Feel free to make changes, but not to the byline.

Q:

I am an editor at a smaller publication, and sometimes we find ourselves short on content when deadline rolls around. Every so often, we have to publish poorly-written articles that require extensive editing — even to the point where our copy editor is literally rewriting whole paragraphs and rearranging the structure of the piece. I feel bad because the copy editor is doing so much work while the reporter gets to take credit for the article. Would it be okay to give the copy editor the byline instead, and name the original reporter as a contributor?

A:

Ideally, this situation would never happen.

Ideally, you have more than enough available content every week, and only select the best pieces for publication.

Ideally, you have a strict editorial schedule for your publication and have adequate time to work with a writer and help them revise their piece before your newspaper goes to press.

But, for all of us who have ever spent time in a newsroom, we know that ideal situations are few and far between.

Here’s what it comes down to: It’s a reporter’s job to get the facts, quotes and background and assemble it into a story — it’s your job as editor to make that story look good.

So, no matter how much time you put into editing a piece, the byline should still go to the reporter. Anything else could constitute plagiarism — and not to mention seriously hurt morale.

But, after publication, it is extremely important that you take the time to meet with the writer and go over the changes with them. A writer is obviously going to notice if the article with their byline on it looks nothing like what was submitted, but they may be too embarrassed (or just not care enough) to bring it up. It’s your responsibility to turn this situation into a teaching moment so that it won’t happen again in the future.

You should also have some sort of written submission policy in place that gives you the right to edit a piece for content, just in case the writer does get upset about your improvements.

And, make sure to reward your poor copy editor in whatever way you can — they deserve recognition too, even if it’s not in a byline.

Am I wrong? Anyone have some ideas on how else to deal with this situation? Leave ‘em in the comments.

Need some advice of your own? jQuery will be a semi-regular series where I do my best to answer your questions related to all things journalism (no, not javascript libraries). Send an e-mail or use the contact form in the right sidebar. Your question may be posted on the blog, but all identities and organizations will be kept confidential.

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