The Editor's Desk

One of my great pet peeves, of which, I admit, I have too many, is when jargon appears in a story I’m editing.

On the times that happens, the big vein in my forehead throbs and somewhere a cardiac surgeon gets a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Most of the copy editors here jump all over jargon like a lion on a pudgy antelope, creating something readable from bureaucratese or PR-speak. Admittedly, it’s not a common problem, but when we see a reference to groups that want to effort vertical integration to achieve synergy, we try to make it understandable to a general audience.

That said, there’s a benefit to it within an industry. Jargon sets a common language and can streamline communication.

Journalism is no different. We have our own terms and phrases that make perfect sense to us but could mystify outsiders. In the interest of demystifying, here are some of them and what they mean.

art — the photos that go with a story

catch — when a big error is kept out of the paper

cutline — what normal people would call a caption, the words underneath the art

flow — making sure stories and everything else that goes in the paper is where it needs to be to make deadlines

groundbox — the strip across the bottom of Page 1A that tells you about stories inside or ones coming up

hole — something missing from a story

jump — the part of the story that continues from the front of the section

lede — (pronounced “leed”) the first sentence or first few sentences of a story

mug — a small picture of someone’s head, hopefully including the face

newshole — the space left on a page after the advertisements have been placed

nut graf — the paragraph that summarizes what a story is about

rim editors — the people who perform the initial copy editing

skybox — the flashier cousin of the groundbox. It runs across the top of Page 1A

slop — when a story is too long to fit in the newshole, the amount that doesn’t fit

slot — the people who check the work of the rim editors

specs — what designers give copy editors so they know how big and how many lines to make the headlines

style — see posts here, here and here

tagline — the information at the end of a story that tells you how to contact a reporter

traffic cop — the person who ensures flow is met

That’s just the surface. If demand warrants it, later I’ll explain folios, ears, legs, slugs, widows and other terms that make you wonder whether people were inhaling too many ink fumes when they created them.

It’s time once again to announce the winners of the monthly headline contest. Here are the top picks for November.

First place comes courtesy of the sports department’s utility infielder, Scott Paske.

Roasted Corn

That headline popped up over the story of the KU-Nebraska football debacle of last month.

Second place went to copy desk chief Michael Roehrman:

So much to do, it’s surreal

That one was splashed atop a story about the extensive restoration work needed on Wichita State’s “Personnages Oiseaux,” the Joan Miro mural that adorns south side of the Ulrich Museum.

Third place went to deputy copy desk chief Lisa McLendon:

Outrage?
We shrug at
$3 gas now

That one was pumped into the space above a story about the ever-rising price of gasoline and the little reaction it now garners.

This month we added a new twist to the contest: we asked your opinions.

The online pick for No. 1:

It’s no-show time

Written by Michael Roehrman, that one appeared with a story about the Hollywood writers’ strike.

The No. 2 online pick:

Sebelius
quip sours
Kansas’
vintners

Written by copy editor Jennifer Comes, it was with the story of Gov. Sebelius’ “If you ever see Kansas wine, don’t drink it” jest in Washington state.

Well done, everyone.

See an Eagle headline you like or think is noteworthy? Drop me a line.