What do copy editors do?

David Fuller and Jill Wilson

Copy editors check a story to make sure there are no errors and that the language is clear.

Corrections a copy editor might make include:

changing spellings of words to match accepted style (the Winnipeg Free Press follows The Canadian Press, or CP, style; Canadian spelling as shown in the Oxford Canadian Dictionary; and our own in-house style guide)
following conventions of CP style for names, dates, titles, etc.
making sure an article has consistent time references especially as it relates to publication date in print or online (eg. use of “today,” or a particular day of the week, or a date)
clarifying with reporters any apparent discrepancies in information in the article with what has previously been reported, and other matters of fact

print headlines are written to a) encapsulate the content of the article and b) fit the available space
print headlines often have two components: a hed (the main, larger headline) and a dek (the smaller-type text). Often the dek will elaborate or clarify the hed, which may not provide enough detail on its own. Some short heds are meant to be attention-grabbers, with the dek providing context
web headlines must a) encapsulate the content of the article and b) be short enough that they display well online on a variety of platforms (our website, our app, social media sites, etc.)
web headlines and print headlines for a given article generally do not have the same wording
a good headline should encompass the information/news/thrust of the article, without merely repeating the information in the lead (also referred to as the lede) paragraph
matters of opinion should be identified as such in the hed, so as not to seem like they are matters of fact (eg. “Wage increase unacceptable, union says”)
reporters do not write their own headlines