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An important aspect of good newspaper writing
requires that the journalist conforms to a consistent style. Since
many writers are usually working on the same paper, the writing
could be very inconsistent if certain rules were not followed. In
fact, readers could get the impression that the publication
reflected sloppy work because one story might use one font style and
another story uses another. Since news writing is not creative
writing, the focus should not be on flowery words or fancy fonts.
Instead, the writing should reflect neutrality. This is one reason
that journalists conform to a "style." Another reason that journalists use style is to save space in print. Words and punctuation considered unnecessary are eliminated because space is money (advertising). But how can an editor ensure that everyone eliminates the same punctuation in the same situation or that writers abbreviate words consistently? The Associated Press, the oldest and largest news organization in the world, has put together a stylebook which addresses this need. While it is not possible to include all of the rules here, a useful source is available online through The University of Texas Journalism Department. The VHS Journalism Department also has its own stylebook, which follows AP Style in nearly all areas. The one exception deals with the way our publications handle titles. Because technology has advanced beyond the typewriter, all titles in VHS publications are italicized. This simplifies the styles and eliminates errors. Follow the link to view the VHS Stylebook .
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