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Almost Quote by Jennifer Lee

“People often think that reporters write their own headlines. In fact, they almost never do. The people who do write headlines are the copy editors who are the front and last lines of quality-checking in a newspaper before it goes to print.” quote by Jennifer Lee
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“People often think that reporters write their own headlines. In fact, they almost never do. The people who do write headlines are the copy editors who are the front and last lines of quality-checking in a newspaper before it goes to print.”

Jennifer Lee

About This Quote

Source Interview: The New York Times Editorial Process, 2018

Headlines are typically crafted by copy editors, not reporters, serving as the final quality check before publication.

In simple terms: Copy editors write headlines.

Key Takeaway

Respect editorial roles.

Themes

journalism editing quality control collaboration

Mood

informative respectful

Type

explanatory industry

When to use this quote

  • newspaper
  • media
  • publishing

Key Concepts

headline writing fact‑checking

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does editorial oversight improve news credibility?
  • What challenges do copy editors face?
A Different Perspective

Reporters may feel undervalued if their headlines are overwritten.

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