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