The Return Of Rewrite

Before most of the people reading this were born*, newspapers worked very differently. Instead of reporters writing their own stories, it was common for a reporter to gather information and call it back to the “rewrite desk,” where someone would compile the information into a story.

That fell out of practice decades ago, but, Poynter’s Joe Grimm says, it’s making a comeback.

“With newsroom staffs shrinking and the accompanying loss of local knowledge, some editors have said that the reporters or editors who have the skills to rework choppy copy into well-written prose are prized more than they have been in decades.”

Exhibit