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AP Style

Handle with care: AP style drops the hyphen in healthcare, childcare and daycare

At the ACES: The Society for Editing conference, editors cheered — and groaned — as the AP Stylebook announced one of its most anticipated changes

April 29, 2026

Matthew Crowley

6 things you think are AP style rules that aren’t actually AP style rules

Seriously, what’s up with all the brackets?

January 5, 2026

Opinion | What do you do when the president drops an f-bomb?

President Donald Trump said it. Loud and live. Now editors have to decide how much of it you get to hear or read.

June 25, 2025

News outlets don’t usually publish the f-word. Then came Trump’s Israel-Iran ceasefire rant.

Some censored the word in text, but not in video. Others published it in full.

June 24, 2025

The AP Stylebook, a ‘toolbook, not a rulebook,’ is in constant evolution

‘If we don't accurately and adequately depict everyone in our world, we are not doing accurate journalism or any kind of reporting or storytelling.’

December 6, 2023

Matthew Crowley

The basics on Israel, Gaza, Palestine and Hamas for local journalists

Newsroom staffers are scrambling to get up to speed on what is arguably the world’s most complex conflict

October 13, 2023

AP Stylebook expands climate change guidance, adds plus symbol to LGBTQ+

Reporters should be skeptical of companies that say they are ‘green’ but cannot provide details to support their claim.

March 23, 2023

AP style tips for covering the British royal family

The Associated Press Stylebook put together a guide Thursday following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

September 8, 2022

AP Stylebook adds inclusive storytelling chapter with updates on covering race, gender, sexual orientation and more

Other changes include 35 disabilities-related entries and expanded guidance on the usage of they/them/their pronouns

June 1, 2022

Celebrate the holiday season in style with these AP Style tips

It’s ‘Happy holidays from the Poynters,’ not ‘Happy holiday’s from the Poynter’s’

December 20, 2021

When reporting on disability, advice about language is simple: just ask

The National Center on Disability and Journalism has updated its style guide to move away from a ‘default’ and focus on identify-first language.

October 25, 2021

AP Stylebook expands Asian American terms, revises entry on disabilities

The latest changes were announced at ACES conference

April 23, 2021

How the AP Stylebook has kept up with the pandemic

‘There’s never been a pace or number of so many updates so quickly, at least since I’ve been around the stylebook,’ editor Paula Froke said.

April 9, 2021

Here are a few AP Stylebook reminders before the Biden/Harris inauguration

First gentleman is ‘not an official title, always lowercase.’

January 20, 2021

AP Stylebook update: Multiple emoji are emoji

What’s the plural of emoji, and how should they be quoted in news stories? Guidance…

May 30, 2018

Taylor Blatchford

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