As Lesson 8: Copy Editing demonstrates, the ability to write clearly and edit on deadline is a trademark of the true media professional. In your career, you are likely to be charged with editing and even rewriting the work of others.

In-this-exercise, you will practice that skill by locating a piece of writing that is unclear. You will then edit and rewrite it using the principles of clear writing we have been covering in class.

My Topic- Idaho Murder Suspect: What We Know About Bryan Kohberger

Link to Article- https://people.com/crime/bryan-kohberger-idaho-murders-what-to-know/

Nearly seven weeks after the November 2022 slayings of four University of Idaho students, suspect Bryan Kohberger was arrested on Dec. 30, 2022, in Pennsylvania in connection with the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Kohberger, 29, was charged with four counts of murder and one count of felony burglary. He appeared in a Pennslyvania courtroom in January 2023 and waived his extradition to Idaho, meaning he had voluntarily agreed to return to the state to face the charges against him.

Goncalves, 21, Mogen, 21, Kernodle, 20, and Chapin, 20, were stabbed to death in an off-campus rental home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13. Ethan was not a resident in the home, but was staying overnight with girlfriend Kernodle. Two more roommates at the 1122 King Road residence, Dylan Mortensen and Bethany Funke, were home and unharmed. Early in the investigation, the surviving roommates were ruled out as suspects.

While it was initially believed that Mortensen and Funke both slept through the attack, the probable cause affidavit which was released in January 2023 after Kohberger returned to Idaho revealed that one of the surviving roommates said they saw the killer. The roommate described "a figure clad in black clothing and a mask," who walked past her as he left the crime scene, and she heard crying on the night of the killings.

In May 2023, Kohberger was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of the four students. His indictment allowed prosecutors to bypass the previously scheduled June hearing where the two surviving roommates of the victims would have possibly been cross-examined. The next day, Kohberger stood "silent" as the court waited for his plea. The judge ultimately entered a plea of 'not guilty' for him. Kohberger has sincewaived his right to a speedy trial and recently appeared in court for two hearings on Jan. 26, 2024. A new trial date has yet to be set by Judge John Judge: the prosecution requested a summer of 2024 trial and the defense asked for a March or summer of 2025 trial.

Here's how to proceed:

1. Locate a writing sample. It can be most any type of piece (website copy, annual report, brochure, news release, blog post, etc.) The sample must be at least 300 words long. (My sample below)
2. Read through the piece carefully. Look for long and complex sentences, complicated words, jargon, technical terms, and story structures that might impede reader understanding.
3. Using the 3-stage copy-editing process from Chapter 7 of your text, rewrite the piece using shorter sentences, simpler words, and if necessary, a different structure to make it clearer to the reader. Remember that you are aiming for comprehension by a high-school level reader.
4. At the end, summarize what you did to improve this piece of writing.