Use this handout from John Wicklein, Writing, Reporting and Editing Coach, Gaithersburg MD, to help you find holes in copy. It is aimed at copy editors, but line/content editors might also find it useful.
Questions? Call John at (301) 916 4494.

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Finding the Holes

The Big Picture:

  • Fairness: Is the story fair to all concerned? Did the reporter "Get the other side?"

  • Context: What does this mean? How does this fit into the broader development or issue? What is its history?

  • Impact: Who or what is affected? Who benefits? Who is hurt? How will this story affect the reader?

  • Future: What will this news lead to? What are the future consequences of this development?

  • Rationale: What is the person’s (the government’s, the cops’ the political party’s, the group’s) reason for taking this action?

  • Responsibility: Who or what is behind this?

  • Cause: Why did this happen?

  • Believability: Does this story make sense? Has someone snowed the reporter?

  • Libel: Is this story defamatory? (If so, it needs a second opinion, maybe from the paper’s lawyer.)

Missing Details:

  • Answers to any questions raised by the reporter and not answered in copy.

  • Nuts and bolts: addresses, titles, age, place; identification, as in "a former cop from New York".

  • Facts that could make the details clear.

  • Math that needs additional numbers to add up.

  • Comparative figures, as in "an increase of $25,000 over last year’s budget." What was last year’s figure? "The second-biggest budget." What was the biggest?

  • Nut graph after an anecdotal lede.

  • Follow-ups to an idea introduced in the lede.

  • Background graph on a running story.

  • Explanation of words, phrases, and processes that the reader might not understand.

  • Attributions: According to whom?

  • Locator paragraphs (or locator maps) Where is this?