AP Stylebook
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Style guides |
|---|
| The Associated Press Stylebook | |
 AP Stylebook, 2004 edition |
|
| Author | Norm Goldstein (editor 1979-2007); AP Editors (since 2008) |
|---|---|
| Original title | The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | American English |
| Series | Updated annually |
| Subject(s) | Style guide |
| Genre(s) | Journalism reference |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Publication date | June 8, 2009 |
| Media type | paperback |
| Pages | 416 (43rd edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0465012620 |
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, usually called the AP Stylebook, is a style and usage guide used on newspapers and in journalism classes in the United States. The stylebook is updated annually by Associated Press editors, usually in June, and is available in both trade and spiral-bound editions, with the latter containing extra content specific to journalists working for the AP.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Topics
The AP Stylebook covers topics such as:
- Grammar, punctuation and spelling. For example: do not use a serial comma before the last item in a list.
- AP style on a variety of questions. For example: when to convert foreign times to local times in an article; when to put "Dr." in front of the name of a person with a doctoral degree.
- Snippets of background information. For example: Public Broadcasting Service is not a network, but an association of public television stations organized to buy and distribute programs selected by a vote of the members, and the state of Hawaii comprises 132 islands about 2,400 miles southwest of San Francisco
- Sports, includes terminology and guidelines for printing league standings.
- Business
- A briefing on American media law.
- Information specific to working with the Associated Press, confined to the Associated Press edition[1]
[edit] Title
For many years the AP Stylebook was titled The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual.[2]; circa 2000[3][4], the guide was renamed The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, though in recent years, the title used on the cover has been simplified to The Associated Press Stylebook.[3]
[edit] Other versions
Associated Press also offers a subscription-based online version of the stylebook, which is updated with style changes as they are made and supports the addition of local style entries.[5]
Through their website, the AP offers a spiral-bound edition.[1]
[edit] History
The AP Stylebook in its modern form started in 1953, with 62 pages[6] focused on "where the wire set a specific style"[7]; for nearly a quarter century it assumed its reader had a "solid grounding in language and a good reference library" and thus omitted any guidelines in those broader areas.[7] In 1977, prompted by AP's executive news editor Lou Boccardi's request for "more of a reference work", the AP Stylebook started expanding.[7] In 1979, Norm Goldstein become the AP Stylebook editor, a job he held until the 2007 edition.[8] After the publication of the final edition under his editorship, Goldstein commented on changes:[7]
- I think the difference ... now is that there is more information available on the Internet, and I'm not sure, and at least our executive editor is not sure, how much of a reference book we ought to be anymore. … I think some of our historical background material like on previous hurricanes and earthquakes, that kind of encyclopedic material that's so easily available on the Internet now, might be cut back.
and Libel Manual.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Colleen Newvine (February 4, 2008). "The history of the AP Stylebook". Comments. 10,000 Words. http://www.10000words.net/2008/02/mans-journalists-best-friend.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-29. "There are actually two versions of the Stylebook — the spiral-bound one AP sells, and the perfect-bound book that our publishing partner Perseus sells through amazon.com, bricks and mortar bookstores and the like. The content is similar, though AP's includes more filing guidelines."
- ^ Library of Congress Catalog Record for The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual
- ^ a b Mark S. Luckie (February 4, 2008). "= The history of the AP Stylebook". 10,000 Words. http://www.10000words.net/2008/02/mans-journalists-best-friend.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-29.
- ^ Library of Congress Catalog Record for The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law
- ^ Official website for the AP Stylebook
- ^ "2005 Edition of AP Stylebook now available". April 13, 2005. http://www.associatedpress.com/pages/about/pressreleases/pr_041305a.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-29.
- ^ a b c d "Norm Goldstein, keeper of AP style". Common Sense Journalism. University of South Carolina. July 2007. http://www.jour.sc.edu/news/CSJ/CSJJuly07.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-29.
- ^ Colleen Newvine (February 4, 2008). "= The history of the AP Stylebook". Comments. 10,000 Words. http://www.10000words.net/2008/02/mans-journalists-best-friend.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-29. "Norm Goldstein, our long-time editor, retired after the 2007 book. Now a team including AP Editor at Large Darrell Christian, Deputy Managing Editor Sally Jacobsen and Manager for News Administration David Minthorn lead the Stylebook."
[edit] External links
- Official website for the AP Stylebook
- AP Stylebook Top 10 List and exercises on CubReporters.org
- June 2009 article about growing sales of the stylebook
