The two workshop outlines below are designed for trainers who are working with journalists to help them build or improve their sub-editing skills.
The first is a two-hour workshop designed for those who are already familiar with the topic but who would like to deepen their understanding. The second is a four-hour, half-day workshop for those who are new to the topic. They are both free to download, adapt, and use.
Source material
The workshop outlines are based on the same source material – The sub-editor: roles, skills, and responsibilities by Ruhina Ferdous – which we suggest trainers circulate to participants before the workshop, giving them enough time to read and digest the concepts. All activities are entirely text-based, allowing trainees to practice hands-on text manipulation within the allotted time.
Adapt to meet local requirements
Trainers should consider adapting these workshops for their participants’ needs – particularly the activities to ensure they are locally and culturally appropriate. All activities should relate to the source material on which these workshops are based.
Workshop outline 1: Two-hour session
09:00 – 09:45: First session
Aims: To understand the essential role of a sub-editor as the guardian of accuracy, house policy, and legal safety in the newsroom.
Presentation: Explain that sub-editors are the backbone of a newsroom, bridging reporting and publication. Focus on news sense (the instinct to evaluate news value), house policy (internal style and codes of conduct), legal safety (avoiding defamation), and the necessity of maintaining a sceptical mind.
Activity – Spot the sub-editor’s job
Give participants a short news story then ask them to highlight every task a sub-editor would need to do: fix language, check facts, remove bias, sharpen the lead, and suggest a headline. Then compare answers in pairs and briefly discuss why each change matters.
Discussion topic: Which part of the sub-editor’s job is most important: accuracy, clarity, or fairness?
10:00 – 10:45: Second session
Aims: To master language condensation, objective diction, and modern digital requirements such as search engine optimisation (SEO).
Presentation: Focus on trimming long, wordy drafts into tight copy without losing meaning. Explain objective diction (using neutral language rather than creative or emotional prose) and how digital sub-editors must write honest, discoverable headlines with keywords rather than misleading clickbait. Discuss the use of adjectives and adverbs in news writing.
Activity – House style challenge
Provide a short paragraph with deliberate errors in spelling, punctuation, tone, and consistency. Ask small groups to rewrite it so it matches a clear house style: correct, concise, neutral, and readable. Keep the time limit tight, then ask each group to explain one change they made.
Discussion topic: Should sub-editors always follow house style exactly, even if they think another wording is better?
10:45 – 11:00: Final discussion and assignment
Aims: To consolidate learning and introduce the practical assignment.
Presentation: Summarise how sub-editing transforms raw reporting into professional, reliable journalism.
Assignment – Copy editing
Participants are given a raw, unedited 500-word draft containing three factual errors, two instances of subjective bias, multiple grammatical errors, and an overly long headline. They must:
- Condense the text by at least 20 percent while preserving all essential news points.
- Correct all grammar and style issues to ensure objective diction and active voice.
- Verify facts, basic maths, and rewrite the headline to be clear, honest, and search-optimised.
Discussion: Open the floor for final questions regarding house style and how participants plan to apply these precise editing principles in their respective newsrooms.
Workshop outline 2: Four-hour session
09:00 – 10:00: First session
Aims: To explore core operational responsibilities, including news sense, grammar correction, and shifting copy from passive to active voice.
Presentation: Introduce the famous maxim: “Reporters write the paper but sub-editors make it.” Cover how a sub-editor evaluates news value, plans layout and visual look, and serves as the strict guardian of the organisation’s stylebook.
Activity – Headline and lead rewrite
Hand out a dull or overlong story and ask participants to write one accurate headline and one improved lead. Remind them to keep both clear, factual, and free of opinion. This works well as a timed exercise because the focus is on brevity and news sense.
Discussion topic: What makes a headline fair as well as attention-grabbing?
10:15 – 11:15: Second session
Aims: To develop analytical skills, identify hidden contradictions, and apply basic math and verification to cross-check facts.
Presentation: Focus on using a “vulture’s eye” to spot hidden opinions, numerical errors, and factual anomalies. Emphasise that sub-editors must be generalists with strong knowledge of local geography, politics, and history to verify dates, names, and numbers quickly.
Activity – Accuracy and bias check
Give each group a short copy extract containing a few planted mistakes, weak facts, or loaded phrases. Their task is to find what needs checking or rewriting, then produce a cleaner version that is more accurate and neutral. Finish with a quick explanation about why scepticism and careful checking are central to the sub-editor’s role.
Discussion topic: How can a sub-editor spot bias without removing the writer’s intended meaning?
11:30 – 12:30: Third session
Aims: To understand specific modern digital gatekeeping skills, visual presentation, and SEO requirements.
Presentation: Focus on digital layouts, breaking up text for mobile readers, visual literacy (matching images to text), and integrating search engine optimisation keywords into headlines.
Activity – News sense and layout choice
Give participants a short set of headlines and story summaries, then ask them to decide which item deserves the biggest display and which could be treated as a shorter item. This keeps the task focused on news value, priority, and simple page or screen planning.
Discussion topic: How do sub-editors decide what is most important for readers to see first?
12:30 – 13:00: Fourth session
Aims: To master legal red flags, handle biased copy, and navigate ethical dilemmas at the final stage of production.
Presentation: Explore the laws of defamation and libel. Discuss how a sub-editor must act as an objective gatekeeper, stripping out the reporter’s personal bias or emotional adjectives to protect the news brand.
Activity – Trainees work in small groups to assess each other’s work
Prior to the workshop, participants are asked to bring some raw copy they have written in the past as well as the final edited version. Working in groups of two, three, or four, participants compare both versions of their colleagues’ work and highlight what changes were made by the sub-editor.
Discussion topic: Trainees compare their findings. The discussion focuses heavily on what was changed in the published version by the sub-editor, whether anything was missed, what can be learnt from the changes, and how to apply similar changes in the future.
13:00 – 13:30: Final discussion and assignment
Aims: To review the complete workshop material and issue the assessment task.
Presentation: Reiterate that sub-editors are far more than proofreaders; they are the final line of defence for journalistic trust.
Assignment – Copy editing
Participants are given a raw, unedited 500-word draft containing three factual errors, two instances of subjective bias, multiple grammatical errors, and an overly long headline. They must:
- Condense the text by at least 20 percent while preserving all essential news points.
- Correct all grammar and style issues to ensure objective diction and active voice.
- Verify facts, calculate any percentages, and rewrite the headline to be clear, honest, and search-optimised.
Discussion: Share feedback on how participants plan to apply these concrete editing principles in their respective newsrooms.
Materials needed for the workshop
- Printed or digital copies of the source article from Media Helping Media.
- Sample local stylebooks or international guides (such as the BBC or Guardian style guides).
- Projector or flipcharts for displaying layout templates and raw text examples.
- Internet-connected devices for practicing digital fact-checking and name verification.
- Handouts of the flawed text drafts for the exercises and the final assignment.
Assessment
Trainers will evaluate participants based on:
- Accuracy: Identification of all factual errors and legal red flags in the copy.
- Impartiality: Successful removal of emotional phrasing and hidden biases.
- Clarity and brevity: Ability to condense text tightly without omitting crucial context.
- Headline quality: Production of honest, informative, and search-optimised headlines.
Workshop summing up
Sub-editors are vital to the survival of trustworthy journalism. They check facts, enforce house style, shape structure, and make split-second editorial judgements. Without a strong editing desk, a news organisation risks losing its credibility and facing legal issues. This workshop is designed to preserve the best practice that underpins all solid, public-service journalism.
Related material
