
sports stories, editorial, etc
with the use of appropriate
symbols commonly known
by printers.

Who are copyreaders?

1. They are sometimes called
butchers or mutilators.
2. They correct errors in copies
3.They should know the basics of all
forms of journalistic writing.

Cs of Copyreading
Correct
Check
Condense
Clarify

What to know in COPYREADING

1. Grammar
2. Styles
3.Font/Typography
4.Unit Count
5.Printers Direction
6. Headline Writing
7. Copyreading Symbols
8. Style Book

DUTIES OF A COPYREADER
1. Straighten out grammatical constructions.
2.Shorten sentences and tighten paragraphs.
3.See that the style requirements are strictly
followed.
4.Check names, addresses, titles, designations,
identifications, figures, attributions, etc.
5.Rewrite parts of the story completely if they
are poorly written.

Mechanical Editing
Content Editing
Headline Writing
Printers Direction

MECHANICAL EDITING
1st Reading
Having a general understanding
Correcting obvious errors
Checking vague information

CONTENT EDITING
2nd reading
Checking the appropriateness
of words
Finding the lead (news)
Arranging the paragraphs

HEADLINE WRITING
Things to remember :

1.Answers as many Ws as
possible in the headline
2.The headline should not state
something that is not included
in the story

3.Positive heads are preferable than

the negative ones.

HEADLINE WRITING
Things to remember :

1.Answers as many Ws as
possible in the headline
2.The headline should not state
something that is not included
in the story

3.Positive heads are preferable than

the negative ones.

HEADLINE WRITING
Things to remember :

4. Use a verb, expressed or implied, in

main heads and subheads.
5.The active verb is preferred to passive
verb, except in the instance that the
event is more important than the doer.
6.Delete article like a, an, the and all the
forms of verbs of being.

HEADLINE WRITING
Things to remember :

7.Use the present tense for past stories and

infinite form for future events.
8. Write numbers in figures or spell them out
depending upon the allotted space for headlines.
9.Use the comma, the punctuation mark, instead of
the conjunctions and in headlines.
10. Write the position of a general word to identify
a person, a place, or a thing that is not popular.

11.Use numbers.
People
love
numbers,
especially
in
headlines. Numbers are something we know
and feel comfortable with; they give us a
sense of familiarity and advise our brains on
how long an article may take to read. With
numbers we can justify the exchange of
information for our time especially with
numbers that describe how many points will
be covered.

Tips from Mam Calapit

1. Headlines should be 6 to nine words
short only.
2. % is ok in the headline if there is
enough space.
3. The following words should be written
in italics.
stage plays, songs, foreign words,
scientific names
4. Dates and addresses are always written
in figures.

Tips from Mam Calapit

5. Delete this in the body of the text
in order to
6. Use according to if it means press
release; use said to persons
7. Species versus specie
8. Immigration instead of BI
9. Bar Council instead of council
10. Solon instead of ad hoc chair/panel
11. House Congress instead of Means
Committee

Headline Vocabs
Instead of

Increase
Decrease
Examination
Announced
Highlight
Disapprove
Contest/competition

Use

Hike
Dip
Quiz
Bared
Cap
Buck
Tilt

Headline Vocabs
Instead of

Being discussed at
Dominates
Against
Volleyball players
Approval
Syndicate
Investigation

Use

Up at
Rules/lords
Vs
Spikers/netters
Ok
Gang
Probe

Headline Vocabs
Instead of

Prohibition
Participate
Celebrate
Senators
Conflagration
Inundated
Arrests
Emphasize
Charter Change
Police

Use

Ban
Attend
Mark
Solons
Fire
Flooded
Nabs
Stress
Cha-cha
Cop

Unit Counting
A headline should fit the allotted space by a system of
unit counts, given to each letter, figures and symbols.
The corresponding unit counts are given as follows:
unit j,I,l,t,f, all punctuation marks except m dash
(_)and question mark(?)
1 unit J,I,L,T,F, question mark(?), m dash, space,
figures, and all the lowercase letters except j,I,l,t,f,m,w
1 Unit counts- m, w and all the capital
letters, except J,I,L,T,F,M W
2 units- M,W

Printers Direction
Slugline

Serves as guide of the printing press

First line
Paper/Publication
The Crossier
Second Line Kind/ Article
News
Topic
Fire
Writer/Initials
ZGA
Printers Direction
unit count 32
font size 18
font family
2-18 Verdana
column
2 ds
deck
style

If the purpose of learning is to score well

on a test, we have lost sight of the real
reason for learning.
Never STOP doing your best just because
someone doesnt give u credit.
Secret of successful journalists?
Love of words, passion and love in
reading, talking and writing with sense

Thank you so much for listening.

God bless us all

Zeny G. Arcena
San Jose Community High School
N.Virata, GMA, Cavite
June 27, 2015