Editing and Ethics

Today’s Class• Editing• Ethics• This week’s homework• Feedback, please!

“Those who can’t climb Mount Everest find happiness in tackling the barriers to

clear expression.”- Arthur Plotnik

Editing• No two editors are the same• Editing is an art, craft, crusade• An editor’s alliance is only with the reader

• An editor’s job is to shape the expression of an author’s thoughts, not the thoughts themselves

When you edit…• Above all, aid the reader• Allow for variety of expression• Use good sense

– Guidelines are sometimes dismissed for variety or emphasis• “Outcry was heard round the world”• “Everyone in the world heard the outcry.”

• Preserve the author’s voice• See the forest and the trees• Ask questions

Edit for the craft…• Clarity, style, economy, logic, plain language, and impact

• Punctuation, spelling, figures, capitalization, etc.

• Accuracy of names, titles, citations, and math

• APA reference style

Edit for the art…

• Beginning (headline/lead)• Content• Readability• Ending

Beginnings• Does the headline let the reader know how the story differs from previous stories on similar topics?

• Does the headline pique the reader’s interest anew?

• Does the lead engage readers and tell them what they will read about?

Content• Are numbers used effectively?

– Sparingly– Comparisons or analogies– Absolute event rates when possible

• Are research findings presented fully? – Sufficient context?– All sides represented fairly?– Bulk of expert opinion is made known– Indicate where uncertainties exist – Caveats made?

Readability

• Is interest sustained throughout?

• Is the organization logical?• Are plain language principles followed?

Does the ending…

• Tie together various themes and people?

• Reinforce take-home messages?• Present sources for further information, if appropriate?

Editor’s Marks• Ask questions/make comments in margins

• Make grammar and usage corrections within the line– Use editor’s marks (see handout)

• Delete• Insert• Transpose• Capitalize• New paragraph• Period• Comma

In-Class Activity

• Edit the passage provided and review as a group.

Ethics

• Codes of ethics• Conflict of interest• Plagiarism• Embargoes

Codes of Ethics• American Medical Writers Associationhttp://www.amwa.org/default.asp?id=114

• Association of Health Care Journalists http://www.healthjournalism.org/secondarypage-details.php?id=56

• Society of Professional Journalists http://www.spj.org/pdf/ethicscode.pdf

AHCJ Principles• Be vigilant in selecting sources; seek out independent experts

• Investigate and report possible conflicts of interest

• Recognize that most stories involve a degree of nuance - avoid single source stories

• Show respect• Remember that some sick people don’t like to be called victims

AHCJ Principles (continued)

• Avoid vague, sensational language• Report and quantify the magnitude of the benefits and risks

• Clearly define and communicate areas of doubt or uncertainty

• Be original -- plagiarism in untruthful and unacceptable

Conflicts of Interest• Be vigilant about conflicts of interest• Everyone has a stake in research

– Industry (profits)– Researchers (tenure, prestige)– Journals (impact index, prestige, advertisers)

– Reporters (front page, better assignments, prestige)

– Advocacy groups (funding)

• For an interesting video, visit http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7758662442132419447#

Integrity• Those who cover health care will encounter many different interest groups including government, academic medicine and research, medical centers, providers, purchasers, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers.

• Health care journalists should remember that their loyalties reside with the truth and with the needs of the community.

Plagiarism• Plagiarism is the use of other people’s words or ideas without crediting them

• Can be intentional or accidental– Using words of a source too closely when paraphrasing

– Building on someone else’s ideas without citing their work

• Might result in job loss and loss of credibility

News Embargoes• All major medical journals have publication embargoes.

• Journals provide advance copies of the journal or article before publication, in confidence.

• Embargoes usually lift the day before the cover date of the issue.

• Press typically register for embargoed material.

News Embargoes (continued)

• Embargoes give journalists extra time to produce more comprehensive and accurate coverage.

• Some believe that the embargo system is driven by medical journal profit motives.

• Breaking an embargo is a serious breach of trust and can result in being barred from receiving advance information.

Homework• Reading assignment:

– Gastel ch. 4– “Writing patient education content for the Web.” C.W.

Chambers. AMWA Journal. 2006, vol. 21, no. 3.

• Editing assignment:– Part One: Read your assigned feature article. Provide

feedback using the Assignment Form.– Part Two: Edit a classmate’s feature article. Use

erasable pen to keep things tidy. – TWO HARD COPIES of each are due in class next

week.

Feedback, please!

• What is going well in the class

• Suggestion for improvement