Every journalist needs to check their own writing, but it is often difficult to see your own mistakes. When we proofread our own work, our brains tend to see what we intended to write rather than what is actually on the page.
As newsrooms change and more journalists work independently without sub-editors, mastering the art of self-editing is vital for protecting your professional reputation and ensuring accuracy.
The following quick guide is based on the article Spotting errors in your own writing, in which senior journalists have shared their tips for finding errors before the audience does. We recommend you read the article before applying the checklist below.
Quick guide to spotting errors in copy
- [ ] Change the text appearance: Alter the font style, increase the text size, or change the page width on your screen. Making the layout look unfamiliar tricks your brain into reading the material with a fresh perspective, like the audience would.
- [ ] Swap the screen colours: If you are in a rush, select all of your text and invert the colours. Changing the text to white on a black background forces your brain to work harder and helps you spot silly mistakes immediately.
- [ ] Read the text backwards: Read your paragraphs or sentences in reverse order from the bottom of the page to the top. This separates the words from the story narrative so you can focus entirely on spelling and grammar rather than the plot.
- [ ] Print your article: Whenever time and resources allow, print your story onto paper. Reading physical copy away from your computer screen alters your physical context and makes errors stand out more clearly.
- [ ] Read your story out loud: Speak the words out loud slowly. Your ears will frequently catch awkward phrasing, missing words, or confusing sentence structures that your eyes missed on the screen.
- [ ] Listen for double meanings: Pay close attention to word order when reading aloud. Ensure your sentences cannot be misinterpreted, such as accidentally implying a celebrity committed a crime when you simply meant the crime happened outside their concert venue.
- [ ] Check sentence length for broadcast: If you are writing for radio or TV, reading aloud is essential to test the breath control of the presenter. If a sentence feels too long or wordy to say comfortably, rewrite it into shorter phrases.
- [ ] Step away from your desk: Walk away from your text for a day, an hour, or even just a few minutes if you are on a tight deadline. Returning to the material after a break breaks your familiarity with the text.
- [ ] Build a reciprocal checking network: Find a trusted colleague or fellow journalist and agree to check each other’s work. Having a second pair of eyes is always the most effective way to sub-edit copy when deadlines allow.
- [ ] Disconnect from distractions: Close all other tabs, emails, and chat applications on your desktop when proofreading. Enlarge your copy to fill the screen so you can dedicate your full concentration to the text.
Summary
Spotting mistakes in your own writing is a psychological challenge because the human brain naturally corrects errors during reading. By learning to fool your brain using visual adjustments, reading aloud, and altering your working environment, you can act as your own sub-editor. Mastering these techniques is a vital step-by-step route to journalistic excellence, ensuring your published work remains accurate, clear, professional, and free from embarrassing errors.
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