AP Style Guide Midterm Study Notes

AP Style Guide Midterm Study Notes

• These notes cover AP style guidelines for specific topics.

Admit, Admitted

• The words "admit" and "admitted" can imply wrongdoing.
• Using "said" can often be a better alternative.
• Incorrect: The police officer admitted he was recovering from alcoholism.
• Correct: The police officer said he was recovering from alcoholism.

Addresses

• Abbreviate street names (Ave., Blvd., St.) only with numbered addresses.
• Example: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
• Spell out and capitalize street names when part of a formal name without a number.
• Example: Pennsylvania Avenue
• Lowercase and spell out street names when used alone or with multiple streets.
• Example: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues
• Incorrect: The new store is located at 1500 Michigan Avenue.
• Correct: The new store is located at 1500 Michigan Ave.

Ages

• Use figures for all ages.
• Example: 5-year-old, 23-year-old, 72
• Hyphenate ages when used as an adjective.
• Example: 5-year-old boy, 15-year-old girl
• Do not hyphenate when the age is used as a noun.
• Example: The boy is 5 years old.
• Use figures for ages even when they're under 10.
• a 3-year-old child
• Incorrect: The seven-year-old girl smiled.
• Correct: The 7-year-old girl smiled.

A.M. and P.M.

• Lowercase with periods.
• Avoid the redundant "10 a.m. this morning."
• Incorrect: The concert ended at 9 PM
• Correct: My class starts at 8 a.m.

Complement Versus Compliment

• Complement denotes completeness or the process of supplementing something.
• Incorrect: The tie compliments his suit.
• Correct: The tie complements his suit.
• Compliment is a noun/verb that denotes praise or courtesy.
• Incorrect: The captain complements his sailors.
• Correct: The captain compliments his sailors.

Damage Versus Damages

• Damage refers to destruction or loss.
• Example: Authorities said the storm caused $1 billion in damage.
• Damages are what's awarded by a court as compensation for injury or loss.
• Example: The women received $25,000 in damages.

Decades

• Use Arabic numerals for decades.
• Example: 1920s
• Use an apostrophe to replace omitted numerals (e.g., '20s).
• Add "s" for plural decades.
• Example: 1980s, '90s

Dimensions

• Use figures with spelled-out units for dimensions.
• Example: 5 feet, 10 inches
• Hyphenate adjective forms before nouns.
• Example: a 10-foot pole

Dollars

• Use lowercase "dollars."
• Use figures and the $ sign except in casual references.
• For specific amounts, use a singular verb.
• Example: "He said $50,000 is what they want."
• For amounts over $1 million, the text says to use two decimal places without a hyphen
• Example: $4.35 million
• The text says that amounts under $1 million should be formatted.
• Example: $4, $25, $500, $1,000, $650,000

Farther Versus Further

• Farther refers to physical distance.
• Incorrect: He walked further into the woods.
• Correct: He walked farther into the woods.
• Further refers to an extension of time or degree.
• Incorrect: She will look farther into the mystery.
• Correct: She will look further into the mystery.

Govt term

• Always lowercase the word "government."
• Never abbreviate.
• Example: The federal government, the state government, the U.S. government.

Headlines

• Headlines draw readers into a story.
• Should be vivid, accurate, and fair and provide context
• Tone Matching: The headline's tone should reflect the story.
• Attribution: Attribution is important and should be included when necessary.
• Keywords & SEO: Consider search engine optimization (SEO) by including relevant keywords and trending topics.
• Updating for Online Use: Headlines should be refreshed to reflect the latest news.
• Capitalization: Capitalize the first word and proper nouns, except after a colon.
• Special Cases: Capitalize the first letter, even if the word is a lowercase brand name.
• Examples: iPhone or eBay
• Avoiding Alphabet Soup: Use only well-recognized abbreviations.
• Examples: US, UK, UN, and EU

"It's" Versus "Its"

• "It's" is a contraction for "it is" or "it has."
• Incorrect: Its up to you
• Correct: It's up to you
• "Its" is the possessive form of the neuter pronoun.
• Incorrect: The company has lost it's assets.
• Correct: The company has lost its assets.

Months

• Always capitalize months.
• Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. when a month is used with a specific date.
• Spell out March, April, May, June, and July.
• When using a month alone or with just a year, spell it out.
• Example: January 2024
• No comma when listing only a month and year.
• Example: January 2016 was a cold month.
• Set off the year with commas when including a full date.
• Example: Feb. 14, 2013, was the target date

Numerals

• Numbers one through nine are spelled out in general.
• Figures are used for 10+.
• Figures are always used for ages, measurements, and academic course numbers.
• For time measurements, numbers one through nine are spelled out unless referring to an age.
• Addresses: Streets numbered nine and under are spelled out, while 10+ use figures.
• Zero is spelled out in most cases unless used in a technical range

Commas

• Series: Use commas to separate elements in a list, but in simple series, commas before the conjunction aren't necessary unless for clarity; in complex series they're recommended.
• Equal Adjectives: Commas go between adjectives of equal rank.
• With Conjunctions: Use a comma before conjunctions when they link independent clauses, but omit it if the subject of the second clause is omitted.
• Introductory Clauses/Phrases: Put a comma after introductory clauses or phrases.
• Nonessential Clauses/Phrases: Set off nonessential information with commas.
• Names, Ages, and Locations: Use commas when setting off ages, hometowns, states/nations, and city names.
• Direct Address: Use a comma when directly addressing someone.
• Large Figures and Full Dates: Commas are used for figures over 999 and to separate month, day, and year in full dates.
• Placement with Quotation Marks: Commas always go inside.

Addresses Street Types

• Always spell out street types.
• Examples: alley, drive, road, terrace
• Capitalize when part of a formal name without a number; lowercase when used alone or with multiple names.

Address Numbers

• Use figures for address numbers.
• Example: 9 Morningside Circle
• The text says to spell out and capitalize First through Ninth.
• Use figures.
• Example: 7 Fifth Ave., 100 21st St.

Compass Points

• Abbreviate compass points in numbered addresses.
• Example: 222 E. 42nd St., 600 K St. NW
• Do not abbreviate if no number is included.
• Example: East 42nd Street
• Avoid periods in quadrant abbreviations.
• Example: NW, SE

Ages Relevance

• Include ages when relevant to the context.
• Example: profiles, obituaries, significant career milestones, achievements

Chapter 1 News

• Chapter 1 covers the changing landscape of news, including delivery methods and the rise of citizen journalism

Changing Delivery of News

• News companies adapt to deliver news through smartphones and tablets; USA Today restructured its newsroom to suit mobile and tablet audiences.
• New Forms of News Delivery
  • Blogs: Consist websites with short articles, photos, video, and/or audio.
  • Podcast: Audio or video files distributed over the Internet for use on portable MP3 players, such as the iPod.
  • RSS: A method of syndicating content on the web
  • Aggregator: Software or websites that collect articles from various sources
  • Social media: Websites that connect people
  • Convergence: Includes partnerships, multimedia, and presenting news in multiple media outlets
  • Paywalls: Charging readers for some or all of a news organization's website content

Citizen Journalism

• Citizen Journalism: Involves people not trained in journalism covering news events.
• Citizen Journalism involves readers and viewers reporting and sharing news.
• Contributors are called “citizen journalists”, who may write blogs or share content.
• Hyperlocal News: Citizen journalism sites focusing on local news for small communities or neighborhoods.
  • The Oakland Local: Covers news in Oakland, California.
  • The Twin Cities Daily Planet: Covers Minneapolis/St. Paul
  • OhmyNews International (South Korea): User-generated content site
• Grassroots Journalism, Citizen Media, and Crowdsourcing are terms related to how regular people contribute to making and changing the news

Changes in Online News

• Continual Deadlines: Reporters file/update news stories instantly on the Web, with Twitter updates.
• Interactive Content: Online news allows interaction (polls, chats, comments), encouraging engagement and feedback.
• Related Links: Online stories include links to related content.
• Nonlinear Structure: Online news can be nonlinear, with sections like background, timelines, multimedia.
• Databases: Online news sites offer searchable databases for local information.
• Personalized Journalism: News sites invite readers to share personal stories, personalizing & drive user content.

Qualities of News

• Timeliness: Happened yesterday, today, or will happen tomorrow
• Proximity: Happens in or close to the community
• Unusual nature: Out-of-the-ordinary events or activities
• Human Interest: Stories about people
• Conflict: A disagreement between people or groups
• Celebrities: About well-known people
• Issues or problems in the community
• writing is a reporting process and there also needs to be an element of truthfullness

Hard News v Features

• Writing is a (conceive, collect, construct, correct)
• Hard News: Recent events/conflicts, focusing on what, why happened & its' impact with immediacy.
• Soft News: Entertains or informs, less immediate topics: people, places, or issues (e.g., profiles, lifestyle).
• Soft news isn't urgent.
• Breaking News: A hard-news story about a same/prior day event, featured prominently.
• Mainbar: The main hard-news story.
• Sidebar: A related, different-angled feature story
• Feature Stories often soft news but can be event-based, deeper context
• What is the difference between hard news and features (soft news)?
• Timeliness; soft news often entertains & has less immediacy.

Chapter 2

• Finding the Focus
• Basic Questions
• Elements of the Basic News Story
• Quotes and Attribution

Finding Focus:

• Story Focus: A news story has one main focus, stated clearly as the story's key idea.
• What's the Story About?: Determine the main idea in one simple sentence
• How Are Readers Affected: the "so-what" factor; why the audience should care
• Tell-a-Friend Technique: Imagine telling a friend; what's most important/interesting you'd mention first
• Structure:
  • Lead: highlights focus
  • Supporting Information provides fact and details that back up the lead

Basic Questions

• All news stories answer: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
• New Question - "So What?”: The significance of the story/ why readers should care

Elements of Basic News Story

• Headline: Identifies the main idea so readers decides to read more also secondary headlines (e.g., “deck heads” or summary blurb
• Lead (beginning): Introduces focus & what the story is about.
• Summary Leads: Summarizes the main points
• Feature Leads: Story/description, focusing a person/event
• Nut Graph: Explains matter of story (3rd-5th paragraph).
• Body: elaborates on the lead
• Impact stories should include audience significance
• Attribution - ensures credibility/transparency (lead if controversial).
• Context/Background helps readers understand the situation better.

Roberts' Advice

• Visualize/experience the event.
• Focus on the story, gather information, and write in a way that engages readers to care.
• Identify the focus, gather information, and write in a way that compels readers to care.

Inverted Pyramid

• Lead
• Nut Graph
• Lead Quote
• Facts/Quotes
• Ending

Quotes and Attribution:

• Using Quotes: should add interesting, supportive elements that support the Key points that is a memorable and advances story
• Using Quotes: Don't use boring, unclear of irrelevant quotes.

Writing/Punctuating Quotes

• Punctuation
• Separate Paragraphs: Start New Paragraphs with attribution
• Attribution: is needed after quotes

Using Attribution

• Common Knowledge: Attribution isn't needed if everyone knows
• Use "Said"
• Second References: Use last name
• Titles capitalize titles before names, lowercase after words

Ch. 4

• Human Data
• Anonymous Source
• Multicultural Source
• Online Source
• Public Record

Human Sources

• Human sources are needed.
• Contact the release for more details .
• Start with the head of the organization that they need (officers,researchers).
• Primary or secondary sources
• Self-sponsorship

Data Sources

• Government Resources: crime data the US Department of Education
• US Census American finder
• Data is part of story telling adding credibility

Online Sources

• Anonymous the sources that you would like to write

Legal Considerations

• If you are protecting journalisms what protects you
• They lead to credibility

Multicultural sources:

• US has been increased a lot you need to get different voices

Ch. 5

• Observation and Gathering Detail
• Sensitivity
• Digital Recorders
• Listening and Note Taking
• Interviewing

Observation & gathering details

• Capture details

Digital Recordings

• Be aware of source of ethics laws of state
• Critical listing
• Listening
• Be prepared

Planning for the Interview

• Evaluator should consider who is the source of the background
• Check accuracy of things said

Email

• Limit questions the source email is from

Interviewing

• Identification: State name, affiliation and process immediately.
• Icebreaker: Get to Point directly.
• Question Length: Keep questions brief.
• Control : Guide questions
• Verification: Double check

The most common interview problems are

• Record is an end to quickly you would need to follow-up, to confirm
• Verify Inaccurate
• Chapter 7 HardNews- summary
• Timing and subject better
• If complex indirect is the better option but make it serious