Proofreader

Main Duties and Responsibilities

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  Review and proofread assigned content (news articles, columns, features, opinion pieces) for spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, clarity, and consistency, in keeping with approved style guides.
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  Ensure consistency in tone and style across Barbados TODAY’s content and enforce the house style.
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  Verify names, titles, dates, figures, places, and references against trusted sources before publication; flag any inconsistencies, misattributions, or missing credits.
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  Identify language that may present defamation, contempt, privacy, or bias risks and escalate to the assigning editor or legal representative as required.
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  Review the designed pages to ensure all copy, captions, and display text are correct before release.
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  Optimise content for digital reading by tightening headlines and other display text, making it easier to scan with subheads, bullets, and callouts, and applying SEO best practices to headlines and metadata without reducing accuracy.
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  Quality-check visuals and data (graphics, captions, credits, source lines) and validate units, scales, and numbers against source material.
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  Check image captions for accuracy, clarity, and proper attribution.
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  Check for proper text alignment, font consistency, paragraph spacing, missing sections, duplicated content, or broken formatting.
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  Ensure headlines, subheadings, social captions, and photo captions are formatted correctly and align with the corresponding articles.
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  Provide timely feedback and corrections to writers and editors and submit marked-up versions of reviewed content, indicating changes made and any unresolved queries.
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  Adhere to brand guidelines and publication-specific style guides.
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  Meet deadlines and production schedules while maintaining high editorial quality.
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  Communicate promptly with relevant editors regarding queries or inconsistencies identified during proofreading.
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  Track, record, and report recurring editorial or stylistic errors monthly for editorial review to support continuous improvement.
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  Maintain open and respectful communication with editors, writers, designers, and the digital team to ensure smooth production flow.
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  Participate in editorial meetings or training sessions to stay aligned with evolving editorial standards and practices, where required.