But they imposed the pagination terminals on the copy desk without adding any copy editors, and wiped out the copy editors reading time. Many copy editors nowadays spend their time moving boxes, not reading copy. They barely have time to write a headline. So staff your copy desk adequately, train them deeply, bring them candy, and emphasize their role as the last safety net to catch errors. Second, you create a culture in which everyone in the copyflow chain finishes everything they transmit.
Reporters turn in finished stories at the length planned for printing.
Desk editors do a large edit, looking for holes and sense and completeness, and also correct any surface errors they find before sending the copy. Copy editors do a complete surface edit before they transmit to layout, or do layout themselves. No one in the chain can say, Because I don t have time, I ll just send this, and let the people downstream catch stuff. Unless you look at raw copy daily, you have no idea how raw that copy gets. Invest a little time sitting with your desk and copy editors to find out.