Rona Proudfoot

It's difficult to quantify the work of a newspaper editor.

I can't clip out stories with my byline on them or scream from the rooftops "That reporter who won all the big awards would have stunk if it weren't for me!"

In fact, when I do my job well, most people don't know I exist. I catch the errors BEFORE they go in the paper. I rewrite the story so the reporter's thoughts seem to flow seemlessly from one aspect of a story to the next. I may even keep the newspaper from being sued.

But the truth is, that's the way I like it. I didn't become a newspaper editor for the glory, that's for sure. I'm happy to sit back and make someone else look good.

COMING SOON: my attempt to show you a little of what I do.

Editing

First, I edit stories. My changes can be as small as adding or taking out a comma or as big as getting a story killed entirely. I make sure everything's spelled right and make sure we use proper grammar and stick to our style. I work with the reporter to fill the holes and connect the dots. All of this so you, the reader, aren't scratching your head when you get your newspaper.

Headline writing

Once I've edited the story, I've got to sell it -- I've got to convince you you'd be crazy not to read it. Since I don't have time to go find you and make my case in person, I do the next best thing. I write an attention-getting headline. Once I've written a great headline for the newspaper, I write a boring one for the Web site. No, really. Using concepts of search-engine optimization, I write a straight-to-the-point headline that makes our story more likely than someone else's to be ranked high by Internet search engines.

Designing

Then I've got to package all those words in a way that will make you actually want to read them by designing a snazzy page. I find photographs and work with an artist to create maps or charts to go with stories. And I put all the puzzle pieces together into a page you'll see in your newspaper. And then I do it again, and again, and again, designing, say, an entire 10-page Metro section.

Then I go home and rest up, because I'll be coming back tomorrow to do it all again from scratch.