Editing in Public Relations

 Editing, be it in the field of journalism or public relations helps in making a great story. It involves reading for content and information. It is usually carried out by a person who has good knowledge of the subject or focus of the matter to be edited.

 In the course of editing a written work, the editor checks for veracity of content and information. The editor attempts to ascertain if the author of the written work is actually passing the appropriate information to his or her intended readers or audience. The editor also checks whether the writer of the press release is passing the information as he should.

For instance, in public relations the editor checks to see if the writer of a material meant for publication has put the information to fit the level of understanding of his publics - target audience.  This detail takes cognizance of the readers’ age group, education level and reasoning. The editor also checks the press release or article for publication to ensure  the writer has not infringed copyright laws or any other legal issues that some publics may find unwholesome.

Proofreading, which constitutes the final stage of editing, which is essential in creating a great story, is important to PR practitioners. This stage of the story making process focuses on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation. A trained PR practitioner should proofread only after he or she has finished other editing revisions.

When editing an early draft, the editor needs not bother on thinking about punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If the editor is worrying about the spelling of a word or the placement of a comma, then he is not focusing on the more important development and connection of ideas that make a press release clear and convincing to the readers.