I am still a copy editor

Please excuse me for writing about myself again. I will start a new job April 2. I am leaving the McClatchy Publishing Center in Charlotte, where I have worked as a copy editor since last August when McClatchy Newspapers closed The News & Observer’s copy-design desks in Raleigh and moved those jobs to Charlotte. I will become a copy editor for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, working on the publications the professional organization publishes from its offices in Durham, N.C.

This means that I can live at home with my husband full time and won’t have to commute weekly back and forth from the Raleigh area to Charlotte. I am happy that I will be able to put my decades of copy editing experience to use. I am also excited about acquiring new knowledge of a field I know little about. I am grateful that the folks at AICPA are giving me this opportunity.

The truth is, though, that I am sad to be leaving the newspaper business and my congenial and hardworking colleagues at the publishing center. The publishing center does the copy editing and page design for three daily newspapers and the community weeklies and semiweeklies published in the Raleigh and Charlotte areas. Many newspaper copy editors and page designers are facing a future in these hubs. I will take part in a panel discussion about editing hubs at the ACES conference in New Orleans. The session is at 2:15 Friday, April 13. I am gathering the comments of my colleagues to present a candid and, I hope, useful portrayal of our experience in launching the editing hub in Charlotte.

I will keep working on this blog, optimistic that I will have more time and energy to devote to it. I will have the benefit of seeing editing from a new angle, and I hope that will enrich the blog.

One Response to “I am still a copy editor”

  1. Mr. James

    Being a copy editor is a fun job. Sometimes it’s stressful but in the end, it is rewarding. But that would only feel that way if you love writing.