MARY GABLE

Here’s an old (you know, if you consider 2012 old) but awesome article on why we need copy editors. It was written by Merrill Perlman, former editor for The New York Times and now-president of the American Copy Editors Society Education Fund. She makes a great case for editors—and best of all, mentions research conducted by Fred Vultee at Wayne State University, research I had to chance to learn about from Vultee himself last year. Perlman’s conclusion is spot-on:

A copy editor’s work is largely invisible, until she misses something, in which case she takes the blame. But most important is that a copy editor stands in for the reader, gingerly reshaping, clarifying and correcting things before the reader can see them and post an excoriating comment.

Read on for more wisdom from a copy editing queen.

Why ‘Amercia’ needs copy editors – CNN.com.

Tagged: ACES, editing, typos