I have formalized the requirement for accuracy under step 3 of the methodology.
Any meaning change requires a warrant in the input copy. The
Semantic Condition is that no editing rule may be applied if its effect is to
make the meaning of the output story in any way non-congruent with that of
the input. Such a condition corresponds to Grice's Co-operative Principle of
conversation, category of Quality (1975, p. 46): "Try to make your contribution
one that is true". Accuracy is not strictly a goal of copy editing: the goals
are to cut and to re-style. Accuracy is rather a condition on the application of
editing rules, a sine qua non of editing. Most of the editing alterations
described in the previous section do not and need not falsify the content of a
news story. But some do, when applied injudiciously.