Compiled by Madison McHugh

The Diplomatic Envoy: Writing Guide

Writing for News

Newswriting follows a very distinct format; it is very different from academic/scholarly writing. Do not

write articles like term dissertations, essays or papers.

The Inverted Pyramid

The Inverted Pyramid is the structure journalists write stories around. Writing in this format forces

journalists to triage quotes, data and other information into what is most pertinent.

Readers begin reading articles and judge within the first three sentences whether the rest of the article is

worthy of close reading. Otherwise, they either skim the rest of the article or flip/navigate to another.

Updated or new information is at the forefront because it is what the reader is looking for. The middle of

the article is where new information is further explained/broken down as well as where it is put into

context.

This format also forces the writer to assume their reader is informed of the situation. Therefore, general

information that sets the article in context with the broader picture of what is going on is left to the end.

Specifics (From the AP Style Guide & Seton Hall University Style Guide)

Dates are spelled out in the first mention and then later abbreviated

Example: September 29; Sept. 29

Do not use “th, rd, nd, st” endings

Example: do not use “September 29th”

United Nations is “UN” in headlines and “U.N.” in body of article

United States is “US” in headlines and “U.S.” in body of article

-do not use “USA” unless talking about something specific such as “Team USA”

Diplomacy is not capitalized unless it’s being used as a title

Examples: Sophomore Diplomacy student John Smith said

John Smith, a sophomore diplomacy student, said

Use School of Diplomacy or Seton Hall University (SHU) School of Diplomacy (NOT

Diplomacy School)

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Use only universally accepted abbreviations and acronyms, but use them sparingly in deference to

your readers.

a. When first referencing an acronym, use the full name, then abbreviate throughout the rest

of the article, i.e. Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA).

b. If it’s a well-known acronym, it is acceptable to use on the first reference, i.e. YMCA,

ACT, GPA, etc.

Academic degrees

a. Capitalize the formal name of a degree (Master of Arts in Education), but lowercase the

informal and less precise name (master’s degree in education).

b. When abbreviating a degree after a person's last name, use letters and periods with no

intervening spaces (B.A., M.A., M.B.A., Ed.D., Ph.D., etc.). In general, offset the degree

with commas, i.e. Paul Kozakski, B.S., Sharon Abelard, Ph.D.

“Alumni”

a. Alumna is feminine singular

b. Alumnae is feminine plural

c. Alumnus is masculine singular

d. Alumni is masculine or mixed-gender plural.

Citing Your Sources & Quoting

Writers should use at least three (3) credible sources for information gathering. Writers are expected to

cite these sources throughout their article rather than list them at the end. Therefore, sources must be

woven into the piece.

Remember to italicize news sources.

Ex. “According to the New York Times…”

Ex. "CNN reports…”

Ex. “…Fox News says.”

When quoting individuals, avoid paraphrasing. Stick with what is said whether in a press conference or a

book. Never start a news story with a quote. Be sure to supply as much background for the quote as

possible – when and where the quotation takes place, what is being discussed, and with whom.

Ex. The Minister for Finance, Mr. Joe Wau, yesterday attacked laziness in the public service.

"Government employees must get off their backsides and work," he told a lunchtime meeting of senior

department heads.

Paragraph Format

Consider the paragraph the unit of composition in your piece. As long as it holds together, it may be any

length. In news writing, a paragraph is typically determined by its subject. A good rule of thumb is to

look at your current text and determine if it could be improved by dividing it further. If the subject

changes, it should become its own paragraph.

Typically, single sentences are not paragraphs unless they are transitional, indicating the relation between

parts of an exposition. Dialogue can also be considered transitional in which case the quote and its

description stand alone (see “Citing Your Sources & Quoting” above).

Begin each paragraph with a sentence that suggests the topic or with a sentence that helps in transition.

Remember, paragraph format takes a good eye and a logical mind. Enormous blocks of text can appear

intimidating to readers. However, too many short paragraphs in quick succession can become distracting.

Moderation and a sense of order are the main ingredients of paragraph formatting.

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Common Errors

GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR!!!!

a. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, put a comma after each

except for the last.

Ex. “The girl owned many boots, hats, and scarves.”

b. Enclose parenthetic expressions in commas. This is difficult to master, but the easiest

way to know if you need them is to say the sentence allowed and notice natural pauses in

the flow of a sentence.

Ex. “Governor Christie, a Cowboys fan, may encounter issues in the election based on

his personal preferences.”

Ex. “Hilary Clinton, on the other hand, will face an issue Christie does not: gender.”

c. Form the possessive singular of a noun by adding ‘s to the end. Additionally, do not

confuse the possessive “its” and the contraction “it’s” which stands for “it is”.

Ex. Charles’s friend, the boy’s dog, Burns’s poems.

d. When two or more words are combined to create a compound adjective, a hyphen is

usually required.

Ex. He belonged to the leisure class and enjoyed leisure-class pursuits.

Do not use hyphens for words that can be written as one word, i.e. waterfowl NOT water-

fowl.

Use definite, specific, and concrete language.

Do your best to find the most concise word for everything. Rather than write many sentences on

the dreariness of the sky and the wetness of the ground, tell your readers it’s raining. This doesn’t

need examples. Don’t beat around the bush.

Omit needless words.

Self-explanatory for news writers. Common phrases include “the reason why is that” (because),

“the question as to whether” (whether), “THE FACT THAT”, and “who is, which is” (who,

which). Avoid these phrases and opt for concise language instead.

Avoid fancy words

Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy and the cute. If you need to go into the dictionary to

find a better word for “said”, you’re going too far. Stick with a ten-dollar-word versus a twenty-

dollar-word that no one needs. Trust your ear for most things: if it sounds out of place, it probably

is. Never use tummy instead of stomach without a good, strategic reason. And so on.

A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.

“Walking slowly down the road, he saw a woman accompanied by two children.”

Walking refers to the subject, not the woman. To make it refer to the woman, the writer must

recast the sentence.

“He saw a woman, accompanied by two children, walking slowly down the road.”

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More verbs and less adjectives

In other words, less talking and more doing. Action speaks louder than description. Adjectives are

easy to throw in without much justification whereas verbs force a writer to become more specific.

Verbs increase credibility. USE MORE VERBS!

Paragraph Breaks

To prevent from having a massive block of text, use the acronym “TIP TOP”. This is when to

create a new paragraph.

Time

Place

Topic

Person

Active over passive

Active voice is considered more direct and vigorous than the passive voice. Although passive

voice is necessary at times, try to force yourself to write in active voice by default.

Bad Ex. My first trip to Boston will always be remembered by me.

Good Ex. I will always remember my first trip to Boston.

Put statements in positive form.

Make definite assertions and avoid noncommittal or hesitating language. Only express

uncertainty if it is being stressed with would, could, should, etc.

Good Ex. She did not think Latin was a good use of one’s time.

Bad Ex. She thought the study of Latin was a waste of time.

News vs opinion

News informs. Opinion persuades.

News is based on multiple viewpoints. Opinion is based on singular viewpoints.

News believes the facts speak for themselves. Opinion believes informed arguments do.

News is objective and impersonal. Opinion is subjective and personal.

Article vs. essay

Articles are short, descriptive accounts. Essays are long, conceptual papers.

Articles are written for the public. Essays are written for professors.

Articles are straight to the point. Essays are fully developed.

Articles have a main idea. Essays have a main objective.