Media and many other organisations have a set way of expressing things, to ensure uniformity. My first duty as a new reporter on a local paper was to spend two days immersing myself in their style guide! But the concept of style can be hard if you have never worked with it before. Where do you start? The first priority is to recognise the types of things covered. Times, dates,…

How do you prepare for a job interview at a local paper, if you don’t come from the area? Obviously you can’t play the ‘local knowledge’ card – and they won’t expect you to. But you can still have a good read of the paper and its website to get an idea of the hot issues. And find a good tourist / neighborhood site to get a general idea of…

When should you use bullet points? And when should you use numbers> I recommend using numbered lists for: A) To describe a process, or a sequence etc: 1.  Open the packet 2.  Dissolve the power in water 3.  Bring to the boil B) When the copy makes it obvious to do so: There are three things that make me angry: 1.  Dogs 2.  Elephants 3.  Mosquitos C) When there are…

You frequently hear news providers like Sky and the national papers refer to ‘online and on your mobile’. They’re referring, of course, to the different digital platforms available. The same happens with local papers, though usually on a smaller scale. So if your local paper has covered a story about a cyclist being badly injured after riding into a pothole, they might follow it up across several ‘platforms’: Get a…

I was asked one about one of the more obscure rules of punctuation recently! I think we would all agree that commas should certainly be used before coordinating conjunctions when there are two independent clauses. And strictly speaking, they shouldn’t be used before present participial and infinitival phrases. But the result is you can end up with long sentences with no pauses. And the copy is therefore harder to read….

I have lost track of the number of times writers have asked me: ‘I’ve written an article. Who shall I send it to?’ The simple answer is usually: ‘Nobody’. Why? Because you should decide who you’re writing for, before you start writing, not afterwards. Doing it the other way round is like Ford designing a car and then finding out if anyone wants to buy it. Market research comes first….

I often hear ‘short form’ journalism say you don’t need shorthand in this high-tech digital age. They claim that recording devices are better and more efficient. Personally, I don’t agree. Shorthand is much quicker to process, especially in the digital environment, where speed is critical. For example – le’s say two journalists cover a press conference. One uses shorthand, the other uses an audio device. I’ll guarantee that the journalist…

A good journalist will always want to file copy that is 100% original, including quotes. But many stories include facts and information taken from other publications or websites. It’s OK to use these, as there’s no copyright on news, facts or information – provided, of course, they’re accurate and legally safe. They may also include a quote given to another publication. This isn’t ideal, as you should get your own…

Printed publications usually write in the past tense. But sometimes you can bring some variety by using the present tense. For instance, a sports feature might start: A footballer takes a deep breath, looks at the goal and then at the yellow ball at his feet. He is focused. Concentrating. Nervous. He looks up once more and blasts the ball towards the goal. It is the penalty kick that will…