Writers Tricks of the Trade Issue 2 Volume 8 | Page 19

S TYLE B OOK
H AL M ORRIS
WWW . GRUMPYEDITOR . COM
Just like everything else, the guidelines for Associated Press formatting are changing. Thanks to vet-
eran newsman and columnist, Hal Morris, who hangs out at www.grumpyeditor.com these days, here is
a rundown for you journalists and PR people out there.
T
he latest Associated Press Style-
book — which provides a guide to
capitalization, abbreviation, punc-
tuation, spelling, numerals and other
questions of language usage — came out
with its annual changes, additions and
guidance for writers at newspapers, mag-
azines and public relations offices that
follow AP style. (Other writers are guided
by The Chicago Manual of Style.)
Those who write books may also seek
to be cued in.
So what’s new?
S OME HYPHENS HAVE VANISHED . It’s now
just 3D, homepage and Walmart Inc.
Among other changes in the AP Style-
book cited by Poynter:
U SE SURVIVOR AND VICTIM WITH CARE . Use
these terms with care because they can be
imprecise and politically and legally
fraught. Survivor can denote someone
who has lived through an injury or dis-
ease, but also can apply to someone who
endured a threat but escaped injury alto-
gether. Example: a mass shooting survi-
vor. Likewise, victim can create confusion
because it can variously mean someone
killed, injured or subjected to mistreat-
ment such as sexual misconduct.
S UMMER 2018
Also be alert to potential biases and
assumptions inherent in the word victim.
A phrase such as AIDS victim, for in-
stance, not only makes it unclear whether
the subject is alive or dead, but many
AIDS patients do not consider themselves
victims. Instead, use neutral, precise de-
scriptions: He has AIDS. She has hepatitis.
In crime stories, avoid alleged victim if
possible; it is too easily construed as
skepticism. In stories in which sexual
misconduct or other allegations are lev-
eled, consider calling the person making
the allegations an accuser instead of
a victim if shorthand is needed, to avoid
implications of guilt on the part of the ac-
cused.
B E SPECIFIC WITH TERMS SEXUAL HARASS-
MENT AND SEXUAL MISCONDUCT . These are
broad terms that can cover a wide variety
of actions or behavior. In stories, be as
specific as possible in describing the
kinds of behavior that is being alleged or
admitted — such as groping, unwanted
kissing, disrobing, or verbal or physical
abuse or assault.
N AMES WITH STORMS . Major storm names
provided by government weather agen-
cies, the European Union or the World
Meteorological Organization are accepta-
P AGE 14
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE