The document provides an overview of Associated Press (AP) Style, which establishes guidelines for writing consistently, clearly, accurately and concisely across news media. It originated in 1846 to quickly distribute news and has evolved with technological advances. Today, the AP publishes 2,000 stories daily and takes a million photos yearly for over 15,000 organizations. The AP Stylebook guides consistent writing of these stories and adapts to language changes, making it the gold standard for journalism.

1. COM 140 – AP Style
• Associated Press Style
provides language and
usage guidelines for
journalists, including digital,
newspaper and broadcast
when posting textual
content online.
• It presents stories as
cohesive, coherent and
consistent across the full
spectrum of
coverage.

2. COM 140 - AP
Style
• AP Style values the
following
characteristics of news
writing:
- Consistency
- Clarity
- Accuracy
- Brevity

3. COM 140 - AP
Style
• The history of the
Associated Press
begins in 1846, when
five New York
newspapers funded a
pony express route to
carry news accounts
from the battlefield
because the Post
Office wasn’t fast
enough.

4. COM 140 - AP
Style
• In its roughly 175
years, the AP has
advanced the writing,
reporting and
distribution of news
amid massive
technological and
linguistic evolutions.

5. COM 140 - AP
Style
• Today, the AP and its
members publish
2,000 stories a day
and take one million
photographs a year for
15,000 news
organizations .
• That’s why it is the gold
standard of journalism.

6. COM 140 - AP
Style
• The writing of 2,000
stories a day is guided
by the principles and
practices embodied in
the AP Stylebook,
whether on paper or
online.

7. COM 140 - AP Style
• Importantly, the AP Stylebook is adaptive to changes in usage and
definitions.
• The organization understands that language is fluid and that usage
guidance is critical to accurate reporting.
• For example, in summer 2020 as protests and a virus raged, the AP
published guidance on usage of key words.

8. COM 140 - AP Style

9. COM 140 - AP
Style
• The following is a
summary of key AP
Style guidelines.
• Always check your AP
Stylebook when writing
stories.

10. COM 140 - AP Style
● Some specific elements of AP Style control are:
- Spelling
- Punctuation
- Capitalization
- Addresses
- Numbers
- Titles

11. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key AP Style points:
- Use the % symbol not the word for percent).
- Use $, don’t spell dollar.
- No italics in AP stories for newspapers, websites or
magazines.
- Spell full name of a state.
- Major cities don’t require the state name but towns and cities
do.
- Quinnipiac requires use of its as a pronoun.
- The Bobcats requires use of their as a pronoun.

12. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key AP Style points (continued):
- Months: when a month is used with a specific date,
abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec.
-Spell out each month when using alone, or with a year
alone.
•

13. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key AP Style points (continued):
- In general, spell out one through nine: The Yankees finished
second. He had nine months to go.
- Use figures for 10 or above and whenever preceding a unit
of measure or referring to ages of people, animals, events or
things.
- See the entry for numerals as this usage is complicated.

14. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key AP Style points (continued):
- Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title only before the
name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery,
doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic
medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, or doctor of veterinary
medicine.
Do not use Dr. for a professor. Instead, when necessary or
appropriate, use this form: Cassandra Karoub, who has a
doctorate in mathematics, was lead researcher.

15. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key AP Style points (continued):
- Please note: the AP Stylebook is comprehensive but includes
specialty chapters that make for efficient finding aids.
- For example, students who are pursuing sports journalism
should study the chapter on sports guidelines.

16. COM 140 - AP
Style
• Here are some specific
structural instructions
that are AP-Style
adjacent for use in this
class.

17. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key Style Rules For The Class:
● Identify students as follows:
- Spelling of first name and last name
- Hometown and spelling
- Home state
- Class year (i.e., first-year, sophomore, etc.)
- Age
- Major

18. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key Style Rules For The Class (continued):
• In stories, the attribution must include all of the information on the
previous slide:
- “…,” said Mimi Rochelle, 20, a sophomore journalism major
from New Haven, Connecticut.
• Use surname only on second and subsequent references for all
people in the story.

19. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key Style Rules For The Class (continued):
● Residents
- Spelling of first name and last name
- Address, including street, town and state composed per AP
Style
- Age
- Title (if applicable)
-”…,” said Mimi Rochelle, 40, of 380 Whitney Ave. in New
Haven, Connecticut.

20. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key Style Rules For The Class (continued):
• People acting in official capacity(i.e., police officer)
- Spelling of first name and last name
- Name of department or agency
- Title (i.e., police officer. See AP Stylebook for specific usage
as titles used after names do not use initial caps)
- “The parking lots will be plowed soon,” said Shannon Grasso,
Quinnipiac’s parking director. “We will work to get it done.”

21. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key Style Rules For The Class (continued):
● Quote Format
- Always use said. Do not use says. Other words may be used
only if the context requires it.
- Do not open a quote with the person’s name. Use it after the
first sentence of the quote. If the person’s full name appears in a
transition to the quote, use only surname.

22. COM 140 - AP Style
● Key Style Rules For The Class (continued):
● Quote Format (continued)
- Install complete quotes in fresh paragraphs, with the person
identified after the first sentence.
- Patrick Cockburn, a 20-year-old sophomore nursing major
from Valley Stream, New York, said he is shocked by the cold after
months of warm days and nights.
“The winter is crazy now,” said Cockburn. “I need the sun.”

23. COM 140 - AP Style
• One way to learn AP Style
is to read AP stories and
internalize some of the
basic guidelines.
• Also, follow @APStylebook
on Twitter.