Influence Of Proofreading And Editing In Newspaper And Magazine Production

The cost of not proof reading or proper gatekeeping ranges from the death of the print outfit to the life of journalists, editor, publisher, jail term or fine. The research therefore, examined the impact of proofreading and editing in print media with a study of Nigerian Tribune. The paper is anchored on gatekeeping theory and libertarian media theory. Cross sectional survey research method was adopted while sample random sampling was used to select 100 respondents within Nigerian Tribune newspaper. Also, the data collection instrument is questionnaire which was administered face to face while the data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency percentage and tables).

From the finding, it is clear that gatekeeping determines the quality of the media output or messages. If the gatekeepers perform well, the integrity and reputation of the media will be sustained. It is also recommended that media outfit should employed qualified people that will be saddled with the role of opening and closing of information gate. Seminars and workshops should be continuous activities i.e training and retraining of staff is essential. Media library should be updated and upgraded all the time because media practitioners are expected to know everything about something and something about everything.

Introduction

1.1 Background to the Study

Editing and proofreading are often neglected, but they are the crucial final stages of the writing process. Even the smallest error can result in embarrassing or even costly outcomes (misspelling a name, transposing digits in telephone number, mistakes in a prospectus) so taking time and care to check what you have written is essential.

Editing is the first task that should be undertaken after finishing the first draft of a piece of text. It involves checking the content of the text to ensure that the ideas are expressed clearly and logically, and form a coherent and meaningful whole (Appiah, 2009).Proofreading involves checking over the text in finer detail after the editing stage, to detect errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and format. The importance of the two tasks is demonstrated by the fact that the publishing and printing industries employ different people who are specifically responsible for each of them (Mamishev and Williams, 2009).

In recent times, the digitized consumerism has contributed significantly to collapse the traditional boundary of communication. Thus, necessitates a dynamic global communication model to address diversified readers by understanding their paramount needs. With the advent of e-technology, many exciting changes are taking place, where people are frequently using e-mail, SMS for their day-to-day communications. The use of abbreviated language is now widely accepted, which has compromised and diminished the importance and role of good writing skills. It needs conscious and persistent effort to develop good writing skill. But only a good piece of write-up is not all. It requires a thorough editing to improve its readability and making it lively, appealing and more comprehensive to generate readers interest. The success of a professional writer depends to a large extent on how clearly and effectively the writer is able to convey the message to its readers. The growth of web communications and the uniqueness of digital publishing industries have arguably increased the collaboration between writers, editors and publishers. In this context, editing has suddenly gained a large importance and has become a crucial part in writing and publication process, often influencing the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript.

Here the question that arises is -why a manuscript needs editing before publication? Are the writers not apt to polish their own creation? Some quotes favor editing service, leaving the rest that stigmatizes editing as sheer incompetency. Let us discuss about the importance of editing and proof reading and why publishing houses put much emphasis on it.

For a good publication, editing and proofreading play an important role. Editing is necessary because clear and incisive communication is the key to successful publishing and advertising, polishing the writing and improving presentation. The quality and clarity of writing also depend on the experience of the writer. A beginner in writing often finds itself at sea, not knowing how to start, how to organize the main body of the story and what to conclude. The over enthusiastic writer will try to write every details, leaving nothing for the readers" imagination. On the other hand, a conservative writer may omit vital information, assuming that the readers are already aware of it.

Ideally, a good writing needs to strike a delicate balance of the above aspects. It"s in this context that editing helps a great deal. When we talk about e-messaging, we often tend to ignore spelling errors, improper punctuation and faulty grammar; but there is no room for any mistake in documents intended for publication in print or in electronic media. A mere typographical error in these documents is considered as serious mistake, which can ruin the writer"s credibility. A writer meticulously reviews his work to ensure that the written product is devoid of common errors and stylistic gaffes. He might review with utmost care, emulating own code of editing ethics. But it is a proven fact that self regulatory editing is not adequate and it does not guarantee complete elimination of all the errors. The writer fails to notice the errors because he tends to overlook and sees what he intends to write, but not what is written on the manuscript. The writers lax of grammar and vocabulary does not go down well either with the reader or the publisher. Sloppy sentences, surface errors, misused punctuation, wordiness, and faulty use of tenses all these can undermine the effectiveness of writing. At times, even though we know the correct spelling, we tend to write with transposed letters, which could result in writing something very different from what we set out to write. It can also change the meaning of the sentence or completely disrupt the smooth flow of the article. One wrong word can completely change the intent of the author. This may distract the reader considerably, diminishing the effectiveness of the writing. It never feels good to a reader to come across a writing which is full of errors. It generally gives the reader a feeling of disgust. When it happens, the writer can lose that reader forever. It"s a fact that no writer can be completely objective about his/ her own work.

A writer gets so engrossed in his creation that he misses grammatical and spelling errors very often. Most mistakes go unnoticed simply because of the lack of his expertise to catch them. A simple error can be very embarrassing if not checked before publication. It is more expensive to correct the mistake present in an already published article than to get it correct in the first place. If the document is printed with mistakes in it, then the writer may have to write and publish a corrigendum or addendum in the future editions of the publication. Therefore, it is wise for the writer to seek the help of professional editors and proofreaders to improve clarity, coherency, logical sequence, proper style and structure of the manuscript before submitting it for publication. This helps because it prevents the dissemination of irrelevant findings, unwarranted claims, unacceptable interpretations, and personal biases. Moreover, editing and proofreading ensures an unbiased third-party perspective, which is a difficult domain for any writer.

Many writers often fail to distinguish between editing and proofreading, believing both as synonyms. Editing and proofreading are an integral part of writing process with different functions. Editing is the process of correction, condensation, organization, presentation of content, consistency and removal of unnecessary redundancies, jargons, unsightly adverbs and passive sentences related to the use of language to improve readability in general or adherence to a specific style guide. Proofreading, on the other hand, ensures that the final written document is free of grammatical errors, spelling errors, typos, ambiguous vocabulary and other inconsistencies. Therefore, to communicate successfully in today"s competitive environment, proofreading and editing are indispensable component of a publishing process to make that first impression on the reader.

In electronic drafts, for example in manuscripts prepared in Microsoft Word, the changes in grammar and spelling can be automatically checked and corrected. But there is no substitute for a human editor who doesn"t just slash at your script willy-nilly, but suggest structural changes too to improve readability. A human editor will perform the editing in the context of the subject matter with the right tone and circumstance. He can query the writer on a potential change or ask about the logic behind a particular style of writing. These suggestions will help in fine tuning the writing and improve the entire structure of the manuscript. Professional editors know how to pay attention to minute details of the manuscript. They have an understanding of the whims and caprices of publishing world and know how to help your manuscript become more publishable. They will guide and suggest the writer for improving the manuscript instead of worrying about why the writing was not up to mark.

Authors and researchers often face difficulties to detect mistakes in their research manuscripts as they used to update their draft frequently. If the writing is meant for grant-funding or publication in a scholarly journal, it necessitates opportunity for improvement. A novel and substantial subject always attracts more publishers. A professional editor with his special expertise and fresh eye can eliminate the loopholes, thereby increases the possibility of publication in intended journals.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Presently the publishing market has become extremely competitive and trendy. Moreover, as most of the publishers have shifted towards electronic manuscript processing system, editing process has become increasingly paperless. For commercial reasons, and to keep pace with competition, publishers are keen on accepting and publishing maximum number of articles. They seek high quality editing of manuscripts to retain their credibility and reputation in the market. The industry spends a large share of its revenue for good editing. Publication of an unedited or improperly edited manuscript adversely affects the credibility of the author as well as the journal.

Therefore, it is extremely important to publish manuscripts that have already undergone several rounds of editing.
There is a more subtle infringement of editorial independence caused by the commercial interests of the publishers. Publishing houses sometimes adopt several editorial policies aimed not only for improving the quality of published work, but also for increasing its impact factor, circulation and readership. Authors generally tend to cite articles from journals with high impact factors. Therefore, high standard editing not only improves the quality of content but significantly increases the journal"s ranking and impact factors. It also increases its circulation, enhances reputation and identity of the journal. The role of the editor is to constantly infuse the magazine with dynamism that keep the readers stimulated. Journals with original articles are the obvious choice of every reader.

Editing maximizes the accuracy and impact of written documents to enhance the publication and fund-raising efforts. The degree of editing plays a large role in developing reader comfort. So the manuscript should be clear and concise. Worse may happen if unhappy readers or publishers express negative opinion about an author"s work. Some may never read from that publication or writer again, especially in the field of literature like fictions, poems etc. Although, eloquent at speech and skillful at grammar without journalism, he or she may not practice according to the ethics of the profession. Many Nigerian press men are half baked because they undergo meager education.
Another worthy problem facing the Nigerian press men is their negligence to their duties. Most of the news aired or published nowadays is not well edited, some news which can bring hatred and tribal crisis in the country are still being published. Therefore the problem of this study is to investigate or know the role of the press as gate keepers in our society using the Nigerian Tribune as a case study.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

Based on the problems as indicated above, the major objective of this study is to investigate the effect of proofreading and editing skills on Newspaper And Magazine Production

The specific objectives of the study are to:

To examine whether Nigerian Tribune commit mistakes in its publication.

To x-ray why Nigerian Tribune commit mistakes in its publication.

To know the extent which newspaper industries recorgnise the role of reporter, proofreaders and editors as gatekeepers.

To understand some of the challenges facing newspapers" gatekeepers in performing effectively and efficiently in newspaper industry

To know the extent in which gakekeepers make Nigerian Tribune newspaper contents error free.

To know how often Nigerian Tribune publish Letter to Editor.

To highlight whether lack of press freedom negatively affected the investigative and gate-keeping spirit of journalists.

To examine whether Nigerian Tribune journalists have sound formal education in the field of journalism

To know the basic role gate-keepers in Newspaper publication?

1.4 Research Questions

Does newspaper commit mistakes in their publication?

Why do newspapers commit mistakes in their publication?

To what extent do newspaper industries recorgnise the role of reporter, proofreaders and editors as gatekeepers?

What are the challenges facing newspapers" gatekeepers inperforming effectively and efficently in Newspaper industry

To what extent is Nigerian Tribune gakekeepers make newspaper contents error free?

How often does Nigerian Tribune publish Letter to Editor?

Has lack of press freedom negatively affected the investigative and gate-keeping spirit of journalists?

Do Nigerian Tribune journalists have sound formal education in the field of journalism?

To what extent do Nigerian Tribunne really performing gatekeeping roles in its publication?

1.5 Scope of the Study

This research work has been limited in scope through the topic itself the impact of proofreading and editing in print media with a study of Nigerian Tribune. Using Nigerian Tribune Letters to the Editor as a case study. The discussion in this project will view the importance of press men as gatekeepers(proofreaders and news editors) in our immediate society. Nigerian Tribune was chosen since it is not possible to study all newspapers in Nigeria within the limited time available.

1.6 Limitation of the Study

This research is limited to a print media i.e Nigerian Tribune, one of the Nigerian foremost newspapers. My effort to generalize the study is limited because it takes huge amount of money to carry out the research by going from one place to another in dissemination of information about the topic given to me, transportation problem and the unwillingness on the part of people interviewed the slanting of fact by the interviewers who reluctantly give out information for the fear of not being misinterpreted. Therefore, this is applicable to the print media houses and journalists.

1.7 Significance of the Study

This study will go a long way in helping researcher, student of journalism, students, lecturers and people studying mass communication and the large public to follow the way or make use of this research topic to know the way they will follow to their respective research.

This study has shown what it takes to become a gate keeper, informing the public and editors that the gate keepers are the fourth estate of the realm if they perform their duties, roles and right from coping, to the dissemination of the information to the public and editors

• Mass Communication Project Topics and Materials