Empathetic editor

I am a very empathetic person. I rarely get angry and if I do, watch out! I'm not just saying I'm empathetic because I'm a nice person. Empathy is one of my top strengths as determined by the Gallup StrengthsFinder Assessment.

• Empathy--You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel their feelings as though they were your own. You may not agree with each person’s perspective or condone the choices, but you understand. You help others give voice to their emotional life. People are drawn to you. They appreciate that you understand them. ~Tom Rath

I was once told I was good at copy editing opinion pieces. While considering this compliment, I realized why. An opinion piece is just that. An opinion. 

While copy editing at the Daily Nebraskan, some copy editors wouldn't want to edit opinion. I loved to--mainly because I could usually learn something new, but I was good at it because I was nonjudgmental toward the writer. It didn't matter the topic--my job was not to argue with what the writer was saying, but rather to make sure their message was portrayed correctly--grammar, spelling...whatever.