It's one of my favorite times of year. It's time for warm drinks and festivities with friends. It's time for holiday parties! Chances are you'll be attending them, hosting them and probably even writing about them. If you're a good guest, you'll RSVP so your host knows you're planning to attend and can plan accordingly. RSVP is the … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Writing about Ladies
You can prove someone is a woman, but you cannot prove she's a lady. I clearly remember my college journalism professor teaching us this little writing mantra. What constitutes a lady is dependent upon who you ask, making it an arbitrary and editorial word. What makes someone a woman is much more concrete. Therefore, when writing about women, be … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Writing Addresses
Addresses are an inescapable part of reporting and writing. You must write the official address with any business name you ever use. You also frequently must refer to general locations. So, it's important that you know how to write addresses correctly. Here are a few Associated Press style rules to use when writing addresses: Use abbreviations … [Read more...]
Quotable: Anna Quindlen on Age
"We define elderly by whatever age we haven't reached yet," Anna Quindlen. My husband's grandmother is 87 years old. She is the matriarch of our family and a red-head with the fiery personality to match. Some people may think 87 is elderly. I dare you to say that to Granny. I'll bet she'd have a thing or two to say about that. When I was … [Read more...]
AP Style Tips for Covering Election Day
Journalists everywhere are covering the election between incumbent President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney. As the precincts begin to report results, here are a few election-related AP Style terms to remember: battleground states Contested states where campaigns are spending money and polls show a split electorate. This is not a formal … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Saving Daylight
If you're anything like me, you've been reading a lot about this one. You've also probably seen it written incorrectly dozens of times in the past couple of days. It's daylight saving time, according to Associated Press Style. It is not "savings." Daylight saving time also is lowercase on all references. I don't like springing forward … [Read more...]
Nerd Note: Post a Flier for Rides on the Flyer
I love letters to the editor. They're the best way ever to fill up the opinion page; I mean to receive reader feedback. One of my favorite letters received by the student newspaper editors I advise was about the number of grammatical errors in the paper. The letter, of course, was drowning in a sea of its own grammatical mistakes. The … [Read more...]