Why I keep advocating for letting fresh air in newsrooms where there’s still editing

Speech bubble made up from hundreds of words

Published September 30, 2025 

Sometimes I ask myself why I post so much about this stuff, and then I remember that for most of my 42-year career, all I heard about words and usage was the same drumbeat of the same rules, rules, “rules,” year after year.

What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and have top editors pushing back against so much of the nonsense, and in wide circulation.

I appreciate them now. And I quote them from time to time. And I’m grateful.

I’ve mentioned a version of Lisa McLendon’s encouragement to “split those infinitives” (because “English isn’t Latin”). She’s not alone, thankfully.

They are not the only top editors in the country slapping away the heavy hand.

Benjamin Dreyer, author of "Dreyer's English," writes on social media: "People who confuse copyediting with pedantry often seek my support in their Old Writing Good, New Writing Bad campaign, and I'm always pleased to disappoint them.

Me too (note the absence of a comma between those two short words).

Dreyer and I don’t agree on everything, but we agree on this and that … and on this about “that.”

Benjamin Dreyer, author of "Dreyer's English," writes on social media: "The unthinking distaste among many writers and copy editors for the relative pronoun "that" has led to so many bum sentences.

I’ll admit there’s a part of me that flinches in the expectation of having a nun slap my hand with a ruler if I agree with this next one, but hopefully, those days are long gone.

Benjamin Dreyer, author of "Dreyer's English," writes on social media: "I find myself using 'hopefully' more and more the 'incorrect' way in part because it's useful and in part to see whom I might irk."

I’ve been paying close attention to Dreyer since his book “Dreyer’s English” came out, and to McLendon after seeing her speak in Portland in 2016.

Lisa McLendon, known on social media as Madam Grammar, writes on Bluesky Social: "When in doubt, just use 'who' or 'whoever.' I'd estimate that around 99% of the 'whomevers' I encounter are the subjects of a relative clause and should be 'whoever.'"

I’ve worked too long in places where the prevailing mindset seems to be, “If it’s the most awkward way of saying it, it’s probably right, so I’ll go with that.” This applies to all of the above, and especially to “less/fewer.” My giddy aunt, the stories I could tell.

My headline says “in newsrooms where there’s still editing” because in many of them, there isn’t. There are cursory reads. There’s story triaging. There’s a quick look.

I’ll take tomorrow off from discussing the need to let fresh air into newsroom editing practices, and after that? There’s more where this came from.

Sending love. Protect your peace.

♥

Thank you

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Image by mr Pliskin via iStock.

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