The program, which the grant will fund beginning in January, brings three participants to Chapel Hill each semester to study and work in the school, UNC-CH and the area. Twelve copy editors from across the nation have participated since 1996. Reporters are eligible for contest prizes, sabbaticals and other honors, but copy editors don't get the rewards they deserve.
Copy editors have important, demanding jobs.
Each editor pursues an independent study under a faculty mentor. Participants take classes, read, conduct research, attend lectures, use UNC-CH libraries and have informal discussions with faculty and students. Each editor proposes a project topic and completes it before the semester ends. Professors Bill Cloud and Raleigh Mann co-direct the program. Each editor's newspaper continues to provide benefits but no salary.