Entry Level Editing

Assuming it's journalism you're interested in, not copyediting, layout, circulation, whatever -- the best journalists I have known have had an incredible knack for asking questions. Anybody can get the basic gist of a story and write it up. Putting a little flair into the lede is no great challenge if you've taken a few college writing courses. But, asking another question, and another question, and another question, after any non-journalistic observer would say, there can't be anything more to ask -- that's a talent. As wordwhiz says, curious mind. Really curious. A good news story will answer not only any question a reader might have about the topic, but will tell them a whole lot more. So, ask questions. Be curious. Act like this lady has got the most interesting job in the world, working in the most interesting paper in the most interesting town, and you want to know all about it. Chuck the Elements of Style, by the way.

Assuming it's journalism you're interested in, not copyediting, layout, circulation, whatever Copy editors are journalists, and so are designers (the people who do layout). They're not reporters, but they are journalists and work in the newsroom.

it depends on where you are, but see what the turnover is there. newspaper budgets are shrinking everywhere, so they may simply not have a job to offer you anytime soon. alas, it's not like the old days where the editor sees a spark of something in the mailroom boy and hires him as a cub reporter on a flyer.

Be on time, be courteous, be professional, be yourself, and if she's any good at all she'll keep your name for freelance work. That's the best way in. I've been an editorial manager for 20 years and am happy to talk about this. My e-mail's in my profile.

Thanks, Airhen, yes, I should have said reporting, not journalism.

wordwhiz is right about the wages; beagle is right about being curious and asking good questions; thinkingwoman is right about the budget. When I was the managing editor of a small-town daily (circulation roughly 3,000), and news editor of a 20,000+ daily before that, what I most wanted to see was not a resume (they can be faked), was not clips (that only told me how good an editor someone had had), but was instead proof on the spot that I had a thinking human being in front of me. Be knowledgeable about the community and what's going on in it. Demonstrate you know something about the local government and how it works. Let the editor know that you've read her newspaper -- not just one issue but several -- and know what is in it regularly and what's only occasional. Ask a design or style question, as though it were information you were going to need soon as an employee (i.e.: "Am I correct that you spell out all numbers under 100 rather than just the numbers under 10 as AP recommends?" "Do you ever place a photo above the lead headline?"). FYI and FWIW, I gave each new reporter or editor a copy of The Elements of Style with the expectation it be read and followed, save where it conflicted with the AP Stylebook.

I third the Strunk & White recommendation. Sure some of it's dated, but it's s still good stuff for anyone trying to write...

you're meeting with the editor in charge of layout? do you have any experience with newspaper layout? i'm a newspaper designer and most people in my field, well, we love to talk about it. a lot. line rules, pantone colors, special sections... brush up on the latest trends in news design and talk about it with her. i would remember you if you talked design and knew what you were talking about. go to newseum and browse the daily front pages and pick a few that you really like, then throw them out there like "oh, did you see the plain-dealer's front page today? i loved their use of the dominant photo.... etc." and good luck :)

Get your hands on the AP stylebook and review it. The Elements of Style is fine for your personal use, if you like it, but most papers use the AP stylebook as a starting point. During the interview, to establish that you know your shit, you may want to ask if they have a stylebook of their own, and on which points it differs from the AP. In my experience, editors want copyeditors who are professional and reliable. Are you going to show up late or hungover? When you're ten minutes away from quitting time and you're handed a three-column story, are you going to catch that one misplaced comma in the penultimate paragraph? It sounds like you wouldn't have a problem telling "look how responsible and detail-oriented I am" anecdotes from your work history. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if you were handed a copyediting/proofreading test as part of your interview; if you're never quite sure how many "c"s and "m"s accommodate has, refresh your memory before you go.