hard news editor
Here is just one example of the edits I made while being a Hard News Editor for the newspaper. When editing, I go through three times. Once to highlight any opinions that may have seeped through and for the format of a hard news story(making sure the who, what, when, where, why, and how are explained thoroughly). The second to watch out for any AP stylebook errors such as an Oxford Comma, numbering using the figures and spelling it out in certain cases, quote and naming format, etc. The third run through is to make sure everything flows. Are there good transitions? Did they end on a quote? Was there enough voice throughout it? After jotting down a few notes at the end of the story, I take it back to the writer and explain to them what was amazing, and what also needed some work. I offer some alternatives to the mistakes and I never just give them the bad news. There's always something positive about a story, even if it's only their punctuation and capitalization.
copy editor
A Copy Editor does everything Hard News Editor does, but more. That made the transition from being a yearbook editor to a newspaper editor pretty easy. As a Copy Editor, I edit stories, where I look for the same things as I do with being a Hard News Editor, I also edit other copy such as captions and quotes. Having the AP style down is a must. You have to know by heart that it's comma quote name said and that ages are expressed as a figure and not spelled out. At first it's tough to get the hang of it, but after asking questions and looking at the stylebook multiple times, I think I finally have it tattooed in the back of my head. Beyond the writing, I also look at little things like pictures being lined up, stories being long enough, words being the right size or font, and the spot color not being too generic(red, green, blue). After I've looked over the spreads a number of times, I take it back to the group members who completed it and show them how to either fix the mistakes on their computer, or tell them how to write a better story by expanding their vocabulary or asking more intriguing questions.
editor-in-chief
The Editor-in-Chief runs the whole show, as many people already know. I was in charge of doing everything the Copy Editor does and more. I had no design editor by my side, so I was also the one who designed the layout of the book and its spreads. At the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, I created this stylesheet. It took almost two full days to finish, but it saved me in the long run. Each student in the class had access to this so they could check their spreads before they turned them in. It saved their grades, and saved me a lot of time while trying to send them to be proofed or to the plant. By now I know all of my rules and fonts my heart, and I can tell if it's not the right size, which amazes most people. But after staring at troublesome pages and making corrections, it has become second nature. On the next section of my portfolio you will see how I fix up spreads and make it fit its content's needs, just another thing I do on a daily basis.