copy desk

American  

noun

Journalism.

1. the desk in a newspaper office at which copy is edited and prepared for printing.

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copy desk British  

noun

1. journalism a desk where copy is edited

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Etymology

Origin of copy desk

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

“Print newspapers were flourishing, The Times still came out in the afternoon and we were expanding our suburban editions,” remembers Karen Cater, copy editor and former copy desk chief.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 28, 2023

A colleague told me later that the thought the anger was unusual coming from me, as I was typically a polite Mr. Dependable around the copy desk.

From Salon • May 27, 2023

They did so for less than a day in 1981, and there was a brief walkout in 2017 to protest the elimination of the copy desk.

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2022

Fuhrmann’s job was to oversee the copy desk, which plays in the organization of newsrooms a critical and purposely isolated role away from reporters and their editors.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 14, 2022

The copy desk is supposed to catch those kinds of errors before they make the paper.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride