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Editing and re-writing submitted copy
There will be times when an interview is not possible and your internal communications/staff newsletter contributors will pen something themselves. Here are our tips for dealing with submitted copy: Brief your contributor before they put pen to paper. They will need to know: o The target audience for the newsletter (for example, general cross-sector staff readership). o The topic you want them to write about, including exactly which issues you want covered and whether you want to include examples, quotes, contact points and the like. o When you want it (the deadline). o Where to send their contribution (and whether you want it on paper, e-mail or disk). o How many words you want (probably no more than 250). o Tell them to look through a couple of back issues of the newsletter to get a feel for house style. This will help them to be consistent. Once the article is in, you should check the following: o Basics – does it contain all the necessary information, the five ‘Ws’ and an H? If there’s anything missing, you’ll need to get this from the writer. o Logic – does it make sense? If there’s any confusion or ambiguity in the article check with the writer and change it. If you don’t understand it, neither will your readers. o Accuracy – always check facts and numbers because it’s easy to make a typing mistake and often hard to spot it. o Consistency – check that the article meets your house style and deals with figures, names, job titles and details consistently. o Spelling and grammar – check for spelling and grammatical errors. o Length – cut it down if it rambles on. Check with the author if you make significant amendments. » On to Using photos © Adrian Ruck MCIPR |
