It’s time to demand these 8 practices from your writers

Ask communications honchos what they need most, and 7 out of 10 will say: “Better writers.”

I just made that up. It’s really 10 out of 10.

Today, fewer communicators come from journalism, so they’ve missed out on the experience of working for a tough-as-nails editor who ripped their copy to shreds and sent them back for more reporting and a rewrite, but secretly loved that they were willing to work so hard to get it right.

That was Lou Grant, the crusty editor with the kind heart, played by Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner on not one, but two TV shows in the 1970s.

With all the new tools and technologies (or maybe because of them), the ability to put one good sentence after another is more important than ever. If you’re in the business of editing other people’s copy, here’s your Lou Grant checklist, as useful in a corporate newsroom as any other.