Associated Press Stylebook

Associated Press Stylebook
source
Name	Associated Press Stylebook
Type	Style guide
Publisher	Associated Press
Firstdate	1953
Country	United States

Associated Press Stylebook The Associated Press Stylebook is a widely used American journalism style guide that provides standards on news writing, punctuation, capitalization, and word usage for reporters and editors. It serves as a reference across newspapers, broadcasters, and digital outlets and interacts with major journalism institutions, press associations, and media organizations. Major media outlets, universities, and libraries rely on it alongside other guides for consistency in reporting.

History

The stylebook emerged in the milieu of mid-20th-century news organizations responding to changes after World War II, where agencies like Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and the United Press International faced demands similar to those of the Associated Press. Early influences included editorial practices from newspapers such as the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times, and guidance from journalism schools at Columbia University, Northwestern University, and Missouri School of Journalism. The guide evolved amid legal contexts shaped by cases like New York Times Co. v. Sullivan and regulatory frameworks involving the Federal Communications Commission and congressional hearings. Its circulation expanded with contributions from editors at the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and wire desks covering events like the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Watergate scandal.

Editions and revisions

The Stylebook has been updated regularly, reflecting reporting on events such as the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, the Arab Spring, and evolving technology trends set by companies like Apple Inc., Microsoft, and Google LLC. Editions have responded to shifts in coverage by outlets including NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, and National Public Radio. Updates often reference standards applied by institutions such as the Associated Press, the Pew Research Center, and the Gannett Company, and adapt to legal developments exemplified by statutes like the Freedom of Information Act and rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States. Special editions and anniversary prints have noted contributions from veteran editors at the Miami Herald, the Dallas Morning News, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Content and style guidelines

The guide presents rules on punctuation used by reporters at organizations like the Guardian, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal, and on terminology relevant to events covered by agencies such as Bloomberg L.P. and Thomson Reuters. It addresses names and titles for public figures from the White House, members of Congress including the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, and coverage of institutions such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the European Union. Guidance includes capitalization norms for works like the Gettysburg Address and for cultural references tied to entities such as the Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Nobel Prize. The Stylebook covers attribution practices used in reporting on elections involving parties like the Democratic Party (United States) and the Republican Party (United States), on conflicts such as the Syrian civil war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and on disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

Usage and influence

Newsrooms at institutions such as The New Yorker, Time (magazine), Newsweek, and city papers in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. apply the guide alongside internal house styles. Academic departments at Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, and Princeton University teach journalism students to consult the Stylebook with other references like the Chicago Manual of Style and manuals used by the American Psychological Association and the Modern Language Association. International broadcasters including the BBC and Al Jazeera compare wire standards with the guide when coordinating coverage of summits like COP26 and events such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup. Professional organizations including the Society of Professional Journalists and the Online News Association cite it in training and ethics workshops.

Criticism and controversies

Critics from publications such as The Atlantic, New York Magazine, and Slate (magazine) have debated guidance on gendered language, racial terminology, and treatment of emerging identities, alongside commentary from scholars at Oxford University, Cambridge University, and University of California, Berkeley. Disputes around revisions have appeared amid social movements like Black Lives Matter and discussions of reporting on public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting comparisons with standards used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. Legal scholars and civil liberties organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have critiqued aspects tied to libel and privacy, while newsrooms in outlets like BuzzFeed News, Vox, and ProPublica have publicly questioned certain editorial prescriptions.

Related publications and digital services

Companion materials and competing references include the Chicago Manual of Style, the Oxford Style Manual, and guides published by the American Press Institute and the Poynter Institute. Digital products and subscription services associated with the guide intersect with platforms run by LexisNexis, ProQuest, and news aggregators like Flipboard and Apple News. Training and seminars leverage partnerships with journalism hubs such as the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, the Poynter Institute programs, and university continuing-education centers at Columbia University and the University of Missouri. Libraries and archives including the Library of Congress, the British Library, and the New York Public Library hold editions and related materials.

Category:Style guides