Basic News Writing Style Rules

A. NAMES and TITLES

1. Use the personʼs full name and title on first reference:

Mr. Jason Orman, athletic director, addressed the crowded gym.

2. Use the personʼs last name (no title) for all other references in the story:

“Simmer down, now, simmer down!” Orman said.

3. Use proper titles for teachers and other adults on first reference:

Mr. Ryan Winckler, Mrs. Sandy Newton, Mr. Tod McCullough

4. For STUDENTS, use full name and class standing (grade) on first reference:

Senior Erin Rhodes broke the record at the cross country meet.

5. Use the personʼs last name only for all other references:

“I think my legs are going to fall off,” Rhodes said before she collapsed.

B. DATES and TIMES

1. Months: Abbreviate months with six or more letters:

Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. SPELL OUT: March, April, May, June, July

2. Write the month and day with no comma in between, and leave out the year*

The game is Jan. 8. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 25-7 Sept. 5.

3. *Do write the year if it is a date that is more than one year in the past or future:

The band will travel to Florida in March. The last time the band members took a Florida trip was in April, 1990.

4. Leave out the word “on” before dates:

They will play Newman Saturday.

5. Times: Write the numerals, with either a.m. or p.m. following:

Tonightʼs game begins at 7 p.m. (leave off the zeroes when you can) Students were dismissed yesterday at 11:15 a.m.

C. FIGURES

1. SPELL OUT zero through nine*. (See #3 for exceptions)

2. Use figures for numbers 10 on up*. (See #3 for exceptions)

3. *Exceptions: Disregard rules #1 and #2 in these cases:

ALWAYS use figures for the following: Unless they begin a sentence! (#4)

ages (5 years old) dimensions (2 by 12 ft.) money ($5) percents (33 percent) days of the month (Oct. 2) degrees (7 degrees) hours of the day (1 p.m.) scores (21-3)

room numbers (108) page numbers (page 6) street numbers (6 Cherry Lane) sports statistics (2-for-3, bats .425, 1.08 ERA)

4. NEVER use a figure at the beginning of a sentence:

Twenty years later, they met again. Seventy five percent of the academic bowl budget was spent on pizza.

D. TITLES of THINGS

1. Use quotation marks for the following:

2. Use italics for the following:

Movies “Avatar” Plays “Grease” Songs “Bad Romance” Poems “The Road Less Taken” TV/Radio Programs “Family Guy”

Books The Hunger Games Magazines Seventeen CDs Thriller

3. NEVER, EVER UNDERLINE in journalism! (It looks weird when printed--lines are too close to another in print. Italics should always be used in place of underlining.)

E. ABBREVIATIONS

1. For names of groups and organizations, spell out on first reference with abbreviation in parentheses, then abbreviate in all other references:

The new inductees for National Honor Society (NHS) are ...... New NHS members will meet Friday at 7:30 a.m. in the media center.

2. DO NOT Abbreviate: Days of the week (Friday, Saturday, etc.) Degrees or Percent (99 degrees, 50 percent)

 F. AVOID SEXIST EXPRESSIONS

1. USE: chairperson

firefighter postal worker/mail carrier humanity person/individual/student reporter

RATHER THAN:

chairman fireman postman/mailman mankind man/woman or girl/boy newsman

2. Avoid stereotypes, clichés, jokes toward one gender: BAD: Mary Smith doesnʼt look the part, but sheʼs an authority on football rules. BAD: Ruth Doe, grandmother of 16, told reporters she didnʼt steal the bread. BAD: The apple doesnʼt fall far from the tree when it comes to sports for some players. (Be original--use of clichés is lazy & boring.)

3. ALWAYS Use parallel terms: man=woman

husband=wife girl=boy lady=gentleman teacher=student coach=player

G. PROBLEM AREAS

man ≠ wife Q: Why is “man & wife” still used today? A: Because the users either were NOT paying attention in English class, or they werenʼt taught that it is improper usage, or they are sexist. Whichever is the reason, they are ALL poor excuses for its use today.

“Man & wife” are NOT parallel terms. Would “husband & woman” sound right? Of course not. (If you marry a member of the opposite sex, insist upon the wording. Some clergy or officials may take it for granted or not even realize their mistake. Be clear that it is pronounced “husband and wife” or “wife and husband.”)

1. Quote sequence: “Quote,” attribution said.

“I really do like freshmen,” Mr. Joel Geisz said.

2. If the quote is longer than one sentence, break it up by putting the attribution in the middle of the quote:

“I really do like freshmen,” Mr. Joel Geisz said. “In fact, I wish I had freshmen in class.”

3. Always use the word “said” for quotes in a news story. (You can be more creative in features.)

4. Tuck in your periods and commas INSIDE the quotation marks!

“I love going to the movies,” she said. The last song on the CD is “My English Teacher is the Greatest.”

5. Word Choice: NEVER begin a sentence with the words There are, There is, There were, etc. WRONG: There were over 3,000 people at the game Friday. RIGHT: Over 3,000 people attended Fridayʼs game.

When in doubt, refer to the Associated Press (AP) Handbook.

REMEMBER...choose your words carefully. Eliminate unnecessary words - always de-clutter.

Simple, clear, concise.

©2002 EHS Style Rules, Tracee Orman

©2004-2010 News Writing Rubric T. Orman