FAQ

Here are some questions relevant to the life of a sports copy editor:

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So, do you do writeups of all the games?

No. But I do check facts, write headlines, correct errors, design pages, cut stories when they are too long, decide what pages the stories will go on, post breaking news to the Web site and harass writers when they miss deadline. (And we don’t call them “writeups”.)

But you get in free when you go, right?

No, not when I’m going as a fan.

I knew it! You media people are biased! You just said you’re a fan!

We like sports, therefore we like teams. It happens. But we don’t let it interfere with our work or our news judgment.

TV people work way harder than you. And there’s more of them.

Don’t make me laugh.

If I call the sports desk and ask what channel the game is on, will you tell me?

Yes, but we publish the TV/radio listings every single day. It helps to open the newspaper first.

I’m having trouble with my Nintendo Wii, so I should call 1-800-WII-PLAY, right?

No. That’s the Tulsa World sports desk’s toll-free number, which happens to be 1-800-944-PLAY. (When the Wii first came out, we took a number of calls that probably should have been for Nintendo tech support. True story.)

Why do you call yourself the “duchess of deadline”?

I thought it was catchy and cute. (I also like alliteration.)

Isn’t your husband emasculated by your vast sports knowledge?

Well, I try to know nothing about the English Premier League (he likes Liverpool), hooking up electronics and changing tires. I think that helps.

Why are you still working at a dinosaur like a newspaper?

I find the work rewarding and exciting, it pays the bills and I’m good at it. I guess those are good enough reasons, right?

Your paper is conservative trash/a liberal rag/Sooner-run/in T. Boone Pickens’ pockets!

If both sides hate you, you must be doing an OK job.

Why weren’t you awake when I called at 9 a.m.?

I was sleeping. Copy editors usually work from about 4 p.m. to about 1 a.m.

Is that why you’re usually awake at 4 a.m.?

Yes.

Are you sure you’re not a vampire?

Yes. But I do sparkle in the sunshine.