McPherson College
SPECTATOR
Staff Manual and Stylesheet
I. Spectator Mission
Publisher
The mission of the McPherson College Spectator is
twofold: 1) To serve and enhance the campus
community by providing an informed and responsible
forum for campus news and student voices and 2) To
provide an experience where students can learn about
the civic role of journalism and practice the range of
skills required of professional journalists.
The vision for the Spectator is to manifest in its
journalistic practices the nine elements of journalism
identified by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in their
landmark work, The Elements of Journalism (Three
Rivers Press, 2001). The Spectator is fulfilling both
parts of its statement of mission when the following
statements are true:
 The Spectator’s first obligation is to the truth.
 Its first loyalty is to students and members of the
campus community.
 Staff members practice a discipline of
verification.
 Staff members maintain an independence from
those they cover.
 The Spectator remains an independent monitor
of power.
 It must provide a public forum for criticism and
compromise.
 It makes the significant interesting and relevant.
 Reporting is comprehensive and proportional.
 Staff members are allowed to exercise their
personal conscience.
II. Organizational Structure
Publisher
The Spectator is published by the Student Govern-
ment Association of McPherson College. Its policies
are determined by the Board of Publications. Modest
salaries are paid to the editor-in-chief, page editors,
advertising sales manager, advertising design and
layout manager, and business manager, all of whom
are the employees of SGA. In addition, reporters and
photographers are compensated on a per-story/
photograph basis.
Editorial Staff
The Editorial Staff is the decision-making body of The
Spectator. Members include all salaried editors, the
business manager, the advertising managers, and the
faculty adviser (without vote).
Salaried staff are subject to review by the Editorial
Board if they fail to perform their duties. By majority
vote, the Editorial Staff may recommend to the Board
of Publications the dismissal of any salaried staff
member. The staff is responsible for recommending a
replacement for a vacated position.
When questions concerning the publication of
controversial material, the coverage of sensitive stories
or the editorial position in the lead editorial box arise, a
majority vote of the Editorial Staff will be the deciding
factor. The faculty adviser may veto the decision, but
the team may overrule the adviser with a unanimous
vote.
Staff Organization
Editor-in-Chief
The editor-in-chief is the administrative head of the
Spectator staff. He or she is responsible for
 managing the Spectator office space
 all communication regarding staff meetings
 planning and conducting staff meetings
 handling concerns of reporters, photographers,
and page editors about matters that affect the
satisfactory and timely production of the paper.
The editor-in-chief works closely with section editors,
the copy editor, the photography editor, the online
coordinator and the multimedia editor in all phases of
paper and online production, including
 planning stories to be covered for each issue
 assigning writers, photographers, and
multimedia journalists to specific stories
 editing copy
 designing pages
 selecting and cropping photos
 writing headlines and cutlines
 submitting the final publication to the printer
 transferring news to the online Spectator
 offering suggestions and feedback on
multimedia productions.
The editor-in-chief carries the authority to make final
decisions concerning the acceptability of any
component of the Spectator. The editor-in-chief may—
but is not required to—consult the faculty adviser on
difficult or controversial decisions.
It is assumed that the editor-in-chief will frequently
contribute writing to the Spectator, especially in the
areas of news analysis and opinion (although personal
interest can dictate the kind of writing contributed).
In addition, the editor-in-chief oversees the business
aspects of the Spectator. He or she
 works with the advertising sales manager to
ensure the sale of adequate ads for each issue
 works with the advertising design manager to
ensure the appropriate and timely completion of
ads for each issue
 works with the business manager to ensure
financial records are accurately maintained,
subscriptions promptly filled and accounts
professionally handled.
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Copy Editor
Working cooperatively with the editor-in-chief and the
section editors, the copy editor works to see that the
Spectator is as factually accurate and conventionally
correct as possible. His or her responsibilities include
 seeing that copy conforms to the house style
outlined in this stylesheet
 seeing that copy conforms to Associated Press
style in all matters not covered in this stylesheet
 correcting all errors of spelling, grammar, usage,
punctuation and other conventions of standard
English
 Checking all questionable statements or figures
and double checking spelling of names,
 improving leads, tightening sentences and
improving copy flow, especially in news and
sports stories
 Tightening sentences and improving copy flow,
but without eliminating the personal voice in
columns and feature stories
 When possible, reviewing page proofs to
proofread cutlines, headlines, briefs or other
copy that might have been introduced on the
page without going through the usual copy
editing workflow.
Section Editors
The Spectator staff includes four section editors: the
news editor, opinions editor, campus life editor and
sports editor. Section editors carry lead responsibility
for two pages per issue, including:
 planning stories and photos for their section
 assigning reporters to stories
 copy-editing stories
 designing pages
 writing headlines and cutlines
 producing pages in Adobe InDesign®
 consulting with the photography editor
concerning photo assignments and sizes for
planned layout.
It is also assumed that section editors will occasionally
contribute articles to their pages.
Section editors, in consultation with the editor-in-chief,
decide the acceptability of any components of their
pages, but final authority and responsibility lie with the
editor-in-chief (in consultation as requested with the
faculty adviser).
Photography Editor
The photography editor has responsibility for all
aspects of producing photographs for the Spectator,
including
 managing all aspects of the photography
equipment owned by the Spectator
 planning photo shoots in consultation with the
section editors
 giving photographers assignments
 taking photos
 developing film
 cropping photos
 digitally editing and preparing photos for print.
Advertising Sales Manager
The ad sales manager is the Spectator's
representative in the McPherson business community.
He or she is responsible for soliciting enough
advertising to keep the Spectator’s agency account
solvent. Responsibilities include
 distributing display advertising contracts at the
beginning of each semester to all potential
advertisers, either in person or by mail
 soliciting the required quota of advertising for
each issue through contracts and periodic sales
calls
 clearly and effectively communicating ad-
vertisers' ideas and needs for display ads
accurately and on time to the advertising design
and layout manager
 providing advertisers with proofs, as requested.
Advertising Design and Layout Manager
The ad design and layout manager, in consultation
with the editor-in-chief and the faculty adviser, carries
creative control over all Spectator advertising. His or
her major responsibilities include
 meeting the requests of advertisers for their
display ads
 preparing proofs of ads as requested for
advertisers to approve before publication
 planning with the ad sales manager and the
photography editor the photos needed for
upcoming display ads
 preparing digital files ready for placement on
desktop publisher pages and transferring those
ads to the editor-in-chief.
Business Manager
The business manager cares for the financial records
and all business matters of the Spectator except for
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the sale of advertisements. The major responsibilities
are
 caring for all matters related to subscriptions,
including selling and billing subscribers and
labeling and mailing subscribers' papers
 billing advertisers and collecting on bills
 receiving bills and submitting them to the college
Business Office for payment
 keeping the books
 maintaining records of writers' and
photographers' strings for payment
 requesting string payments from the college
Business Office
Staff Writers and Photographers
Staff reporters and photographers are extremely
important and fully accountable members of the
Spectator staff. Their writing load may vary from issue
to issue (and depending upon whether they are
enrolled for academic credit). Some flexibility in
assignments is possible when arrangements are
appropriately made in advance with section editors
and/or the editor-in-chief. Editors will try to give staff
members the types of assignments they prefer;
however, both reporters and photographers can
expect to receive a wide range of assignments.
Whether or not they are enrolled for credit, staff
reporters and photographers are expected to
 Attend all staff meetings
 Satisfactorily complete stories or photo shoots
by the assigned deadline
 Satisfactorily cover any assigned beats
 Follow the Spectator Stylesheet and AP
Stylebook
 Prepare copy in the manner prescribed in this
manual.
Staff members who are enrolled in an EN 315
Journalism Practicum must confer with the faculty
adviser about additional requirements.
Faculty Adviser
The faculty adviser for the Spectator is an educator
appointed by the dean of the faculty in cooperation
with the Department of English. Her role is to provide
an ethical, encouraging environment where students
learn and practice sound journalistic principles.
One way advisers fulfill their educational responsibility
is by serving as a resource that students can consult.
This advisory role, however, is precarious because it
can easily conflict with students’ right to free
expression. The student press carries all the rights,
privileges, and responsibilities granted by the First
Amendment, and prior review is unconstitutional. The
critical factor here is that the students must initiate the
dialogue; an adviser may offer suggestions when her
input is overtly sought.
The adviser must teach without censoring, editing,
designing, directing or producing. Thus, a prickly
reality in student journalism is that much of the
learning derives from lessons learned from mistakes.
This is uncomfortable because journalism is a
relatively unforgiving profession and news readers are
unforgiving consumers. It is these same high ex-
pectations, however, that make post-publication
learning experiences so effective. Publication critiques
are another way advisers meet their obligations as
educators.
A more detailed discussion of the adviser’s role can be
found at College Media Adviser’s Code of Ethics
(http://www.collegemedia.org).
Spectator Office
The Spectator office is located in Beeghly Hall 204 at
the far south end of the second-floor hallway. The
office is locked, but keys are issued to each editor and
manager. Reporters who need access to the
Spectator office may contact any of the paid-position
staff.
The editor-in-chief is in charge of the office, and
editors and reporters and other staff members share in
the responsibility of keeping the office a productive
place to work.
The Spectator and Academic Credit
Students may receive one hour of academic credit per
semester for their work on the Spectator. Students
who desire credit may enroll for any of the EN 315
journalism practica, which include reporting, editing,
design and layout, advertising management, and
photojournalism. Students enrolled for credit have
slightly more stringent requirements than those
outlined in this manual. For additional expectations,
see the practica syllabi.
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III. Staff Manual
What Is News?
News is a fresh report of events, facts or others’
opinions that is important or helpful for readers to
know.
News Has Impact and Relevance
Probably the biggest problem faced by the staff of a bi-
weekly paper is providing its readers the fresh reports.
A staff can employ two tactics to fight this problem:
 Load the issue with advances instead of reports
about past events. Students already know about
what last week’s Mohler said. They can be truly
informed, however, by an article about next
week's Religious Heritage lecturer and perhaps
have their interest piqued enough to look
forward to the speech.
 Assess past events or actions to determine their
current or future impact. Then, feature this
impact prominently in the story's lead. Compare
the following leads, for example:
Miller Library installed new software for its on-
line catalog over the summer. The system was
installed during the final weeks of August and
was up and running by the time classes started
on Aug. 28.
  
Library staff and returning students are praising
the new, user-friendly software they are now
using to access the library’s on-line catalog.
"Students really seem to appreciate the
faster search returns and the new look,” said
Susan Taylor, director of library services, earlier
this week. The screen is now a professional-
looking interface that is much easier to use than
the old system, Taylor said.
“Last year, I felt like I was trying to use a
system that was way outdated,” said Riley
Miller, sr., Rocky Ford, Colo. “This looks and
feels like the best search engines on the Web.”
That is the news--the fresh report that
emphasizes the impact for our readership.
 Sports stories are especially susceptible to
recounting outdated events. Unless a recent
game was a victory or loss of particular
importance, leads in sports stories should
usually feature the upcoming match(es) or the
next game of real magnitude.
News Is Accurate and Unbiased
No obligations of the journalist are more important
than accuracy and truthtelling. Every staff member
bears responsibility for seeing that information printed
in the Spectator is correct and fairly represents the
truth.
The following practices constitute a discipline of
verification that can assure the most accurate stories
possible.
 Confirm with sources any quotation that is
controversial or about which there is any
question of accuracy.
 Double-check copy against documentary
information; or, when documentary evidence
does not exist, confirm facts with two
independent sources.
 Strive to get all sides of an issue, no matter how
difficult or controversial.
 Don’t cover events or activities that you are
involved in. (For example, an SGA member
shouldn’t cover a story about SGA.)
 Avoid quoting friends. Make every effort to
interview those who rarely if ever appear in the
Spectator.
Guidelines for Writers
Responsibility to Staff
Nothing—absolutely nothing—is more critical to the
success and morale of a news organization than staff
writers who will do what it takes to get a good story
and turn it in by deadline. Conversely, nothing
demoralizes a staff more than writers who fail to do
justice to the assignment and who submit copy late.
Editors pay a huge emotional and physical price for
the irresponsibility of others.
Reporters must do whatever is necessary to get a
story right—interview people they don’t know, make
phone calls at nights or on weekends, revise copy
more times than they want, and practice the discipline
of verification described above. You will not only make
your editors happy; you will make yourself happy. You
can be satisfied with a job well done and reap the
appreciation of your subjects and your readers.
Interviewing
Interviews are an essential part of getting any story,
and your interviewing skills will have a direct influence
on the quality of your reporting. While interviewing
subjects in person is more desirable, do not forget that
the telephone is a quick way to get accurate
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information for stories. Many subjects, too, will respond
to e-mail questions, which they can answer with more
care, on their own schedule, in writing.
It is important to follow the guidelines below when you
interview persons:
By telephone:
 Be sure you know what you want to ask before
you call. Make a list. Talk from notes if this will
help.
 Be sure you identify yourself in a business-like
way to whoever answers. Tell them what you
are doing, and what you want:
Hello, my name is Adrielle Harvey, and I'm
writing an article for the McPherson College
Spectator on the college's fall enrollment
figures. While I have the numbers, I need some
information on how these numbers compare to
previous years. I'd like to talk to Karlene Tyler
about this. Is she in?
 Even if your deadline is urgent, respect your
subjects’ time and ask them,
Is this a good time to talk—or could I call
back/we make an appointment for a better time?
Then get that appointment for a better time, right
then.
In person:
 Write your questions in a notebook to be used
especially for interviewing. You might write one
question at the top of a blank page and then
write answers below.
 When interviewing feature story subjects,
especially, be aware of unspoken information.
Keep notes on your subjects’ appearance and
mannerisms and on the interview setting.
 Be open about taking notes. The subject wants
your piece to be correct. If you wish to record the
interview, ask your subject’s permission. Do not
assume they are comfortable with being
recorded.
 If there is something you do not understand, ask
for an explanation.
 Do not rush from question to question. If you
pause deliberately, your subject may continue to
talk, providing you with your best information
and best quotes.
 End every interview with the question, "Is there
anything I didn't ask that I should have?" You will
be surprised at what this can elicit, and it gives
 the subject the feeling that you have been
thorough.
Off-the-Record: What Does It Mean?
If anyone ever makes a comment in an interview with
the request that it be "off the record," STOP the
interview and find out what your source means. Does
she mean:
 Your source never wants to see that comment
or information in print?
 You can report the information if you can keep
the source's identity out of the story?
Once you give your word the material will be "off the
record," you must keep your promise.
Never accept information off the record when it
belongs on the record. Remarks made at a public
meeting such as Student Government, for example,
are always on the record, despite requests that they
be withheld from publication.
As a policy, the Spectator does not publish
unattributed quotes or information. If the source asks
to remain anonymous, explain that you cannot report
information that can’t be attributed to a named source.
Avoiding Libel
Here are some general rules about libel:
 You may not damage a person's reputation
without the risk of paying the consequences.
 You may be sued if you subject a person to
public scorn, ridicule, or opprobrium.
 You may be sued if you harm persons in their
trade, occupation, or profession.
 It is not necessary to name persons for readers
to be able to identify them. If readers can identify
the person you are writing about and your
statements harm her reputation, they are
libelous even though you never used her name.
Exception: Criticism of the arts (plays, movies,
books, CDs, exhibits, etc.) is immune, as long as
it is fair, based on fact, and contains no malice,
and as long as it limits itself to the work, rather
than criticizes the man or woman who created
the work.
See the "Libel Manual" in The Associated Press
Stylebook and Libel Manual for a complete treatment
of libel.
Covering Beats
Many if not most staff members will be assigned
beats. Beats may change from semester-to-semester,
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but important beats will generally remain the same.
They include
President’s Office Student Government
Provost/Academic Dean Student Activities Board
Advancement Theatre
Business Office Auto Restoration
Admissions Music
Facility Management Business Club
Campus Ministry/ Student Services
Counseling Creative Arts Society
Faculty Friendship Art Exhibits
Once you have been assigned a beat, find out all you
can about it.
 Go to the source of information suggested,
introduce yourself, and tell that person you have
his/her beat for the semester and want to know
all you can about their functions. Learn who’s in
this office/department. (Secretaries are often the
best sources of information.)
 Get any handbooks or information that office
puts out. Be sure to get put on the
distribution list for all agendas, minutes,
announcements, or policies that the office
produces.
 Find out the best time to talk with the sources
and touch base with them at that time on a
regular basis—perhaps during the week after
publication of an issue of the Spec.
 Discuss any potential stories with your section
editor or the editor-in-chief to confirm that you
should pursue the story or that it should be
assigned to another staff writer.
Preparing Copy
Reporters should prepare copy on a word processor,
preferably Microsoft Word®. If you are using some
word processor other than Word®, save your work as
an RTF file. (Every word processor has an RTF, or
Rich Text Format, mode.)
Reporters may submit stories to their section editor as
an e-mail attachment. Keep a backup copy of the file
in case it becomes corrupted in the process of being
forwarded to the editor.
Please follow these guidelines in preparing copy:
 At the top your story, type your name exactly as
you want it to appear in your byline. (Page
editors and the editor-in-chief make the final
determination on whether the byline appears
with the story.)
  Turn on double-spacing. (It’s easier for you and
your editor to proofread.)
 Keep paragraphs short. Journalistic paragraphs
are average two sentences and almost never
exceed three sentences.
 Do not split (hyphenate) words at the ends of
lines. If your word processor automatically
divides words, disable the feature.
 Omit commas before the conjunction in a series
of three or more sentence elements.
 Do not use tabs to indent paragraphs. Editors
must strip them out before placing them into the
desktop publisher. This consumes precious time
at editing sessions and introduces errors.
 Space only once after periods at the end of
sentences. These, too, must be stripped from
copy by editors.
 On matters of style, writers should be guided first
by this stylesheet (see section IV) and second
by the AP Stylebook.
 Meet all deadlines, or explain to your editor 48
hours in advance why your deadline will not be
met.
Writing Straight News
The inverted pyramid is the basic design for most
straight news stories. The most important facts are
blurted out in the first paragraph (the lead), and the
reporter works his way down to and through the least
important information.
The purpose of the inverted pyramid is to put the facts
in order of decreasing importance. Thus, if the reader
reads only the first few paragraphs of a story, chances
are she has read the most important parts of the story.
The inverted pyramid is also a tool for your page
editors. Frequently, they will have to cut copy as they
design their pages. When reporters effectively use the
inverted pyramid, page editors can cut the last
paragraphs of a story, knowing these are the least
important parts of a report.
Newswriting consists of the five Ws and the H:
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW
Each news story must answer as many of the five Ws
and the H as possible.
Newswriting is lead writing. The lead is not only the
first paragraph of a news story, it is the essence of
what you know about that event, written crisply and
tightly.
There are always several good ways to write a lead,
but usually one best way for each story—the way that
7
gets the most interesting or the most important news
into the first few words of the lead. (See the entry
under leads in the stylesheet.)
Writing Features
What is a feature story? Whatever works. Many
features are based on dramatic situations, such as the
football player with the career-ending injury. Others are
based on the unique, such as the student with a pet
boa constrictor in his dorm room. Others are based on
overlooked, common occurrences, such as cleaning
the bathrooms in the dorms, students who go home on
weekends, etc.
There is no feature "formula," as there is in straight
newswriting (and, to a lesser extent, editorial writing).
A feature is a longer article, usually 500 words or
more, that tells the facts truthfully, but in which the
story is in the telling as much as in the facts.
The greatest danger in a feature is that its emphasis
upon the way the story is written will lead the writer to
use florid phrases, clichés and generalities.
The success of a feature depends upon the quality of
information gathered; attention to word choices;
understated, detailed descriptions and anecdotes;
and, an organization of materials that effectively
moves the reader to an informed viewpoint about the
subject.
Writing Editorials
An editorial is a brief essay, usually 300 words or less,
expressing a carefully reasoned position or opinion on
a recent issue. Ideally, a Spectator editorial will inform
and lead student opinion. It will interpret current
campus news to students and point out its
significance. Editorialists can take at least four different
approaches: teaching, attacking, defending, or
praising.
In its most basic form, the editorial follows a rather
predictable pattern.
 The editorial writer first establishes the "news
peg," that is, the timely information or issue on
which the editorial is based. The problem or
situation posed by the news peg is explained,
and the writer's position clearly stated.
 An analysis of the situation follows, examining
the facts and details in a way that reveals the
reasoning behind the editorialist's opinion.
 The editorial usually re-emphasizes the writer's
position and then offers a solution, backed with
arguments suggesting the rightness of the
solution.
  The editorial always ends with a strong
statement—often the strongest statement in the
editorial.
 Editorials need not always be serious. With a
lighter touch, one can entertain at the same time
he or she teaches, criticizes, praises, or defends.
Letters to the Editor Policy
The Spectator's editorial pages provide a public forum
for student opinion. Through letters to the editor,
students may air concerns, opinions, and suggestions.
The following policy guides the publication of all letters
to the editor and should be printed in full in the first
issue of each semester.
 All letters will be handled by the editors.
 The Spectator does not publish letters to which
authors will not attach their names except in the
extraordinary circumstances where the writer’s
safety or privacy is endangered.
 Editors reserve the right to edit letters to correct
inaccuracies, excessive wordiness, unnecessary
vulgarity or poor taste, and potentially libelous
statements. If changes of any consequence are
made, editors will notify the writer to see if he or
she prefers to withdraw the letter.
 Letters to the editor may be attached in e-mail to
spectator@bulldog.mcpherson.edu or dropped
in campus mail addressed to the Spec. The final
deadline is Monday before the Fridays on which
a paper is published.
As a matter of practice, the opinions editor or the
editor-in-chief must confirm the authorship of all letters
submitted for publication.
IV. Stylesheet
Spectator staff members should always refer first to
the guidelines in this stylesheet. If the relevant
guidelines are not listed here, defer to the AP
Stylebook. Entries followed by [AP] are fully consistent
with AP style. All others entries represent guidelines
unique to the Spectator.
abbreviations, organizations On first reference,
use an organization's full name. Do not follow it
with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or
set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym is
not clear on second reference, do not use it.
abbreviations, classes In student identifications
(see identification, student entry), use the
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abbreviations fr., soph., jr. and sr. In all other
situations, spell them out.
See also entries under days of the week, months,
states, Student Council, times, titles
attributions Always clearly identify the source of
quotations (and paraphrased quotations) in your
copy. In general, the verb said is the best verb of
attribution. It is not weakened by repetition. In
straight news stories, be especially careful that
synonyms of attribution such as admitted,
disclosed, conceded, offered, explained, etc., do
not give a quotation an editorial tone.
As a rule, attributions should follow quotes or
paraphrases and be in subject-verb order;
however, in the case of first-reference sources that
require an identifying appositive, the attribution is
best in verb-subject order. On first reference, for
example,
"Students really seem to appreciate the faster
search returns and the new look,” said Susan
Taylor, director of library services.
But on second reference,
"Students really seem to appreciate the faster
search returns and the new look,” Taylor said.
When quotes exceed a single sentence in length,
attributions should be placed at the end of the first
sentence:
“Last year, I felt like I was trying to use a system
that was way outdated,” said Riley Miller, sr., Rocky
Ford, Colo. “This looks and feels like the best
search engines on the Web.”
buildings In the first reference, use the campus
building's full name. (Exception: Center for Sport
and Physical Education, which may be referred to
as the Sport Center on first reference.)
On second reference, Hall may be properly dropped
from a name, or a building may be referred to
generically, for example, the union or SU, the
gazebo, the stadium. The correct first references and
spellings of campus buildings are
Beeghly Hall
Bittinger Hall
Brown Auditorium
Dotzour Hall
Heaston Gazebo
Hess Fine Arts Center
Hoffman Student Union
McPherson Stadium
 Melhorn Science Hall
Metzler Hall
Miller Library
Mingenback Mall
Mingenback Theatre
Mohler Hall
Morrison Hall
Sport Center
Templeton Hall
Coach / coach Coach is frequently used in sports
stories as a formal title before the names of
persons who direct athletic teams. In such cases it
is capitalized: Coach David Cunningham, Coach
Stephenson, Coach Trimmell.
Do not capitalize coach when it is modified in any
way or set off from a name by commas: defensive
coach Les Whiteman; the coach, Roger Trimmell,
was charged with a technical foul.
In stories not on the sports pages, college
personnel who are coaches should be referred by
their academic titles. See the entry identification,
faculty & staff.
college When referring to McPherson College
generically, use the college with lowercase "c."
commas Omit the comma before and or or in a
series. For example,
The Spectator lab includes eight computer stations,
two scanners and a large-format printer.
Use commas around years only a month and date
are given, for example, on Feb. 12, 2005, SGA…;
but, in February 1955, SGA….
See the entry commas in the AP Stylebook for
additional help.
course titles See titles, course
cutlines In general, write the first sentence of a
cutline in present tense. Write all other sentences in
the past tense.
If student subjects in a photograph are identified in
an accompanying story, class and hometown
identification is not needed. However, follow the
identification style for students outlined in the entry
identification, students if they are not identified
elsewhere.
days of the week [AP] Capitalize them. Do not
abbreviate, except in tabular format. See also time
elements.
full-time Hyphenate it.
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headlines In general, news story headlines should
contain a verb. Use the present tense for headlines
about past events. Avoid splitting a phrase or idea
between lines on multiple line headlines. Feature
story heads (and some soft news stories packaged
in "display") need not necessarily contain verbs.
The Spectator's headline style is down; that is, all
words except the first word in the headline and
proper nouns begin with a lower case letter, not a
capital letter.
Homecoming Capitalize it.
identification, students On the first or second
reference to a McPherson College student, identify
students by class and hometown. Abbreviate the
class. Abbreviate the state if appropriate (see
states entry). If the hometown is in Kansas, omit
the state unless it is necessary to avoid confusion.
For example,
John Johansen, sr., Pittsburg, Kan., claims . . .
but
Michelle Dalton, soph., Wichita, claims. . . .
Exception: Do not fully identify students in sports
stories. If it is important to identify the athlete, do so
in an appositive phrase, for example,
Jamie Sims, a sophomore from McPherson,
scored the first basket.
inclusive language Be sensitive at all times to
gender in language. Seek to be concise and
neutral. The greatest difficulties arise in matters of
personal pronoun agreement with singular,
indefinite antecedents, which have traditionally
taken the masculine singular pronoun. For
example,
Each person has to face his own destiny.
Possible solutions, in order of preference are:
1) Change the antecendent so that it can take a
plural, neuter pronoun:
All persons have to face their own destiny.
2) Rewrite the sentence to avoid the personal
pronoun altogether:
Each person must face the future; or Each person
must face destiny.
3) Alternate the use of the feminine pronoun with
the masculine pronoun to agree with the singular,
indefinite antecedent:
 Each person has to face her own destiny. generic: fall semester, spring semester. See also
interterm.
4) Use he or she (or his or her.)
states [AP] The names of eight states are never
Each person has to face his or her own destiny.
abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine,
interterm When used in conjunction with a specific Ohio, Texas and Utah.
year, capitalize it: Interterm 2007. Otherwise, use
Use the listed AP abbreviation in conjunction with
lowercase.
the name of a city or town, except those in Kansas
leads Strive to make the first three or four words in a which cannot be confused with a town or city in
lead the most important words in the story. Avoid another state.
using dates, and times at the beginning of leads.
Ala. Md. N.Y.
Do not clutter leads with too many details. For
Ariz. Mass. Okla.
example, identification of a student can wait for the
Ark. Mich. Ore.
second reference.
Calif. Minn. Pa.
McPherson College When referring to McPherson Colo. Miss. R.I.
College generically, use the college (lowercase Conn. Mo. S.C.
"c"). Del. Mont. S.D.
Fla. Neb. Tenn.
midterm Lowercase, no hyphen.
Ga. Nev. Vt.
months [AP] Always spell months with five letters or Ill. N.C. Va.
less. Abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. Ind. N.D. Wash.
and Dec. when used with a specific date. Spell out Kan. N.H. W.Va.
every month when used alone or with a year alone. Ky. N.J. Wis.
La. N.M. Wyo.
When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do
not separate the year with commas.
Place one comma between the city and the state
newspaper name [AP] Do not place name in
name, and another comma after the state name,
quotes. Capitalize the in a newspaper’s name if that is
unless ending a sentence.
the way the publication prefers to be known.
Student Government Association Spell it out in
numerals [AP] In general, spell out whole numbers
first reference in story. The short form is acceptable
below 10, use figures or 10 and above. Thus,
in headlines and on second reference.
Spell out a numerals at the beginning of a
terms, academic See the entries for semesters
sentence. If necessary, rewrite the sentence. There
and interterm.
is one exception—a numeral that identifies a
calendar year. time elements The day a news event occurs usually
belongs in the lead, but not at the beginning. In
AP style for the use of numbers is complicated. If in
general, the best placement is as soon as possible
doubt, check the numerals entry in the AP
after subjects and simple verbs:
Stylebook.
The Board of Trustees voted Thursday to begin
President / president [AP] President is Mr. Hovis's
construction of a new dorm next fall.
formal title when it precedes his name and is
capitalized. Do not capitalize it, however, when it For clarity and grace, however, the time element
follows his name. Thus should sometimes be moved back (note that the
second time element above follows the object) or
President Ron Hovis said . . .
preceded by on:
but
The Board of Trustees postponed on Thursday
Dr. Paul W. Hoffman, president of McPherson college plans to begin construction of a new dorm
College, spoke about . . . next year.
semesters When used in conjunction with a specific In verb forms with auxiliary verbs, the time element
year, capitalize fall and spring: Fall 2006, Spring usually works best between the auxiliary and the
2007. Use lowercase when the reference is main verb:

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 The time element should sometimes be moved
back or preceded by on.
Never use both the day and the date. For events
less than one week in the past or the future, use
the day. Do not write yesterday or tomorrow, or last
Monday or next Monday. The tense of the verb will
convey past or future. For events more than one
week in the past or future, use the date.
times [AP] Use figures except for noon and midnight.
Use the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. and a colon to
separate hours from minutes: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30
p.m. Do not use constructions with o'clock.
Be careful to avoid redundancy in time
expressions. For example, 7 p.m. Thursday, not 7
p.m. Thursday evening.
titles, academic See the entry identification,
faculty & staff
titles, books and compositions [AP] Use
quotation marks to indicate book titles, movie titles,
play titles, poem titles, song titles, television
program titles, and titles of lectures, speeches and
works of art.
Capitalize the principal words, including
prepositions and conjunctions of four or more
letters.
Exception: Do not use quotation marks around the
word Bible or the titles of books that are primarily
reference works. See AP Stylebook for examples.
titles, course Capitalize (without quotation marks)
course titles when they are used as proper nouns
and match the course titles listed in the academic
catalog or line schedule; for example,
He enrolled in EN 315A Journalism Practicum:
Reporting.
or
More freshmen enroll in Principles of Biology than
any other course.
tomorrow, yesterday Do not use these time
elements. Use the appropriate day of the week.
Given our Friday publication, that means Saturday
or Thursday.

Partially revised 1 October 2009

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