Why the editor changes what you’d written

In his Daily Nation column of January 22, public editor Peter Mwaura talked about the editor’s power to alter articles sent to the newspaper. I would like to add a few other reasons the editor makes changes to writers’ articles during publication.

House style

The house style is the way a media platform chooses to publish its content in terms of details like how to write acronyms, dates and when to use italics. For example, some write “NASA” as “Nasa”.

If your piece doesn’t match the house style, the editor will make changes. The main purpose is consistency, not correctness. Variation can be distracting to the reader. A consistent style lets readers focus on what the writer is saying.

Scarcity of space

Space is crucial — and scarce. There are other voices being shared too, not just yours. Some publications, like the Daily Nation, will include the photograph of the writer. Images take up space; so, some of your words may be slashed.

Pull quotes are another thing that take up space. A pull quote is an interesting extract of the article used to grab a reader’s attention.

There’s often no room for flair. Words that add colour without developing the message may be removed. When your words are cut, it may change the flow you wanted. This may hurt you as a writer but the reality is that space in a publication is limited.

Nothing personal, it’s business

The editor doesn’t hate you. In fact, he or she doesn’t know you. And even if they do, they don’t change your article out of spite. It’s out of practicality. They know what works because they have experience in the media. They edit for clarity.

You may think your writing is coherent but you may have failed to express yourself clearly in a sentence or two. It happens even to seasoned writers.

Appeal also matters. Editors know what attracts readers. Let’s use the example of a title. Your title may be too dry and boring. It may have words that are hard for most people to understand. Therefore, the editor may choose simpler words.

Tight timelines

Time plays a role too. The people working in the media have tight deadlines. Due to this, errors may be made in editing once in a while. For example, there may be a spelling mistake.

It is not ideal but a mistake can happen. Editors are human, just like the rest of us.

Get used to it

Get used to your articles being changed. Don’t be discouraged. Instead, be grateful you have a platform to air your views. Moreover, the editor simply modifies how the message is delivered; they don’t change it. And compromise is necessary.