Copy Chief + Editor
The State News, East Lansing MI
As the Copy Chief of The State News, I managed a team of five editors while simultaneously serving as an
active copy editor. The State News is an independent nonprofit, student-led media
organization that serves the MSU community and greater East Lansing area. I started as a copy
editor, on call three days a week editing political, sports, breaking news, culture and campus
stories. Copy editors act as the “last line of defense” before a story reaches the
public – and we comb stories for adherence to AP style, flow and honest representation of
community voices. In this role, the main components of the STAR method are consistent: a story
comes in from a reporter, we are tasked with editing it in a timely manner for AP style, we check
out the story in SN Works CEO – our editing platform developed by The State News – and edit
text, photo captions, tags and headlines before sending the story back in for publication.
As the Copy Chief, I am on call five days a week and maintain all of the previously mentioned
responsibilities while also leading weekly team meetings and managing the payroll of the desk.
In editorial meetings, I represent the desk and make adjustments to our meeting schedule and
trainings accordingly. My role as Copy Chief calls upon a skillset rooted in conflict management
and team building. There was one situation in which a new copy editor made a mistake regarding
quotation on a story. I was notified of this, and tasked with having a meeting with this team
member. I took action and explained the situation clearly, outlining the mistake as a technical
situation and not one of character, and mitigated doubts expressed by the team member. The end
of the meeting resulted in clear establishment of communication channels, what was expected of
this member in her role, and reiterated that this error was not a reflection of character or job
aptitude, but just a mistake as a result of adjusting to a new publication. A mistake like this has
not happened since, and I feel confident that our team is able to talk to one another in an
appropriate, respectful manner and take constructive criticism positively.
I also co-host the culture commentary podcast ‘Houselights’ with the Editor-In-Chief of the
newsroom. Each week, we research a current entertainment topic and prepare notes for the
episode. ‘Houselights’ covers the cultural impact of entertainment news, including fashion, TV,
film, music and more. These episodes are published on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I am tasked
with preparing notes on the topic to engage in conversation for 40 minute episodes.
In my time at The State News, we have been recognized by prestigious organizations in the
journalism industry: Associated College Press, Michigan Press Association, Society of
Professional Journalists and the Pacemaker Award.
Writing & Editing Samples
Feature
Feature on two entrepreneurs who created a protein ice cream. Pitched, interviewed, and composed the feature.
Houselights
The entertainment news podcast 'Houselights' can be found on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Co- hosted by State News Editor-In-Chief Liz Nass and Copy Chief Claire Donohoe, the podcast covers issues and the cultural impact of entertainment including TV & film, music, fashion, and more.