LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: YES, THERE WAS A COPY DESK BEFORE

See. I told you it could happen.

Last week I wrote about how newspaper folks try to keep errors out of print. My worst fear in writing the column, which I shared with some of my colleagues, was the column on errors would contain a whopper. In fact, I said the worst kind of error is when newspapers misstate the facts.

Well, here is the rest of the story.

One major change that is occurring in the news department here at the Southeast Missouri is the establishment of a copy desk, which is a group of editors who are gatekeepers of the quality of the news you read. The new copy desk, however, isnt the first-ever copy desk here.

One thing you can give journalists, former journalists and retired newspaper folks credit for is they never stop watching for errors. You can imagine the messages I received last Monday.

Yes, folks, the Southeast Missourian had a copy desk until just a few years ago. John Blue, who was editor of this paper a highly respected one and worked here for 40 years recalls there was a copy desk during his entire stay. As a matter of fact, John said, the old copy desk is still stored in the basement.

Going into the basement of this building is akin to exploring one of Missouris thousands of underground caverns. You just never know what you will find. Sure enough, there is the old horseshoe-shaped copy desk wrapped around one of the massive pillars that supports the newspaper building.

John recalled for me the people who had been copy editors over the years. The person who sat inside the horseshoe was in charge, which is traditional at newspapers, and was called the slot editor. This term is still frequently applied to the chief copy editor of a newspaper. The editors who sat on the outside of the horseshoe were called rim editors. So much for newspaper copy desk lore.

Sally Owen, a former Southeast Missourian writer and wife of Ray Owen, who has served ably on the staff for a number of years, remembers that Richard Renfrow and Gloria Davis, who still reside in the area, were among the finest of the newspapers copy editors.

Writes Sally: Both also subscribed to the doctrine (much to the consternation of some novice reporters) that there was no overkill to accuracy and proper grammar and just as journalism texts preach a persons name was one of his most important possessions.

That, in a nutshell, is the goal of re-establishing a copy desk at the Southeast Missourian. It is a tough standard, but to strive for anything less would be letting down our many loyal readers.

My apologies to all the fine editors who, over the years, held these standards in the highest esteem as they sat either in the slot or on the rim of the former copy desk. Your contributions to the excellence in journalism should never be allowed to go unremembered.

R. Joe Sullivan is editor of the Southeast Missourian. If you have comments or suggestions, please call 335-6611. Thanks.