Despite Perlman’s honorable wishes, it’s doubtful that there’s going to be a copy editor resurgence anytime soon—they may be, sadly, the vestigial limb that’s cast off as we sail forward on the wings of so-called progress (or progres). There are other, bigger things at stake, like money to continue to pay writers and to keep websites and struggling publications alive. Does this mean we’re devaluing the entire industry? Not necessarily. We’re just valuing some new things (like speed and quantity, in some cases) over some more traditional ones (spelling).
