Written by Daniella Peters, class of 2000

  1. When an editor puts a story in the copy channel, react with a “thumbs up” emoji to indicate that you are looking at it. 
  2. Open the story on the backend. If the story is locked, hover over the padlock icon to see who is in the story, then Slack them to ask them to exit the asset. 
  3. Read the story once through without making any changes. Does the story make sense in its current order? Does it flow well? Does the lead make sense, and is it good? If not, fix it if you can, and if you can’t fix it, send the story back to the appropriate desk editor(s). If you’re unsure whether a story needs to be sent back for more content editing, ask the copy chief or the EIC. 
  4. Read through the story again and fact-check anything that would not be common knowledge. This includes (but is not limited to) names, positions/titles, statistics, time/date/place of an event and information the average reader wouldn’t know. Below each graf, insert a link to where you found the information you are fact-checking. Some helpful resources for fact-checking include but are not limited to: 
    1. OU search (click on tab that says “People Search” for students and faculty) 
    2. Facebook events or other social media accounts 
    3. soonerstats.com & soonersports.com for player info/bios
  5. Read through the story again and fix any errors you find regarding spelling, grammar, punctuation, AP style, Daily style, continuity (e.g. last name only on second ref), etc. 
    1. apstylebook.com/university-of-oklahoma-libraries
    2. oudaily.com/site/stylebook.html
    3. writingexplained.org/ap-style  //  writingexplained.org/ap-style/ap-style-numbers
  6. Once you have completed the above steps, go to the top of the story (not the “Title” space — we don’t move the headline up here until the story has had a second look and is ready to go live) and write a suggested headline. A good headline is punchy, SEO, in active voice and about 10-16 words. Do not include articles such as “the,” “a” or “an,” and remember to use commas instead of “and.” 
  7. Also check to make sure the reporter has added their byline/position at The Daily, check the cutline of the photo (under “Related” tab) and edit the date to include the year it was taken if not the current year, and make sure the story is in long-form (presentation options are at the bottom of the asset). 
  8. After you’ve finished editing, go to the copyteamonly Slack channel and send a message saying *insert story’s slug here* is ready for a second look.