Discussion drawn from the following example of a professional publication copy chain:
Although the copy chain example pictured above is a necessary and reasonable task for a large professional publication, it would not hold up well in a high school publication, or even a small-town newspaper. For example, when I wrote a series of articles for the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle my sophomore year of college, I emailed my stories directly to the editor, and as far as I know, he was the only staff member to edit them and relay suggestions back to me. Similarly, when I was editor of my high school newspaper, we did not have any designated copy editors. Articles were placed on the server by reporters, then onto their pages by page editors, who would lightly copy edit them as they designed the page. Finally, ideally, the editor and adviser would both read and copy edit each page before the newspaper went to print.
Advantages
This extensive copy chain ensures a thorough editing of each article, considerably minimizing the chance of mistakes being made. Small typos are more likely to be caught, and the more people doing independent fact-checking, the better. This multitude of positions also gives many more students the opportunity to encounter duties they might have if they go on to become professional journalists. They'll have a head-start on learning editing and management techniques.
Disadvantages
Obviously, this copy chain is very long and requires a level of specialization that many student publications simply can't afford with a limited number of staff members. Larger high schools may have no problem filling all these positions, but schools with less than a thousand students (and there are many of these with student publications) are far less likely to have assignment editors, copy chiefs, and designated designers. Instead, reporters have to fill multiple roles the best they can, and share basic duties. There simply isn't enough time between them to send an article through six people, and to some of them multiple times.
Online
My high school newspaper unfortunately did not have a website, so I don't have much experience in this area, but I should think the evolution of the copy chain would depend on how students choose to use their online edition. For example, if they simply post the exact same articles online as they place in the paper copy, their chain would essentially remain the same, except that the online editor would also edit the article before posting it online. If the students updated their website multiple times a day with exclusive content, however, they may need to significantly shorten the copy chain, just to get the articles posted in a timely manner. I might consider an order more like assignment editor - reporter - copy editor - managing editor - online editor.
Breaking News
Breaking news is a trickier situation in that a publication wants to be the first to release a story, but 100% accurate information is absolutely imperative, because people are depending on it to make decisions/form opinions. So there is an urge to keep the copy chain short, but I really believe it's better to allow more people time to fact-check independently. Also, if the breaking news will immediately affect the majority of the community, such as a weather emergency, the adviser or editor-in-chief might also need to be informed/consulted briefly, because they might have more information about the situation, or another source to investigate before publication. Assuming the breaking news will be published online, I would suggest a chain more like assignment editor - reporter - adviser - copy editor - managing editor - online editor. If someone in the chain is unable to take a look immediately, others could potentially fill in to keep the process moving.
Conclusion
It's very important to have copy chains clearly established, with an easy method to transfer articles from person-to-person, no matter what the order is. Thorough editing and good organization makes all the difference in terms of credibility, especially in special situations. Readers need to be able to trust that what they read has been checked and double-checked. For a small school, it could be just a few people editing, or for a big school, that could mean an article is read by half a dozen people. No matter the size of a publication, students need to design the copy chain that best suits their needs, and stick to it constantly.
Advantages
This extensive copy chain ensures a thorough editing of each article, considerably minimizing the chance of mistakes being made. Small typos are more likely to be caught, and the more people doing independent fact-checking, the better. This multitude of positions also gives many more students the opportunity to encounter duties they might have if they go on to become professional journalists. They'll have a head-start on learning editing and management techniques.
Disadvantages
Obviously, this copy chain is very long and requires a level of specialization that many student publications simply can't afford with a limited number of staff members. Larger high schools may have no problem filling all these positions, but schools with less than a thousand students (and there are many of these with student publications) are far less likely to have assignment editors, copy chiefs, and designated designers. Instead, reporters have to fill multiple roles the best they can, and share basic duties. There simply isn't enough time between them to send an article through six people, and to some of them multiple times.
Online
My high school newspaper unfortunately did not have a website, so I don't have much experience in this area, but I should think the evolution of the copy chain would depend on how students choose to use their online edition. For example, if they simply post the exact same articles online as they place in the paper copy, their chain would essentially remain the same, except that the online editor would also edit the article before posting it online. If the students updated their website multiple times a day with exclusive content, however, they may need to significantly shorten the copy chain, just to get the articles posted in a timely manner. I might consider an order more like assignment editor - reporter - copy editor - managing editor - online editor.
Breaking News
Breaking news is a trickier situation in that a publication wants to be the first to release a story, but 100% accurate information is absolutely imperative, because people are depending on it to make decisions/form opinions. So there is an urge to keep the copy chain short, but I really believe it's better to allow more people time to fact-check independently. Also, if the breaking news will immediately affect the majority of the community, such as a weather emergency, the adviser or editor-in-chief might also need to be informed/consulted briefly, because they might have more information about the situation, or another source to investigate before publication. Assuming the breaking news will be published online, I would suggest a chain more like assignment editor - reporter - adviser - copy editor - managing editor - online editor. If someone in the chain is unable to take a look immediately, others could potentially fill in to keep the process moving.
Conclusion
It's very important to have copy chains clearly established, with an easy method to transfer articles from person-to-person, no matter what the order is. Thorough editing and good organization makes all the difference in terms of credibility, especially in special situations. Readers need to be able to trust that what they read has been checked and double-checked. For a small school, it could be just a few people editing, or for a big school, that could mean an article is read by half a dozen people. No matter the size of a publication, students need to design the copy chain that best suits their needs, and stick to it constantly.