Trust in news is about on par with Americans' belief in election-related conspiracy theories. Only 32% of Americans have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the news media, according to Gallup. Meanwhile, a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that 36% of Americans do not think President Joe Biden was legitimately elected, and 32% believe in one of the core principles of the "great replacement" conspiracy theory, according to a 2022 AP-NORC poll. These reasons and more are...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Advance voting begins in some states this week, which means election season is fully underway. And yes, "election season" is a term we're recommending you use between now and election week. The reason? The expansion of both mail-in and in-person advance voting has changed norms around elections. And when things change, journalists often need to find new terms that accurately capture the situation. Word choice improves understanding and shifts people's expectations, and in this case, it can...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Here at Stylebot, we've been racking our brains to figure out how to help more people with their writing and editing needs. And a few weeks ago, we asked you what topic you'd like to learn more about. Most people who responded said they'd like advice on how to avoid common writing mistakes. So today, we're excited to share our first e-book on that very topic. It walks you through four common writing mistakes and the grammar rules you need to know to fix them. Think of it as a condensed...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
If you’re reading this newsletter, you probably already understand the importance of word choice, especially in news coverage. Just last week we covered language surrounding abortion, for example. Choosing your words carefully when you're covering political or social topics often carries extra importance. But it’s not just these big “vocabulary words,” such as antiabortion or pro-abortion rights, that matter. Our friends at Trusting News, whom we’re partnering with to update our style guide...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Writing about abortion is a good reminder of why language matters. In fact, the terms “pro-choice” and “pro-life” are so well known that they scarcely need explanation. But the reason you know the terms so well is precisely the point: They are the preferred terms of advocates, who choose their words carefully to frame the issue in a way that advances their arguments. With the 2024 election on the horizon, we’re devoting some issues of this newsletter to writing about election-related topics....
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Football season is nearly upon us, with the NFL wrapping up its preseason games this weekend. To celebrate, we're resharing one of the first editions of this newsletter, in which we weave together football and grammar. Enjoy! NFL referees may know the rules of football, but they clearly need to up their grammar game. If you’re a football fan, you’re likely familiar with the phrase, “After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field stands.” And if you’re not, we’ll catch you up: When NFL...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
The Democratic National Convention begins on Monday in Chicago, the second and final national party convention before November’s presidential election. The Republicans held their convention last month during a historic week in American politics: The Saturday before the convention, someone attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, and a few days after the convention concluded, President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection. And just to add to the historic news:...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Election Day is less than three months away, and we probably don’t need to tell you that we’re already in an unprecedented campaign season. And while 68% of Americans get news about local politics, only 25% are satisfied with it, according to new research from the Pew-Knight Initiative. This, along with the already low trust the public has in the news media, means that the pressure is on journalists this year to frame their election stories in ways that are thoughtful, helpful, informative...
2 months ago • 2 min read
For some, it might seem a bit early to talk about the start of the school year. But 85% of the country’s K-12 students will be back in the classroom by September 1, according to Pew Research. And while back-to-school dates may vary widely, rules for writing the term "back to school" don’t: Only use hyphens when using it as a compound modifier. So when you get ready to go back to school, you go back-to-school shopping. And once you’re back in school, do you want to get A’s or As? And should...
2 months ago • 1 min read