ABSTRACT
Editing skills are important even in the fields of advertising and public relations. Editing skills are needed in corporate communication and in the briefs attorneys write for courts. The skills required of all editors are much the same as those required of newspaper copy editors, the valuable members of a newspaper's staff who have the final crack at copy before it appears in print. Copy editors are the last line of defense before a newspaper goes to press. Copy editors are detectives who incessantly search stories for clues about how to transform mediocre articles into great—or at least better—ones. Editors aren't just editors; also managers and the best ones are leaders. The managing editor hires and fires heads of the various newsroom departments, which might include the city or metropolitan desk, the copy desk, the sports desk and the lifestyle desk. The copy editor must be familiar with handling photos, audio clips, or other graphics often accompany the web story.
