Editing
Initially, I served as the primary editor for every piece submitted to the Opinions section in Volume 61. Now, as co-Editor-in-Chief, I serve as the editor of the editors for all articles in the News, Opinions, and Columns sections. I try hard to encourage both writers and editors, honor their voices, and polish writing mechanics and grammar. This is an example of an excerpt from a piece written by Matthew Quisel, edited by co-News Section Editor Lily Smith, and finalized by me.
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Section Editor's Edits |
My Edits |
Leadership
One of the things that I found most frustrating when I initially became a section editor was the lack of written guidelines, formal instruction in how to run a section, and transparent deadlines. Together with my co-Editors-in-Chief, Leah Blum and Tae Hong, I worked to create an instruction manual for writers on how to build an article, which is shown below. In addition, we created a checklist for editors to help them recruit staff, plan content, and edit articles. Additionally, we kept the Virtual Article Board up-to-date and accurate.
Team Building
Photo courtesy of Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Team building and maintaining morale is a key function of the Editor-in-Chief. Working with my phenomenal advisor, Mr. Lee, we built a system to acknowledge each editor's birthday. Each editor is assigned a "birthday buddy" who bears responsibility for organizing and executing a birthday celebration during our weekly meeting.
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Photo by unknown waitstaff
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In addition to birthday celebrations, we organize "Denebola Dinners." For example, the dinner shown on the left occurred when we attended the NSPA conference in St. Louis. These dinners serve as an opportunity for editors to build personal relationships, decompress, and bond.
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