Sub-Editing: Introduction

Course Overview

This course is designed to help you develop the skills you need to be an outstanding sub-editor; an orderly mind, scepticism, an eye for detail, an obsession with accuracy and the ability to work quickly under pressure.

This two day course utilises practical examples throughout and is ideal for those new to sub-editing as well as writers and journalists who wish to tighten and fine-tune their own copy.
Course content

Introduction

Developing the sub's eye
How to learn the knack of spotting the errors that might pass an average reader by but which the sub must always correct

Six essential checks
The six routine checks that will uncover the majority of potential errors in copy and help the sub get it right every time

When to change copy and when to leave it alone
· When to cut and when to rewrite
· Editing copy to fit

Subbing news
· News stories follow a particular set format - how to ensure a news story is written correctly

Subbing features and opinion pieces
· Features have a different structure to news stories - how to sub a feature
· What you can and can't do to an opinion piece
Writing headlines, standfirsts, captions and other sells
This is the most creative part of subbing, the most fun and - in terms of getting a reader to actually read a story - the most important
· Creating eye-catching sells
· The secrets of writing a good headline

A foolproof guide to proofing
· Good proofreading techniques

Tips on keeping the writer happy
· How to have good working relations with your writers

How to sub your own copy
On publications with a small team, writers often have to sub their own copy. It's difficult to spot errors you have committed yourself so this course covers key steps to help you sub your own work

What subs need to know about media law
· Spotting potentially expensive legal errors
· Legal points you must be aware of and what to do if you are unsure

Questions and answers