I took a call last Friday from Karen Clarke - one of two women who have returned from the USA after taking part in the New York marathon - objecting to the headline. It read 'Big Apple leaves sour taste' . It was based on a quote from one of the dynamic duo which said neither of them really enjoyed the marathon but they had a really good time in New York.

I am sorry if it caused any offence and I have spoken with the sub-editor who 'penned it'.

One of the least understood roles in a newspaper is that of the sub-editor. A sub-editing guru often quotes Henry Wickham Steed, a famour editor of The Times, who wrote: "Among the members of a newspaper staff I am inclined to give first place to the sub-editors as a body. Without their devotion and goodwill an editor may be impotent.

"They can make or mar his paper. They are the infantry who win newspaper battles. Their names rarely reach the public except in brief obituary notices, but in more ways than one they can justly say of themselves that without their labours 'the Press' could not exisit.

"When a sub-editorial staff are really interested in the policy of their paper, or are keen to make the paper 'tell' in other respects, they can do more for it than an editor and all his assistants put together." I couldn't agree more.

This of course does not mean they get it right all of the time. As I repeatedly stress, we are human after all.

Karen and Gill Linyard would have preferred the headline to have read 'Big Apple leaves taste of success'.

The other week I was on the receiving end after one of my headlines focussed on the negative rather than the positive. Headlines are there to sell and tell the news.

Once again I am sorry for any upset caused.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.