Danielle wnuk
Journalism Copy editor
AP Stylebook Compliance & Structural Editing for Leftist Media
Clarity and precision shouldn't come at the expense of a writer's voice. Educated by the industry-standard Poynter ACES journalism editing program, I refine messy drafts into sharp, high-impact reporting while maintaining the author's perspective. I provide everything from light line editing to complete structural rewrites.My approach is deeply informed by my background. Before launching my editing career, I worked in early childhood education implementing restorative justice practices, and later drew on my personal experience with homelessness to advocate for guests at a local emergency shelter.The independent coverage of the 2014 Ferguson protests fundamentally shaped my view of media, cementing a long-term dedication to movement journalism. Today, I bring that history and a sharp editorial eye to leftist newsrooms that require precise, impactful prose.
editing philosophy
Below are overviews of my editing approach. To view the complete, side-by-side "Before and After" editing analyses of these real-world journalism pieces, please contact me for the password to my private portfolio.
#1: Crumbling School Infrastructure
The Problem: Scattered and repetitive data across four choppy paragraphs stalled the narrative pacing and buried the urgency of the situation.The Fix: I consolidated the duplicate data into a single comparative summary and re-ordered the timeline to lead with the most severe structural violations.The Impact: I tightened the structural flow to expose systemic district neglect instantly while preserving the reporter's authentic voice and critical facts.
#2: Cold Cases & Media Bias
The Problem: Sensationalized true-crime clichés and a choppy layout made the timeline of seven different murders incredibly difficult to follow. Poor structure buried families' concerns.The Fix: I streamlined the narrative into a clear chronological timeline, highlighted the families' concerns with the impact of media bias on real-world investigations, and summarized a messy detective interview into a concise explanation of modern forensic leads.The Impact: I stripped out the fluff to keep the focus entirely on the families' fight for answers while preserving the reporter's core facts.
#3: Police Violence & Humanizing Victims
The Problem: The human cost of fatal police shootings was buried beneath disjointed statistics, timeline errors, and jumbled quotes from law enforcement officials.The Fix: I restructured the narrative to lead with the victims, cross-referenced inspector general records to correct the event timelines, and provided context for rambling quotes.The Impact: I shifted the piece from a chaotic, one-sided news update into a rigorous accountability story that restores humanity to the victims while maintaining factual integrity.
Rates
Up to 800 words: $75 per article801–1,200 words: $120 per article1,201–2,000 words: $180 per article2,001+ words: Custom quote based on text sample (starts at a baseline of $0.09/word)All packages include complete AP Stylebook alignment, line-by-line tightening, fact-checking, and voice-preserving structural corrections.