10 December 2013

May I copy edit your chyrons?

Days When I Love Twitter...

When I can copy edit broadcast news chyrons in real time, and get real-time results.

With respect to chyron editors everywhere, who likely are going straight to air with a first draft of on-air IDs, etc., you don't even have to be a copy editor to spot errors on a regular basis: misspellings, misuse and, worst of all, mistakes that introduce confusion, such as a typo in a state abbreviation.

It's a remote spot, the reporter framed by a quaint Main Street background, covered in ice and snow, and the chyron IDs it as Fort Smith, AK. Begging the question, why is the news leading off with a snowstorm in Alaska?