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AP wants state names spelled fully
Hal Smith, Photographer
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Sedalia | MO | USA | Posted: 3:26 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> In the good old days most state names were abbreviated in news stories, but now the Associated Press is changing their style. They want us journalists to fully spell state names like Mississippi. I know to most you this sounds silly, but for decades state abbreviations were in standard usage.
All I want to know is, why make this change? Why not use two letter postal abbreviations? |
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N. Scott Trimble, Photographer
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Lake Oswego | OR | USA | Posted: 3:28 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> I suspect it might have to do with digital links? Arizona might work better than AZ as a hotlink. I don't know.
Maybe they are taking a stand to the substandard education system in America by forcing them to see the name??? |
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Stew Milne, Photographer
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Providence | RI | USA | Posted: 4:26 PM on 04.16.10 |
| ->> Dang, I have to spell out Rhode Island now? All these years I've been lucky enough to use R.I. Grrrrrrrrrr. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 4:33 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> Probably has more to do with globalization than anything else. Someone sitting in a cafe in Europe may not know where MS is. There really is no such thing as 'local' news anymore. Any tidbit runs the chance of being picked up and fed to the planet.
Just a guess. |
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Clark Brooks, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 5:19 PM on 04.16.10 |
| ->> I would bet it has to do with SEO. If they have say 60K of photos online with Illinois in the caption, Google and other search engines would give their site a higher SERP than our site which may have Illinois in only 15K captions. |
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Adam Cairns, Photographer
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 5:27 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> From http://twitter.com/APStylebook
"AP is postponing plans to change its style on state abbreviations, pending further review. We welcome your feedback, both pro and con."
On a side note, "Web site" is now going to be "website." That's definitely a welcomed change. Now if only they'd take the hyphen out of e-mail... |
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Jim Comeau, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | USA | Posted: 7:02 PM on 04.16.10 |
| ->> I wonder when AP will be fulled spelled out... |
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Michael Ip, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 7:16 PM on 04.16.10 |
| ->> Washington, District of Columbia. That'll become tedious. |
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Mark Loundy, Photo Editor
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San Jose | CA | USA | Posted: 7:23 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> Jim, It's "The AP." :-)
--Mark |
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Jim Comeau, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | USA | Posted: 7:38 PM on 04.16.10 |
| ->> from what I heard, it used to be called Anonymous Photographer... |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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| | | Posted: 8:36 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> Mark
Actually its the AP. While it is referred to as The Associated Press, the official name, as I understand it is "Associated Press" thus it'd be "the AP" not "The AP"
Then again we all know what my grammatical skills are like ... |
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Jeff Fusco, Photographer
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Philadelphia | PA | USA | Posted: 8:59 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> A typical Getty Images News or Entertainment caption uses both.
Abbrviated in the first part , then full spelling in the caption body
SCHNECKSVILLE, PA - DECEMBER 4: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a Main Street Tour stop at Lehigh Carbon Community College on December 4, 2009 in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. This was the first stop of the tour in which Obama plans to speak directly with Americans on what they are experiencing during the economic recovery.(Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images) |
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Duane Burleson, Photographer
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Sterling Heights | MI | USA | Posted: 9:42 PM on 04.16.10 |
->> The AP has never used the two letter postal abbreviation in AP captions, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_abbreviations . Michigan is Mich. etc. The two letter postal abbreviation is used in the IPTC fields.
And the name of The Associated Press is of course, The Associated Press.
Cheers,
Duane |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 1:07 AM on 04.17.10 |
| ->> Wow Duane, that's news to me. The A&P has been using NC for the past 34 years here in North Carolina. |
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Smiley Pool, Photographer
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Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 3:09 AM on 04.17.10 |
->> As to Chuck's post, just pull out your stylebook folks!
If you don't have one (or have never opened it) here are the cliff notes.
- Spell out names of 50 states if they stand alone in text
- These states NOT abbreviated; Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah
- Abbreviations (as follow) are used in conjunction with city, town, etc.
Ala.
Ariz.
Ark.
Calif.
Colo.
Conn.
Del.
Fla.
Ga.
Ill.
Ind.
Kan.
Ky.
La.
Md.
Mass.
Mich.
Minn.
Miss.
Mo.
Mont.
Neb.
Nev.
N.H.
N.J.
N.M.
N.Y.
N.C.
N.D.
Okla.
Ore.
Pa.
R.I.
S.C.
S.D.
Tenn.
Vt.
Va.
Wash.
W.Va.
Wis.
Wyo.
Not that I'm the stylebook police or anything (not by a long shot), but since there's obviously some confusion already expressed in this thread, I figured it wouldn't hurt to share this refresher.
And as for the AP question, well just look that up in the stylebook too! Here's the direct quote. "Use The Associated Press on first reference (the capitalized article is part of the formal name). On second reference, AP or the AP (no capital on the) may be used." |
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Smiley Pool, Photographer
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Houston | TX | USA | Posted: 3:24 AM on 04.17.10 |
->> Now then, how the A&P wants to reference states is an entirely different matter. I guess you can take that up with your checker when you are buying your groceries. But they only have stores in New York state, New Jersey and Connecticut. Such as locations in Jersey City, N.J., Port Chester, N.Y., and Greenwich, Conn.
Alas, no stores in Houston, Texas.
:-) |
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Al Goldis, Photographer
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East Lansing | MI | USA | Posted: 12:13 PM on 04.17.10 |
| ->> Say "Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont." five times fast. |
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Duane Burleson, Photographer
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Sterling Heights | MI | USA | Posted: 9:15 PM on 04.17.10 |
->> Chuck,
To clarify, it is not the USPS version NC, AP Style is N.C.
There are other two letter abbreviations for AP but none of them are USPS style.
As the link I posted shows.
Cheers,
Duane |
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Bradly J. Boner, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Jackson | WY | USA | Posted: 11:38 PM on 04.17.10 |
| ->> Someone, somewhere, is blaming this on Obama. |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 2:11 AM on 04.18.10 |
| ->> I hope that the AP is willing to pay its contributors for the added work burden... |
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Curtis Clegg, Photographer
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Sycamore | IL | USA | Posted: 2:31 PM on 06.21.11 |
->> I just looked through the 2011 Stylebook and there is no mention of using full state names.
In Adam Cairns's link (above) he mentioned that AP was re-thinking their proposed change but I missed his post the first time around.
Did the AP editors change their minds, postpone the decision, or was it all a big misunderstanding to begin with?
FYI here are two random posts from last April mentioning the proposed change, along with quoted language from AP:
http://jungman.posterous.com/ap-to-stop-abbreviating-state-names
http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/index.php/topic,77080.0.html |
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Brad Tollefson, Student/Intern, Photo Editor
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Lubbock | TX | USA | Posted: 7:34 PM on 06.21.11 |
->> Curtis,
Adam Cairns posted this regarding the decision.
"->> From http://twitter.com/APStylebook
"AP is postponing plans to change its style on state abbreviations, pending further review. We welcome your feedback, both pro and con.""
Personally, I welcome keeping it the same.
Brad |
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Stew Milne, Photographer
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Providence | RI | USA | Posted: 11:02 PM on 06.21.11 |
| ->> I'd vote to keep it the same. As for me in RI, the technical name of the state is the longest state name, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Seriously, look it up. |
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Delane B. Rouse, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | US | Posted: 11:21 PM on 06.21.11 |
->> Stew....I think you're almost right, the OFFICIAL name is:
State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (you forgot State of)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island |
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Stew Milne, Photographer
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Providence | RI | USA | Posted: 12:07 AM on 06.22.11 |
| ->> Delane: Ah yes, I knew it didn't look right when I typed it....or long enough. For short it could be S.R.I.P.P. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 7:01 AM on 06.24.11 |
| ->> Someone somewhere in the Obama administration is blaming this on "the previous administration." |
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | US | Posted: 9:15 AM on 06.24.11 |
->> Wow Chuck, that's awesome. Best non sequitur political comment I can ever recall in these parts.
The folks over at FOX News would be proud.
- gerry - |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 9:24 AM on 06.24.11 |
| ->> Obviously, I have no style. AP or otherwise. |
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | US | Posted: 9:42 AM on 06.24.11 |
| ->> The other Chuck, Chuck. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 4:52 PM on 06.24.11 |
| ->> It was a reply to Bradley, G.J. :-) |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 4:53 PM on 06.24.11 |
| ->> Or is it GJ under AP style? |
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | US | Posted: 6:31 PM on 06.24.11 |
->> Ah, I actually went back to see if it was a reference to something on here and totally missed that, amigo.
Sorry, brother, and thanks for taking that one in stride. |
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G.J. McCarthy, Photographer
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Dallas | TX | US | Posted: 6:31 PM on 06.24.11 |
| ->> PS -- Correct AP stylization of my name is Geraldo José ... |
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