A Few AP Style Reminders to Kick Off Fall
We know journalists are busy, and it can be difficult to keep up with recent AP Stylebook changes. So we’ve done the work for you, rounding up a few of the recent significant — and just plain interesting — updates to the AP Stylebook.
Set yourself up for a smooth fall by catching up on these seasonal AP Style reminders. From the holidays to football and an all-consuming presidential election, we’ve got you covered on some of the biggest topics of the next few months.
Let’s dive in!
Upcoming Holidays
We’re about to enter the holiday season and the calendar is packed with events that you might need to brush up on. Here are a few helpful reminders if you’ll be covering anything holiday-related:
- Halloween: Remember that the correct terms are trick-or-treating and jack-o’-lanterns.
- Thanksgiving: Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving is a legal holiday when many Americans will gather for a multicourse menu that may or may not include stuffing (cooked inside of the bird) or dressing (cooked outside of the bird). Some people might also be sharing a meal with friends on or near Thanksgiving Day and refer to it as Friendsgiving.
- Indigenous Peoples Day: Usually held on the second Monday of October, Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates the original inhabitants of North America. It’s observed instead of Columbus Day in some U.S. localities.
- Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year is considered a High Holiday – the other one is Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday observed with fasting and prayer on the 10th day of Tishri.
- Veterans Day: Formerly Armistice Day, Veterans Day (no apostrophe!) is the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. The federal legal holiday is observed on November 11.
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 each year. The monthlong event recognizes the “achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success.”
Here are a few helpful reminders related to the Hispanic and Latino communities:
- Hispanic refers to a person from — or whose ancestors were from — a Spanish-speaking land or culture.
- Latino is often the preferred noun or adjective for a person from, or whose ancestors were from, a Spanish-speaking land or culture or from Latin America. Latina is the feminine form.
- Latinx is a gender-neutral term, which should be confined to quotations, names of organizations or descriptions of individuals who request it and should be accompanied by a short explanation.
Football Season
Football fans are kicking their excitement into high gear as they prepare for a new college and professional season. Whether you’re a sports reporter or just want to sprinkle some football-related terms into your writing, here are a few reminders:
- Write these terms as one word:
- Playoff (n., adj.)
- Quarterback
- Handoff
- Kickoff (n., adj.)
- Touchdown
- Preseason and postseason
- Write these terms as multiple words:
- Out of bounds (adv.)
- End line
- End zone
- Play off (v.)
- Kick off (v.)
- These ones include dashes:
- Out-of-bounds (adj.)
- Fourth-and-1 (adj.)
- Use figures for yardage: The 5-yard line, a 10-yard gain, etc. Figures should also be used for scores (The game ended with a score of 21-14) and team records (3-6-2).
- National Football League or NFL is acceptable on first reference.
- TD is acceptable in all references to touchdown.
Election Terminology
By the time our next quarterly roundup is published, the presidential election will (fingers crossed) be over. So take the time now to brush up on some political terminology to make sure your coverage is following all the rules:
- Election Day (capitalized) will take place on November 5. Note that election night is lowercase.
- President-elect is lowercase (the president-elect or Biden, the president-elect) and can be used immediately after the race is called.
- When referencing election returns, use figures and commas and use the word “to” (not a hyphen) to separate totals: He outpolled the opponent 326,235 to 308,382 in the county.
- Swing states are states where voters have vacillated between Republican and Democratic candidates in the last three or four presidential elections.
- Electoral College is capitalized but electoral votes is lowercase.
- Capitalize president only as a formal title before one or more names: President Joe Biden, former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Lowercase in all other uses: The president said Monday he will look into the matter. Lincoln was president during the Civil War.
One More Helpful Tip
Headlines have their own style rules because of the limited space available.
For example, US, UK, UN and EU (no periods) are acceptable.
Use single quote marks, never double quote marks.
Millions and billions can be abbreviated, such as $45M or $5B.— APStylebook (@APStylebook) September 16, 2024
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Rocky Parker is the Manager of Audience and Journalist Engagement at Cision PR Newswire. She's been with the company since 2010 and has worked with journalists and bloggers as well as PR and comms professionals. Outside of work, she can be found trying a new recipe, binging a new show, or cuddling with her pitbull, Hudson.
