Article Writing and Formatting
- Use a single space (not two) after each period. Proofread your work for consistency.
- Skip a line between paragraphs for white space. Do not indent paragraphs.
*Note: When you copy and paste from Google Docs or Microsoft Word into WordPress, use Ctrl+Shift+V (or Cmd+Shift+V) to paste without formatting.
Write in third person! The only times words like “I,” “we,” you,” or “your” should appear in an article is if someone is being quoted and clearly identified.
Even reviews, which are clearly the opinion of the writer, are stronger when written in third person.
Verify spelling of names (people, companies, products, places). Ask them! There is no excuse for a spelling error on a proper noun.
We use the Oxford comma!
Formatting a quote: It should be the quote first, then the attribution. For example: “We are lowering tuition,” said SNHU President Paul LeBlanc.
Avoid unnecessary words or redundancy: “Nick is currently a student at Southern New Hampshire University, majoring in business.” “Currently” is implied. If Nick is a student, he is currently a student. Therefore, drop “currently.”
Put the most important information first – write for folks with short attention spans. After you’re done writing it, read it through twice – see if you can cut anything out.
- Don’t start articles with the day/date. What’s the most important part of your story? Start with that! Starting with the date just shows it’s old information.
- Follow the lede format: Who, What, Where, When, Why/How
List company/school locations the first time you mention them. For example, “The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Manchester, NH)” the first time, and then just “The Fisher Cats.” You can ignore this rule when discussing SNHU.
Always mention names – be specific. Don’t just say, “Sofia works at a supermarket.” Say, “Sofia George works at Market Basket, a supermarket in Concord, NH.” Don’t just say, “Chris is from southern New Hampshire.” Name the town. “Chris Smith is from Nashua, NH.”Cape Cod is not a town either – it’s just a land mass. Name the actual town.
Write short paragraphs (no more than about three sentences long.). Start a new one at any seque or transition. A one sentence paragraph is common – see most articles in a daily paper such as The Boston Globe or The New Hampshire Union Leader.
Headlines: A headline should be in either all capital letters or at least have the first letter of EVERY word capitalized. There should be no punctuation at the end off a headline. The one possible exception to this would be quotation marks. Challenge yourself – limit your headline to no more than eight words and/or 100 characters (less than Twitter!).
When writing about someone, mention that person by full name the first time (Emily Blais), and by last name only (Blais) each subsequent time.
Give your writing the “so what” test. How might the reader react?
Proofread – spell check won’t pick up everything.
The punctuation ALWAYS goes INSIDE the quotation marks.
If using an abbreviation or acronym, you must spell it out the first time, and put the acronym in parentheses unless it’s common knowledge. For example, “National Basketball Association (NBA).” You may then use the acronym alone — “NBA” – each time after that.
- Since we’re a SNHU paper – you don’t have to spell out Southern New Hampshire University.
Numbers
Numbers one through nine get spelled out. Numbers 10 and up are expressed numerically. This does NOT apply to time or money. Always use numerals for time or money (e.g., 2 pm or $3). Make sure you use commas in dollar amounts over $1,000. Make sure you have the right amount of digits, or it can be a very expensive error!
Numerals are preferred for all distances and dimensions. Some examples include: She ran 5 miles; he sank a 4-foot shot; the room is 3 feet wide and 7 feet high. The AP Stylebook has a four-page section with 200 examples of when to use figures or not. You can just follow what’s been presented in our guide, the document you’re now reading.
Exceptions to the Rule of 10: Use only numerals for…
- Ages
- Amounts of money
- Dates (avoid ordinals – September 7, not September 7th)
- Distance and Dimensions
- Percentages (but spell out “percent,” instead of “%” for numbers one through nine)
- Sports scores (The Bruins beat the Canucks 4-3)
- Certain political/military usages
Time:
- 10 am (not 10:00 am).
- Noon and midnight (not 12 pm or 12 am)
- Don’t use year with current dates. Class ends December 17 (not December 17, 2022).
Telephone numbers:
- Use figures. The forms: 212-621-1500, 621-1500. Don’t put the area code in parentheses.
- Do not use period/decimal points (617.824-2400). Use hyphens.
- For international numbers, use the parentheses around the country code and the city code (where required): (44-20) 7353-1515
- If extension numbers are provided: ext. 2, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension
Important AP Style Items
- “Internet” is only capitalized when it’s the first word in a sentence.
- It’s “website,” not “Web site” or “web site”
- It’s “Email” or “email.” The AP Stylebook doesn’t hyphenate this word.
- It’s “nonprofit.” Do not hyphenate the word.
- People who give money to nonprofits are “donors,” not “donators.”
- The punctuation always goes inside the quotation marks.
Ethics, Balance, Thoroughness, and Objectivity
How to Create Balance in Journalism
Borrowed and edited from: http://www.ehow.com/how_8703308_create-balance-jounalism.html#ixzz2puJ51fcb
Balance in journalism is considered one of the most important characteristics of any news piece. Balance means a lack of bias, and crucial that The Penmen Press covers all news in an impartial manner. This means that as a reporter, you should, whenever possible, demonstrate the opposing viewpoints at play in a story. Remember that there are often more than two sides to any story.
So how do you do it?
Instructions:
Interview multiple sources for your story. A source is an individual whom you quote in the article. A balanced news story contains quotes from at least two individuals. A source is an individual whom you quote in the article. A balanced news story contains quotes from at least two individuals. A story on a new SNHU baseball field, for example, might include viewpoints from SNHU administrators, the Athletic director, baseball coach, baseball players, athletes/coaches from other teams that don’t get a new field, SNHU baseball fans, and even students who thought the money should have been directed to a new theatre instead.
Talk to the silent majority, or the group of people who may remain silent on an issue. News media often interview people with polar opposite viewpoints – politics being a prime example – despite the fact that most people hold a view that they might not express publicly. When the vehemently supportive and opposed are the loud minorities, it is the job of the news media to invoke the silent majority. Avoid unnamed sources whenever possible. In extreme cases, journalists may cie an anonymous source. In certain instances in which privacy is of extreme importance this may be acceptable, but reporters generally avid calling upon sources who are not under pressure to be accountable for what they say.
Write the story from a neutral point of view. It is the job of the journalist to dictate the direction the story goes, so they should determine an angle that does not side with one party. The journalist should let the reader make the decision for themself; rather than assign value.
Your job as a journalist is to present the facts, without making yourself part of the story.