Editing
Becoming an editor for Scot Scoop has been one of my favorite parts of my journalism experience. See below to follow my journey!
My
Editing Experience
Editor Intern
Time: Spring of 2025
Role: At the start of the intern process, I was placed with a full editor as my mentor. She led me through the process, as I completed "practice beats" to simulate editing an article, then moved into assisted editing, where she still checked my edits before publishing, until I was eventually given a couple of writers of my own to edit and publish for.
Editor
Time: Fall of 2025-current
Role: Starting junior year, I became a full-fledged editor. This meant that I took on 7-8 writers in the first semester, editing and publishing their beats and features. This process also included teaching the sophomores the ropes, as they were new to the journalism program and weren't super comfortable with things like AP Style and writing structure.
Managing Editor Training
Time: Spring of 2026
Role: In the last couple of months of the school year, I was selected as one of the managing editors for the next school year. I began checking over the site every day to ensure that no errors were published and logging any changes I made.
Editor Mentor
Time: Spring of 2026
Role: During this time, I found myself on the other end of my intern experience. I was given a sophomore intern to train; the process actually taught me a lot, too, as my intern brought up questions that I wasn't always sure how to answer. Partway through the semester, I transitioned her into editing full-time for 2 of my writers.
Editing Process
The
Pitches
At minimum 1 week before their publishing date, writers submit their idea in my "bucket" on Microsoft Teams. Pitches include the angle and ideas for sources, feature photos, and multimedia. I then have to go through and decide if the topic is newsworthy, and approve it or ask for modifications.
Editing
Once the writer submits their article on SNO, I go through and edit for errors in categories such as grammar, writing flow, AP style, and accuracy. I also fill out a rubric with feedback and points, which the writer can use to learn and improve for their next article.
Publishing
Once I've made all the necessary changes, I have the ability to hit the publish button, meaning that the article goes live on Scot Scoop. Additionally, if later changes are made, it is my job to update the article to ensure that the information on our site is correct and up to date.