I'm Feeling Miserable ...

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2004 3:07 am

... because I forgot to include a liftout box in our Sept. 11 commission coverage that would have directed readers to the full report on the Internet.I had it written down in my notes. I had it planned for the page. And then the first plan went to hell when some of the non-Sept. 11 jumps from 1A ended up going on the page meant for our Sept. 11 coverage. I lost space I'd intended to use for such coverage and, in the helter skelter of editing copy and re-designing the page, I forgot to include the one element that my EE wanted included.I just can't win, it seems. When it rains, it pours. I got everything else except for that one d*mn*ble element. And I'm betting that's all my EE will focus on Friday morning (maybe not, but I always assume the worst). Everything else is there, except for that liftout.I love what I do. It's more than a job for me. It's a calling. And yet I feel that when I screw up like this, that's all "the powers that be" focus on. No, it's not as bad as a 48-point headline with a wrong or missing word in it. No, it's not like I forgot to put a jump on page somewhere. But STILL ... it's a screw up on my part.As it was, we still ran over deadline by five minutes or so. And now I'm getting all worked up over this and stressed out, but there's nothing I can do. The paper was put to bed nearly 2 1/2 hours ago. Why did this realization have to dawn at all? And why couldn't it have happened an instant *before* I sent my last page?And here I thought I did pretty good, what with 1A to edit and flow, along with five inside pages.*sigh* So, does anyone else here beat themselves up after a gaffe like mine?Gatekeeper-30-

redpenman · **Joined:** Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:01 am **Posts:** 65

On a nightly basis....
Not necessarily things that went wrong, but always second-guessing efforts from the night.Mostly, it deals with page design and headlines for me --- I'm constantly going over my plan of action from the night before and hoping everything will come out smooth. Sometimes it do -- sometime it do not. Not much you can do once that bastard's to bed though.As for neglecting a liftout --- I understand your concern and your disappointment, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts your powers-that-be won't be inclined to mention it, especially on a Friday.

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:00 am

^^^I, too, do the same thing. Heck, even when I'm eating my lunch or supper, I'll sketch out possible designs or headlines for the upcoming night on a napkin. Oftentimes, I cruise the Internet prior to going to work, and already have a rough idea of what might be major stories and not.As for the EE, unless I get a 7 a.m. phone call, I might never find out the reaction, as I'm on my weekend until Sunday afternoon.Well, I'm off to bed. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep.Gatekeeper-30-

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2004 4:22 am

Don't be so tough on yourself. It's not like you forgot to print the URL for an obscure Russian manuscript that readers might otherwise have trouble finding.

Word Herder · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2004 9:38 am

I think we can all relate to the misery. My paper comes out on Fridays and a goof ruins my whole weekend (most recently, the word "comsumption" in a front-page headline). When I get home, I punch a wall or two, resolve to never, ever push the "send" button until I'm completely comfortable with every page (self-delusion can be a valuable skill), and drink myself to sleep.This is a particularly thankless job, because if you're doing it right, you're invisible. Readers don't notice layout flow, punchy headlines or tight editing -- nor should they. *Everyone* notices the goofs, however, and delights in playing "gotcha."Today's edition is a damn fine effort, with well-written stories, good art on almost every page, and a tight, modular layout. So far, no gotcha phone calls. The walls are safe for another week.

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Fri Jul 23, 2004 3:58 pm

Well, I didn't receive a 7 a.m. phone call from the EE, so it might not have been a big a deal at the office as I initially feared (then again, the EE might have simply sent a "What Happened?" e-mail to me, but I won't see that until Sunday at the earliest).So, of course, I'm perusing the pages, relieved at not getting a phone call. Things are starting to look up. Then I look at the bottom of the Sept. 11 page and, you guessed it, I had "solders" in a small jump headline (it was supposed to be "soldiers"). AUGH! *tosses paper down, steaming again*Still no phone calls as of 4 p.m. CDT. I'm sure at least one of our astute readers will delight in playing "gotcha," though, and mail in a clipping of the headlines. Oh, well. At least it wasn't a 1A headline in 60 point type (or 30 point type for that matter).I was due for a bad night. I hope I'm paid up for the year.Gatekeeper-30-

redpenman · **Joined:** Fri Jul 23, 2004 12:01 am **Posts:** 65

Maybe someone glanced it over and thought the story was about soldering. "U.S. solders in Iraq longer than expected"Hey, it could happen![ July 23, 2004: Message edited by: redpenman ]

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2004 1:37 am

^^^ Yeah, that's it. :-)

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2004 2:08 am

Your mistakes could have been far worse. I've made worse and you'll probably make worse ones no matter how conscientious you are.Concentrate on how to avoid repeating mistakes. Spellcheck your headlines, for instance. Set time aside for quick doublechecks. (Yes, I know, there's never enough time to check, but always enough time to second-guess.) Double-check after you finish your work, so if a mistake is bad enough you can resend the page.It's good that you care, but if you're too tough on yourself, you'll end up burned out or slowed by fear and distraction. If copy editing were easy, then anyone could do it.

Kewpie · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2004 4:45 pm

I don't think we've seen the last of this story. There will be other opportunities to insert that link in the next few days.

DominEditrix · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2004 8:23 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Wayne Countryman:
Spellcheck your headlines, for instance.<hr></blockquote>But don't rely on spellchecking; in this instance, it wouldn't have have helped. I've seen far too many typos that were perfectly good words, just not the right word.D.

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Sat Jul 24, 2004 9:07 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Wayne Countryman:
Your mistakes could have been far worse. I've made worse and you'll probably make worse ones no matter how conscientious you are.<hr></blockquote>I've yet to have a factually misleading headline (or deckhead for that matter), but I've had a couple spelling errors over the years. Each time, I resolve to ... well, you get the picture. <blockquote>quote:<hr>Concentrate on how to avoid repeating mistakes. Spellcheck your headlines, for instance. Set time aside for quick doublechecks. (Yes, I know, there's never enough time to check, but always enough time to second-guess.) Double-check after you finish your work, so if a mistake is bad enough you can resend the page.<hr></blockquote>Oh, how I sometimes yearn for the days when we had a proof reader who read each and every page once it was completed. Since that position was cut, though, the fact that the copy editor is the last line of defense is even more true than usual.Nowadays, the copy editor in charge of a page double checks it before sending it to negative. The negative then comes back up to be examined prior to plating. The third and final line of defense is the press run. "Solders" got through all three ... <blockquote>quote:<hr>It's good that you care, but if you're too tough on yourself, you'll end up burned out or slowed by fear and distraction. If copy editing were easy, then anyone could do it.<hr></blockquote>I certainly have found myself really, really, really, really scrutinizing things after errors get by me, which does shave precious minutes off the night.Gatekeeper-30-

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 12:33 am

I found out earlier tonight from my immediate superior that the EE told her to add a note to my personnel file regarding the missing liftout refer.I suppose this will be used against me when it comes to evaluation time."I'm sorry, Gatekeeper, but remember that little incident back in July? You know, where you forgot to put in the refer to the online 9-11 report? Well, you've done pretty good since then, like usual, but, well, we can't give you that 3 percent cost-of-living raise this year because of it. I'm sorry, really I am. Maybe next year, OK?"I love personnel files. I wonder if they also keep the good stuff you do in there, or if it's only the occasional screw-up. I prefer the former, because then I might not be so upset about it.Gatekeeper-30-

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:30 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Gatekeeper:
I found out earlier tonight from my immediate superior that the EE told her to add a note to my personnel file regarding the missing liftout refer.
<hr></blockquote>Words fail me.

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 2:43 am

^^^Yes, I'm a bit bitter right now.I'm sitting on a six years' worth of savings. Part of me says maybe the time's nearing to see if another publication could use an experienced copy editor. But another part of me likes the overall company I work for, along with my co-workers, and refuses to be beaten down by infrequent occasions such as this.*sigh*Gatekeeper-30-

paulwiggins · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 2:57 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Gatekeeper:
refuses to be beaten down by infrequent occasions such as this.<hr></blockquote>Hold that thought, to use the cliche.

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 3:10 am

I'm sitting on six years of savings, too, but unfortunately they're pennies in cigar boxes.

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 3:50 am

^^^Heh, well, I've got a bit more than pennies stowed away, but that's only because, well, I simply *don't* buy that much stuff. Probably because I live in an efficiency apartment.Anyway, I'm off to grab some sleep. That's always a surefire way of feeling better seven hours from now.Gatekeeper-30-

tommangan · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:20 am

If your boss is tagging tiny omissions like that and putting it in your personnel file, it's time to get a different job. Seriously. I've worked at least two jobs that I thoroughly despised but nobody ever did something like that to me.

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 12:56 pm

^^^Well, I don't think it happens every time. According to my immediate supervisor, the EE was really gung-ho on getting that refer in to the full report being available online.Anyway, I wrote an e-mail in response to a query from the EE explaining what happened, so maybe the EE (who generally isn't a bear, but has certain pet peeves) will, for lack of a better word, lighten up.Sometimes I wish it would be easy to just go. I'm not tied down to this town (I rent an apartment, after all) by any means. But my family is only two hours away (and, no, the newspaper down there definitely isn't an interesting prospect) and, frankly, good journalism jobs don't come easy in a rural setting.Besides, don't most major metro desks prefer at least 7 to 8 years experience before they'll hire?Gatekeeper-30-

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Mon Jul 26, 2004 1:55 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Gatekeeper:
... Besides, don't most major metro desks prefer at least 7 to 8 years experience before they'll hire?<hr></blockquote>That's changed.
With many copy editors quitting the business, very, very few papers can be so fussy. And those that can often prefer less experienced minds and bodies anyway.Good luck in whatever you do.[ July 26, 2004: Message edited by: Wayne Countryman ]

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:50 am

^^^Thanks for the good luck. I'll stay, simply because all I have to do is catch a major error on the editorial page â€” which is done by TPTB â€” before it goes to print and they'll be thanking me. Again.Besides, I like the fresh air, too. ---Gatekeeper-30-

Wayne Countryman · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 5:37 am

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Gatekeeper:
^^^Thanks for the good luck. I'll stay, simply because all I have to do is catch a major error on the editorial page â€” which is done by TPTB â€” before it goes to print and they'll be thanking me. Again.
<hr></blockquote>If supervisors keep track of errors made, then you should keep track of errors you prevent, in case they don't.

Gatekeeper · **Posted:** Tue Jul 27, 2004 12:44 pm

^^^Hmm. That's an idea I'll look into. Thanks!

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