The copy editor's role in the newsroom, as the last set of eyes to read a story before it is published, is becoming obsolete, writes Lawrence Downes of the New York Times.

Copy editing was never a glamorous position, says Downes, but an invaluable one, requiring encyclopedic knowledge and an expert editorial eye.

"They [copy editors] are more powerful than proofreaders. They untangle twisted prose. They are surgeons, removing growths of error and irrelevance; they are minimalist chefs, straining fat," he writes.

But as newspapers place increased emphasis on their online operations, the scale of journalistic values is tipping. In order to compete in the online age of journalism, newspapers must publish stories in a hyper-timely manner. This rush to the press, however, may be compromising values such as quality and credibility - virtues of the copy editor.

"The job hasn't disappeared yet, but it is swiftly evolving, away from an emphasis on style and consistency, from making a physical object perfect the first time. The path to excellence is now through speed, agility and creativity in using multiple expressive outlets for information in all its shapes and sounds.

"But in that world of the perpetual present tense - post it now, fix it later, update constantly - old-time, persnickety editing may be a luxury in which only a few large news operations will indulge," Downes writes.

For Downes, the copy editor is a foreseeable casualty of journalism's shift to the digital era. It would be easy to mistake the tone of his conclusion - if copy editors vanish, "no one is going to notice" - for cynical; but it's more wistful than anything else. As journalism evolves, copy editors are becoming relics of a past age.

"It [copy editing] will be an artisanal product, like monastery honey and wooden yachts," Downes writes. "It would be nice, at least, to thank the copy editors on the way out."

Source: New York Times