Table Of ContentContents
Foreword
What’s new
Key to Stylebook entries
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | XYZ
Punctuation
Business
Covering Corporate Earnings Reports
International Bureaus
Bankruptcy
Mergers and Acquisitions
Data journalism
Polls and surveys
Health and science
AP social media guidelines
The Basics
Using Lists to Stay Organized And Protect Your Privacy
Search for People — and Their Photos and Videos
User-Generated Content
Digital Security for Journalists
Social Media Guidelines for AP Employees
Religion
Religion Guidelines
Sports
Sports Identification Codes
Major College Basketball Conferences
Major College Football Conferences
Football Championship Subdivision
Food
Fashion
Briefing on Media Law
Introduction
Legal Principles of Newsgathering
Legal Principles of Publication
The Associated Press statement of news values and principles
Corrections
Data
Fabrications
Graphics and Interactives
Images
Music
Obscenities, Profanities, Vulgarities, Hate and Propaganda
Privacy of Victims
Quotations
Responses
Social Networks
Use of Others’ Material
Broadcast Guidelines
Corrections, correctives, clarifications
Editing marks
Bibliography
About the AP
Index
Choose the right tool to keep you in style
Foreword
The first Associated Press Stylebook was 60 pages, bound together with staples, a
basic guide for news writing. It has evolved into a comprehensive reference manual
that fills more than 600 pages and is published across an array of digital platforms,
encompassing the collective wisdom of the AP staff and Stylebook readers. Despite
drastic changes in the media landscape, one constant remains: The AP Stylebook is a
definitive resource for writers.
Today's Stylebook still outlines basic rules on grammar, punctuation, usage and
journalistic style, but it also reflects changes in common language, offers guidance
on media law, explains AP's news values and principles, and helps to navigate the
ever-changing world of social media.
A team of top AP editors meets throughout the year to make updates and
improvements, many of which appear immediately in Stylebook Online.
Contributions come from the AP staff, AP's member news organizations and
subscribers, journalism teachers and students, specialists in a host of fields, and
everyday readers. Indeed, some of the changes that are talked about most have come
at the suggestion of @APStylebook's Twitter followers.
Every update is deeply rooted in respect for language and commitment to the
original goal: to be clear, fair and concise around the globe, no matter what the news
is or where it happens.
Whether you access it in print or online, The Associated Press Stylebook remains
an essential tool in newsrooms, classrooms and boardrooms alike, the perfect
resource for journalists and anyone who cares about good writing.
Gary Pruitt
President and Chief Executive Officer
What’s new
In this edition of the AP Stylebook
This edition of the Stylebook contains more than 200 new and modified entries.
A new health and science chapter provides guidelines and flags pitfalls.
Individual terms, including a new entry on “Medicare for All,” remain in the
book’s main section.
We added a race-related coverage entry, which begins: “Reporting and writing
about issues involving race calls for thoughtful consideration, precise language,
and an openness to discussions with others of diverse backgrounds about how to
frame coverage or what language is most appropriate, accurate and fair.” The entry
discusses the terms racist and racially charged, as well as blacks, Native
Americans and more.
We removed the hyphen from African American and other dual heritage terms.
We now use the % symbol in all but casual uses: 53% of Americans, but he
has a zero percent chance. We also now use accent marks and other diacritical
marks in the names of people who request them.
New entries discuss cryptocurrency; deepfakes; constitutional amendments
and clauses; sports betting terms; vaping terms; and use of the words suspect,
casualties, and human trafficking/human smuggling. We expanded our suicide
entry and revised marijuana, medical marijuana; The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints; and “right to work.”
An enhanced hyphen section of the Punctuation chapter stresses: “If the sheer
number of hyphens in a phrase, or confusion about how to use them, can daunt
either the writer or the reader, try rephrasing. It’s a guide about how to use
hyphens wisely, not it’s a how-to-use-hyphens-wisely guide.” We no longer
hyphenate most compound modifiers after versions of the verb to be. And: no
hyphen in first grader, first quarter score, etc.
We removed the hyphen in double-e combinations (reelection, preempt),
reflecting usage. We also removed the hyphen from passerby and bestseller. We
revised our guidance to say data typically takes singular verbs and pronouns in
writing for general audiences. Also: Do not use the term sic to indicate incorrect
spelling or usage.
We now say that splitting the infinitive or compound forms of a verb is often
necessary to convey meaning and make a sentence easy to read. We added more
guidance to the headlines entry. The composition titles entry is rewritten for
clarity, and we removed quotation marks from game titles.
We say STEM is acceptable on first reference. Grassroots is now one word, as
is babysit and budtender. Macao is now our style, instead of Macau. We now use
Ecuadorian instead of Ecuadorean. Macedonia is now North Macedonia.
We note that it’s frosting or icing, depending on where you live. And:
Santa Claus, Santa Nice in any reference. Naughty: Using Claus on second
reference. Mrs. Claus is acceptable for Santa’s wife.
Key to Stylebook entries
This updated and revised version of The Associated Press Stylebook has been
organized like a dictionary. Need the acronym for a government agency? Look under
the agency’s name. Should you capitalize a word? Check the word itself or the
capitalization entry. What’s the format for baseball boxes? See baseball.
A key to entries is on the next screen.
Tap image to enlarge
