Of *course* we& #39;ve reached the point in free speech discourse where we& #39;re being told by very serious men that editorial discernment is "censorship." It& #39;s been implied quite a lot, but Greenwald& #39;s case makes it self-parodically explicit.

But instead of piling on, I want to instead affirm that a good editor is absolutely vital to the craft of writing.

As I so often must, I thank @kajerstin and @laura_hudson not only for their excellent work, but for being the editors who most helped me find my voice as a writer. I produced some of my best work with them, and what I learned from them has served me well throughout my career.

Good editors help you sound more like yourself. They& #39;re advocates, for you, your work, and what you& #39;re trying to do. But they also save you from yourself when you need it most. That is something to be praised

I say this as a writer who has done her fair share of grousing--"I can& #39;t *believe* they took that word out!" or "there& #39;s no way that paragraph needs another pass!"--but the reality often is that they& #39;re right and their expertise made my essay/article a better work.