New York Times conducts workshop at SU

The New York Times conducted a workshop with The Southern Digest staff and students in the mass communication department at Southern University, on the fundamentals of newspaper copy editing.
The workshop was held last Friday in the Honors College Media Auditorium and was coordinated by the Office of Student Media Services and its director Derick Hackett.
“The purpose of this workshop is to give students the opportunity to see what copy editors do,” said Times Copy Editor Don Hecker.
Hecker taught participants that copy editing is not just about proofreading and checking for grammatical error. Copy editors also have the task of making sure that every question asked is answered and that the information written is ethically and factually correct.
“As a copy editor I felt that the workshop was very beneficial and educational to me. Being copy editor of the Digest, I feel that there are always new tools that can assist me in helping the paper become a more readable periodical. The program was a most valuable aid,” said Nikki Bannister, Digest Copy Editor/State and Nation Editor.
Hecker led students in proofreading and headline writing exercises. After each exercise, students with the most correct answers or best headline were rewarded with a mug compliments of the Times.
“I felt that it was a very motivating experience. After I received a prize, I was very proud of myself and my skills,” said A.J. Griffith, Opinions Editor and the winner of a headline writing portion of the workshop.
Susan Saulny, Metropolitan News Writer and Tony Mercano, Metropolitan News Assignment Editor also accompanied Hecker for the workshop.
“I started off as a copy editor and I moved my way up to the position I currently hold,” said Mercano. “I am here to let the students know that copy editing is a skill that can help them operate in any field.
Chancellor Edward Jackson and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Raymond Downs were also on hand for the educational event.
“This is an historic occasion here at Southern University because we have never worked with the New York Times,” said Downs. “This is a major step in making our student publication even better.”
The Copy Editing Workshop is a part of the New York Times’ continuous efforts to prepare students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the field of journalism.