The Associated Press Guide To Newswriting

A former AP General News Editor offers novices and seasoned professionals practical advice and lively commentary on writing like a pro. He covers all the essentials of researching, generating, and writing: developing a hook, choosing the right words, constructing a good lead, and more.

Foreword

ix

About the Author

xi

Author's Note

xiii

Language: Pompous, Pedantic and Plain

1

(4)

News Writing: Information Is Not Enough

5

(18)

Wasted Words, Wasted Space

7

(2)

The Anemia of Abstractions

9

(1)

People Power

10

(3)

Hold the Adjectives

13

(2)

Qualifiers: Hedge If You Must

15

(1)

Put Verbs to Work

16

(1)

Be Short, Familiar, Specific

17

(1)

Corral Those Modifiers

18

(1)

Who's Who?

19

(1)

The Elegant Variation

19

(1)

Avoid Palling Passives

20

(1)

Mismanaged Background

21

(2)

Leads: The Agony of Square One

23

(14)

Don't Bury the News

24

(1)

Too Much, Too Little

25

(1)

Try Writing ``Visually''

26

(1)

What's the Difference?

27

(1)

Action Speaks Louder

28

(1)

Pitfalls of Attribution

29

(1)

Horse First, Then Cart

30

(1)

Second-Cycle Woes

31

(2)

Watch the Bouncing Ball

33

(1)

Legalistic Leads

34

(1)

The Time Element

35

(2)

The Case for the Period

37

(6)

Journalese

43

(6)

Tone: The Inner Music of Words

49

(10)

Avoid Sudden Shifts

50

(1)

We Are Not Amused

51

(1)

Beware the Personal Touch

52

(1)

Don't Be Absurd

53

(1)

Dealing with Motive

54

(1)

No Hints, Please

55

(1)

Watch It, Kiddo

56

(1)

Euphemism: Use and Misuse

56

(2)

Simplicity Will Do

58

(1)

Pitfalls: Attributive Verbs and Loaded Words

59

(6)

Said Usually Says It Best

59

(1)

Some Widely Misused Attributives

60

(2)

Beware Loaded Words

62

(3)

Quotes: Your Words or Mine?

65

(14)

When to Quote?

66

(2)

The Uses of Quotes

68

(1)

Pertinence May Decide

69

(1)

Help Wanted (Sometimes)

70

(1)

The Said of Trap

70

(1)

Haphazard Attribution

71

(1)

Fragmentary Quotes

71

(1)

Watch the Context

72

(1)

Overextended Attribution

73

(1)

A Band-Aid May Help

74

(1)

Expletive Deleted

75

(1)

Paraphrase to the Rescue

76

(3)

Color: Dip Your Brush in Small Details

79

(6)

Small, Specific Details

80

(2)

Pseudo-Color Won't Work

82

(1)

Don't Overdo It

83

(1)

When Color Works

84

(1)

Pseudo-Color: Cliches and Other Trespasses

85

(10)

Cliches at Arm's Length

86

(1)

Sports Page Pariahs

87

(2)

The Overreachers

89

(1)

Metaphors: Mixed and Protracted

90

(1)

The Personification Peril

91

(1)

Other Poisonous Mixtures

91

(1)

Words to Swear At

92

(2)

Doubleheaders

94

(1)

Features: A View from the Poets' Corner

95

(20)

First, the Beginning

95

(3)

The Interest Is Human

98

(1)

No Precooked Dinners

99

(2)

Chronological Approach

101

(3)

Where Solemnity Palls

104

(1)

Poetic License Forbidden

105

(1)

Artists at Work

105

(10)

Usage: Handling Those Hectoring Hangups

115

(12)

Split `n' Polish

115

(1)

Genderly Speaking

116

(1)

Substitutions: Terminal and Incipient

117

(1)

It's All Relative

118

(1)

Legalism

118

(1)

Subjunctivitis

119

(1)

Dash It All

120

(1)

Lay On, MacDuff

120

(1)

Et Cetera

121

(1)

Numbers Game

121

(2)

That's That

123

(1)

What's in It for Me?

124

(3)

Bestiary: A Compendium for the Careful and the Crotchety

127

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The Associated Press Guide To Newswriting

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

FREE SHIPPING

Rent More, Save More! Use code: BBRENTAL

5% off 1 book, 7% off 2 books, 10% off 3+ books

The Associated Press Guide To Newswriting

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Digital License