Intro to Newspaper
Newspaper Style
Writing for the newspaper is different from the writing that you do in English class. We follow the rules and guidelines of the Associated Press (AP style) and format stories differently.
Basic AP Style
DatesWhen used with a date, abbreviate the months
Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. like so. If there is no date, spell it out.
Do not say “on” a date. It is simply the date. Ex. School starts on Aug. 24. (NO) School starts Aug.
24. (YES)Do not use “tomorrow” or “yesterday”
Use the day of the week if necessary, capitalize but do NOT abbreviate the day
Basic AP StyleNames
The first time the person is mentioned, use both first and last name. After that, refer to the person by last name only.
Do not use Ms., Mrs., or Mr. unless the person is deceased.
TitlesCapitalize formal titles before names: President ObamaLowercase if appear without a name or follow a person’s
name: “the president…” or “…Obama, president.”
Basic AP Style
NumeralsNEVER START A SENTENCE WITH A NUMBER!!!
If you feel you must begin with a number, spell it out…the only exception is to use a numeral when expressing a year
Numbers from 1-10 are written as numeralsNumbers above 10 are spelled out
Basic AP Style
PunctuationSingle space after a periodNo comma before and in a series
Red, white, and blue (wrong) – English classRed, white and blue (right) – Newspaper class
Commas and periods go inside the quotation marks
Very seldom, if ever, will we use exclamation points, bold, italics, underline or all caps in Newspaper classWe are here to deliver news and inform, not emphasize
Basic AP Style
State abbreviations sometimes differ from postal abbreviations (ex. Calif. vs CA) and well-known cities do not require it’s state (ex. Chicago and New York)
Timespell out noon and midnight1 p.m. not 1:00 p.m.a.m. and p.m. written like so
Types of Stories:
News: informs the reader of current eventsFeature: lighter read, human-interest storySports: covers athletes and athletic events
Editorials/Opinions: conveys opinions of the staff, includes reviews
All Stories:
NO BIAS!!!!!!!Avoid bias through use of quotes
Varied research and sourcesDo not state your own opinion or favor a side
(even in sports!!)Proven facts and statistics from studies or
credible articles
Notes on QuotesStand alone in their own paragraphReport only the interviewee’s answer, not the
question you asked as a reporterShould serve a purpose: emphasize or describe a
point or feeling, reveal character, present opinion or point of view
Should be pretty frequent, quotes describe things that the writer cannot and bring life, character and perspective to the story
Notes on QuotesParaphrase when given a list of facts
Ex. If you asked Coach Liles what events are included in indoor track versus outdoor track, paraphrase his response.
Avoid repetitive quotes: Reilly Swennes, senior, said she enjoys writing. “I enjoy writing,” Swennes said.
Quotes: AttributionAttribute all quotes, direct and indirectClass is lowercase, include with first referenceUse said, do not feel the need to spice up the
attribution (exclaimed, proclaimed, debated, etc.) * General format of a quote:
“….. ,” someone said. Not “….. ,” said someone. Exception: when including the title/class.
“Newspaper is great,” said Erika Snyder, senior.
“We have the best teacher,” Snyder said.
Lowercase class
Writing
Inverted pyramidMost important facts at the beginning (lede or lead)Facts become less significant as you move through
the story
Intro to Leads
Most important part of the article, gives summary and draws reader’s interest
Generally the first paragraph, 20-30 wordsUse who, what, where, when but generally
leave out why or how for the article’s bodySummary Lead: News stories, summarize the
event, informativeAnecdotal lead: Feature stories, tells a story
Other Notes:Do not use contractionsDo not use first or second Point of View
“I, we, us, our”“YOU”
Use the active voice rather than passive voiceWho did what, not what was done by whom
Be concise and clear rather than colorful and wordyUse the past tense
Pre-season and pre-coverage articles are exceptions