I
’m the first pair of eyes to proofread and verify the
next big story, a fiery op-ed or routine coverage of
a Board of Regents monthly meeting — it’s a big
responsibility with a quick expiration date. After I make
the initial copy notes and edits, articles cycle through
four more editors before they are published that night.
While ensuring impeccable grammar and adherence to
Daily style are important, I admit I enjoy fact-checking
most. This part of the copy editor’s role requires thorough
yet speedy digging into public records. We confirm
information on account of Ctrl + F and copy-and-pasting
because good judgment isn’t enough. As I fact-check, I
relish the opportunity to discover something new and
obsess over it. Once I’m done, I pass the writing along
to the senior copy editor and move onto the next fresh
article waiting for me.
The job’s necessity of quick turnover shouldn’t bode
well with my personality because usually I get overly
attached to people and things — as you can imagine,
college has not been easy. Here, everything changes
rapidly in four years. You only get eight semesters to do
it all: classes, passions and relationships. You lose and
make friends faster than you can add them on Facebook.
Your identity is molded before you realize who and what
nudged you and when. By now, I have grown used to this
fast-paced life that’s just like the copy desk’s nightly time
crunch. One Thursday night this year, I read 14 articles
over the course of three hours, a personal record.
At copy, you do your work well and pass it up to the next
set of editing eyes. In life, you should care passionately
and understand when to let go. Call it maturity or
cynicism, but I am learning to move on and move along
faster. Goodbyes and hellos are smoothly blurring
together as the weeks accelerate.
There is one big shock, however, that hurts and still
lingers: election night 2016.
Though the calendar shows me that we are three weeks
removed, I cannot forget sitting in the newsroom as the
polls closed across the country. As a copy editor, I was on
shift that night and among other articles, edited one of
two prepared versions of the editorial board’s breaking
leftside. Then, the results began rolling in and coloring
in the Electoral College map. As a student of politics
and policy, I saw everything I had learned implode in
front of my eyes. As a proud American voting in my first
presidential election, I was crushed after believing in my
candidate for nearly 19 months. The next morning, the
draft editorial I had edited — and dutifully sent along in
the workflow — was not published. And it never will be.
Gently, the influx of articles to edit and civic duties
to uphold coaxed me out of my two-week hiatus and
back into a fervent hurry. On some November night
years from now, I look forward to recalling this
pain and smiling at how far it has pushed me
forward. I’ve got a nice college paper story
— and now this column — ready for that
glorious night when we finally elect
the first woman president.
2B
Magazine Editor:
Karl Williams
Deputy Editors:
Nabeel Chollampat
Lara Moehlman
Design Editor:
Shane Achenbach
Photo Editor:
Zoey Holmstrom
Creative Director:
Emilie Farrugia
Editor in Chief:
Shoham Geva
Managing Editor:
Laura Schinagle
Copy Editors:
Emily Campbell
Alexis Nowicki
Taylor Grandinetti
the statement
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 / The Statement
Copy That: Fast and Slow
B Y S O J U N G K I M
the
tangent
ILLUSTRATION BY SHANE ACHENBACH