Labad!

This is exactly how I would describe editing sessions. But at least it's a lot better now that I am no longer the news editor.

Before, I would literally have migraines after editing news articles. Though it is a lot better now because by the time the articles reach me it was already edited by the news editor and the assistant news editor so the articles are not that hard to understand already. There would be confusions but at least not as bad as before when there are times when I am tempted to junk the articles whenever my patience is running out. And my patience always runs out whenever I edit.
Here are some of the reasons why:

1. Unfinished articles. I always hate it when I am already in the mood to edit and the deadline has already come and gone and I still don't have an article to edit. I hate it even more if I ask the writer if they are done with their articles and they would tell me that it is all ready and then I wouldn't find anything when I check on it. And I usually reach the boiling point when I find an article saved in the news folder but only contains a headline and a lead.

2. Confusing articles. There are just times when I couldn't understand a single thing from the article I am reading because the writers would mix details and, I suspect, transliterate when they encode. I mean, its like this, when you write something in English but you are mentally constructing the sentence in cebuano or tagalog, you end up with a really nosebleeding article because you transliterate whatever is on your mind.

3. Lost Writers. Not in the literal sense of course but I really do hate it when I ask writers for clarifications on their articles and they seem as lost as I am. I mean, hello? you are the one gathering the data and you are the one talking to those people so don't ask me what happened because I am asking you too!

4. Attributions. Plagiarism is a crime, that I believe. That is why I always make sure that the things written in every single article are those of the writers and not copy-pasted from some where, especially for articles where they have to use the internet to verify or get more details. I think copy-pasting details from websites is a sign of laziness and should not be tolerated. You may of course use the information you got from websites but, please, don't just copy-paste it.

5. Right click->synonym. Whoever said that highfalutin words makes you sound more intelligent should try reconsidering. Actually, it depends on how you use the word. Words are only powerful if you know how to use it properly.

Using highfalutin words without knowing what it really means or as substitute for simple ones makes you look insecure. It looks like you are merely writing to fetch admiration from people or impress those around you. If that is so, then journalism is not for you because I don't think that the role of journalism is to impress.

As what my former feature writing instructor said, "if a simple word will suffice then use it." What good is an article if nobody understands it? Your readers don't carry dictionaries with them you know? And if your readers are distracted by your high-sounding words, no matter how beautiful the write-up is, it will all mean nothing.

So yes, despite my reluctance to be in the position I am occupying now, I am still thankful that at least I had gotten away from the curse of being the first to edit the news articles.

Being an editor is not a privilege at all, I tell you. It actually is a burden.