Editing or fixing?

There is a very fine line between editing a piece of writing and fixing it. One of them involves the writer and the other ignores him. However, both are needed in their own respect in the newsroom.

When an editor is fixing a story, they are ignoring the writer completely. The editor is simply editing the writing into what he or she wants to see rather than sitting down with the writer to hash out what's important in the story and what can be done better in the future. There is no communication between the editor and the reporter, which can harm the relationship and over all performance of the newsroom. However, sometimes fixing is sometimes necessary. If it's two minutes until deadline and the presses are about to start running, a quick fix by the editor is essential to make sure the article is clear and the appropriate length for the paper. But this is the only time this should be used, in my opinion.

Editing is a different story. This is where the reporter and editor sit down and work out the kinks in a story. It can help the reporter become better at his job at finding the story and writing it down cleanly while the editor helps maintain a strong relationship with his or her writers in the news room. To me this is the most important aspect of being a journalist. Being an eternal student and learning over and over again about multiple subjects then writing cleaner and tighter pieces over and over again.