Journalistic
Style

Lessons

Style Guide

Resources

In order to make a publication consistent in style, and therefore professional, it is necessary to learn proper journalistic style. In other words, you as a writer or editor must know when to capitalize a title and when to abbreviate it, when to write out numbers rather than use figures, how to write dates and times, and how to be consistent in reporting sports stories.

Learning journalistic style is much like learning a foreign language. For the most part, you must memorize the appropriate style. To do this, I have provided both a Style Guide and a Style Guide Workbook. The Style Guide is written to address style questions specific to scholastic journalism, as well as general writing questions. In general areas, the guide follows standard Associated Press style. If you wish you may purchase a copy of the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual (special order through Amazon.com or your local bookstore), but this is optional. You will find that once you begin to write articles, the most common style rules become second nature, so don't be panicked by information overload when you first begin studying style.

Once you have learned correct journalistic style you will be able to edit your own articles. You may also become a true editor and edit stories written by other reporters before publication, which is referred to as copy editing.

Just to show you how important journalistic style is, click on the Style Guide Pretest, print it out and make corrections for everything, from typos and spelling to usage and capitalization.

After you have completed the Style Guide Pretest, click on the Style Guide Pretest Answers and compare it to your corrections.

I doubt anyone catches all errors in the pretest. In fact, students usually miss quite a few. This exercise, I hope, will point out to you the importance of digging in and really studying the Style Guide.

As you study the Style Guide and work through the Style Guide Workbook, you may wish to study the lesson on Interviewing concurrently. Although style isn't the most fun part of journalism, it is important you remain diligent (you can't write good articles without this knowledge). I recommend you finish the lessons on style, however, before beginning Lesson 7, Lead Writing. The reason I'm suggesting you might want to study style in conjunction with the another lesson is that it can become somewhat tedious, and I found studying it while working on other topics worked well in my face-to-face classes.

After you finish studying journalistic style you will need to take a Style Guide Test. The link to this is found below listed under Style Guide Test.

Activity 1

Study the Style Guide sections on:

	Abbreviations
	Capitalization
	Titles & Identification
	Capitalization & Spelling Guide

Activity 2

Select Style Guide Workbook, turn the page and read through the workbook directions, and then click on Turn Page to the Question page.

Activity 3

Work through of the Style Guide Workbook.

Activity 4

If you wish, begin working on Lesson 6, Interviewing, and at the same time begin work on Activity #5 and #6. Try to finish Activity #5 and #6, however, before you begin Lesson 7, Lead Writing. If you would rather complete Activity 5 before proceeding to Lesson 6, you may do so.

Activity 5

Study the Style Guide sections on:

	Attribution
	Punctuation
	Numerals
	Sports
	Sports Capitalization & Spelling Guide

Activity 6

Work through Questions 44-106 of the Style Guide Workbook.

When you have completed your study of the Style Guide and finished the programmed learning in the Style Guide Workbook, click on the link below to take the Style Guide Test. (worth 20 points)

Click here to take the Style Guide test 

©1998-2002 Sue and Dean Barr, Eugene, OR

billflechtner@mail.coolschool.k12.or.us