In class on Wednesday, April 29th we discussed AP style and how important it is to write in this style. I am taking my introduction to journalism class, therefore I was aware of the importance of AP style, however, I can’t say I agree with it. AP stands for Associated Press, and they put out a book of the standard of terms, abbreviations, and such every year.
Cover of AP Stylebook 2008
I know that many will argue that it is important to keep a structured format for press releases, articles, and other information released however some of it to me just seems plain unnecessary. For example if I write the number 1,000,000, this is wrong, I am suppose to write one million. However, when writing the number seventy-four, you are suppose to write it as the number,74. Another example, is in the dateline when the city and state are listed. Did you know that instead of writing CA for California, you are suppose to write Calif? Also, when referring to Georgia, it is suppose to be written as a capital G and lower case a, as in Ga. Each state is different, therefore you basically have to have your style book attached to your hip whenever writing something for the press.
In class we did a fun exercise with a love/hate letter. Dr. Nixon, split the class into two sections, one half of the class made the note into a love letter and the other half made it into a hate letter. It was a clear example of how grammarcan effect the way a writing is portrayed. I enjoyed this exercise and completely agree that grammar is important, however I still think AP style can be a little ridiculous.
