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Newspaper copy editor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Professor Margaret Oakes,

Dr. Christina Fisanick

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical newspaper copy editor skills. We ranked the top skills for newspaper copy editors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 44.3% of newspaper copy editor resumes contained proofread as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a newspaper copy editor needs to be successful in the workplace.

5 newspaper copy editor skills for your resume and career

1. Proofread

Proofreading simply carefully checking your text for possible errors like typographical errors or mistakes in grammar, style, and spelling before it can be published or shared. This is generally known as the very last stage of any writing process when you need to fix minor spelling and punctuation mistakes, typos, formatting issues,

and inconsistencies.

Here's how newspaper copy editors use proofread:

Edited news, feature and sports stories for print and online publication Proofread and wrote headlines for the newspaper's print version
Reported on community news* Conducted interviews* Supervised staff reporters* Edited and proofread all copy* Did layout of paper on computer

2. Adobe Indesign

Here's how newspaper copy editors use adobe indesign:

Read literary entries submitted for publication, making recommendations for publication to primary editors, experience designing page layout using Adobe InDesign
Spearheaded effort to move to an Adobe InDesign-based pagination system; coordinated redesign of publications.

3. Editor-In-Chief

Editor-in-Chief refers to the lead leader to an editorial team working on a given project, with final responsibility for its policies and operations. An editor is mandated to plan, coordinate, and revise organizational materials for publications on websites, newspapers, periodicals, magazines, or books. An editor usually offers an honest review on how to improve the product. To be an editor, you need to undertake a freelancing editing course while reaching out for minor editing roles to build confidence and experience.

Here's how newspaper copy editors use editor-in-chief:

Edited student work for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors Communicated with editor-in-chief consistently around priorities and deadlines
Reviewed submitted manuscripts, brainstormed & implemented promotional strategies, tracked community involvement, and planned literary events with the editor-in-chief.

4. Editorials

Here's how newspaper copy editors use editorials:

Provide as needed editorial support - Editing of internal online and printed material -Interviewed and wrote articles about celebrities and professional athletes
Assumed full editorial responsibility when editor was unavailable, including managing social media accounts and assigning content to freelancers and photographers.

5. PowerPoint

Here's how newspaper copy editors use powerpoint:

Compaq-Managed compilation and testing of course documentation developed in Word and PowerPoint and delivered in Acrobat PDF format for Web distribution.
Composed sales- and customer-facing technical documentation, PowerPoint presentations, and training guides to enhance user experience and knowledge.

What skills help Newspaper Copy Editors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What newspaper copy editor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Professor Margaret Oakes

Professor of English, Furman University

The ability to read carefully and analytically. This is a skill that has declined in the past couple of decades as people obtain more information visually - but a visual presentation cannot carry the amount of detail that written language can, and carelessness in the use of language causes a world of problems in every area of human life (law, medicine, politics, etc.).

What type of skills will young newspaper copy editors need?

Dr. Christina Fisanick

Associate Professor of English, California University of Pennsylvania

College graduates in 2021 and beyond, need all of the skills that English programs have to offer: critical thinking, effective communication, creativity, and flexibility. New hires need to be able to adapt to workplace changes quickly and with aplomb, which requires critical thinking and problem solving and the ability to communicate those solutions to a diverse audience clearly and effectively. Those skills are refined and practiced regularly in English programs.

Do you want to know more?

List of newspaper copy editor skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a newspaper copy editor resume and required skills for a newspaper copy editor to have include:

Proofread
Adobe Indesign

Editor-In-Chief
Editorials

PowerPoint

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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