Newswriting

If you have reporters (or maybe even yourself, but I'll never tell) who have trouble knowing when to use a comma and when to use a semicolon, check out this hilarious explanation. It's well-illustrated and it answers questions some folk have had since eighth grade. Of course, in journalism we don't use that many semicolons -- periods and new sentences often work better. But check this out anyway; you'll enjoy it; I promise. (Three in one sentence; are you impressed?)

You’ll want to read this one and then post it in several places around the office, and maybe put it in your online stylebook (if you don’t have one, that’s another issue to address). There are actually 44 tips for reducing errors, and they’re down-to-earth, common-sense ideas. Like #3: Always find the first reference to a person in copy. Make sure that on first reference you have a first name and title, and doublecheck to make sure the first reference hasn’t be omitted rearranged or deleted in trimming copy. To which I would add: Make sure the reporter hasn’t omitted the first name of the mayor, just calling him Mayor Smith on first reference. Simple stuff, but really valuable as a review for new employees.

Steve Buttry from Gazette Communications has put together a great tip sheet on blogging, composed largely of tips from some great journalists/bloggers. It's a must-read post if you're thinking about blogging or already blogging for your site.