Journalism Resource Guide: Writing/Editing

The style of the Associated Press is the gold standard for news writing.  With the AP Stylebook in hand, you can learn how to write and edit with the clarity and professionalism for which it is famous. Fully revised and updated, this new edition contains more than 3,000 A to Z entries - including more than 200 new ones - detailing the AP's rules on grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, abbreviation, and word and numeral usage.  You'll find answers to such wide-ranging questions as:

• When should the names of government bodies be spelled out and when should they be abbreviated?
• What are the general definitions of the major religious movements?
• Which companies do the big media conglomerates own?
• Who are all the members of the British Commonwealth?
• How should box scores for baseball games be filed?
• What constitutes "fair use"?
• What exactly does the Freedom of Information Act cover?

With invaluable additional sections on the unique guidelines for business and sports reporting and on how you can guard against libel and copyright infringement, the AP Stylebook is the one reference that all writers, editors, and students cannot afford to be without.  (Description from Amazon.com)

A copy of the 2015 edition of the AP Stylebook is available at the MAC Library Reference Desk for in-library use only.

• Be balanced (get both sides of the story)
• Avoid conflict of interest (don't write about your own team, etc.)
• Don't confuse news with opinion
• Be consistent with style (use of last name vs. first, etc.)
• Get it right!  Strive for accuracy
• Make deadlines
• Let editors know if copy will be late
• Take pride in your work
• Don't just fill space - write about what matters!

(From advice given to journalism students at the Brooks School in North Andover, MA)