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drive-by editing noun. Ruining (killing?) part or all of a story by quickly editing it without checking facts or consulting with the writer or another editor.

Example Citation:
"They call it 'drive-by editing.' To the naked ear it sounds like the tiresome whingeing of journalists upset about the way their stories have been mistreated. But in their more irreverent moments reporters at the Washington Post like to compare it to its gangland equivalent: a rare act of gratuitous callousness which claims unsuspecting victims just trying to go about their daily business."
—Gary Younge, "S-p-e-l-l-i-n-g It Out," The Guardian, December 23, 1996

Related Words:
blander
drive-by VC
mischief to data
table writing

Subject Category:
Culture - Writing

Posted on November 19, 1999 at 6:42 AM


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