Can Editing Save a Life?
Do you think I'm being dramatic?
I recently edited a newsletter for a refugee organization. One article in the newsletter was about a woman from a certain country in Asia. The woman had made many enemies there by speaking openly about her political opinions. It was becoming dangerous for her and her family. She was able to get out of the country, and was accepted as a refugee in Canada. But even in Canada there are some people from this woman's home country who are sympathetic to the woman's enemies. There is a risk that these people would target her.
Some of the information in the unedited article revealed the woman's country of origin and her former position. Someone reading the article could have identified her and found out where she lives. It was a simple matter to remove these references from the article, but it may make a difference for her safety.
The document you want to publish may not pose a risk to anyone's life; yet there are important reasons for having it edited. A professional editor can make your document more readable, your graphics more understandable, and ensure that your facts are trustworthy. Well-edited documents can give your business a more professional public face, increase the value of your brand, and save you time and money. Send your document to Prose-Star and we'll show you just how valuable editing can be for your message.
Today's typo — The Globe and Mail puts it out there in bold red type!
'Tis a noble thing to win the Nobel Prize for Literature!
Typos in the Globe & Mail
While typos are common in local newspapers, the Globe is fairly well edited. You have to look closely to find typographical errors. Recently, however, a few typos jumped out at me when I wasn't looking for them. One in a story about president Obama, "He's also doesn't have the intuitive feel for retail politics …" The other in a review of the film All is Lost, "… the events sticks closely to the plausible …".
Of course, newspapers are published with incredibly tight deadlines: there isn't time to carefully proofread every article, and after a few days the paper is in the recycling bin anyway, right? Are you ready to excuse the Globe & Mail? No, I'm not either. Hire a few proofreaders, please, G&M!
Should have used an Editor!
Everyone who publishes material needs an editor. That's quite a statement, I know, but when you think of it, even the one-person blogger needs to review their work before publishing. Many authors do the editing themselves, but a better idea is to ask someone else, who has not been staring at the page for hours, to look over the material. The more a person or organization publishes, the more a professional editor becomes important.
Here's an example from a well-known coffee company:
This instant coffee package says, "Instant and migroground coffee." It was a new—and secret—process the company was using to create a better-tasting instant coffee, but the coffee is microground, not migroground. If you are very observant, you will have noticed that the "Best Before Date" has long passed. I assume the mistake has been corrected on newer product. Still, wouldn't it have been worthwhile to hire an editor before the first package was printed?
Vancouver Writers Festival : October 22 − 27, 2013
Some of the best writers in Canada will be in Vancouver over the next week. Come down to Granville Island and soak in the atmosphere of the "literati"!
Mike was one of the program editors for the Festival.