How to Write Today’s Mass Media Names
The “Today” show or the “Today Show”? An article in “the New York Times” or “The New York Times”? And the website “www.google.com” or “Google”?
Writing mass media names is probably one of the most common style-and-usage challenges that PR pros encounter today. A few decades ago, writing these names was more straightforward because there were not as many formats and not as much creativity used in naming. But the flourishing of new digital media formats and the rise in use of clever spelling and punctuation have raised a number of language conundrums that can easily confound PR pros.
At the same time, as PR has broadened into an umbrella discipline that includes everything from brand marketing and corporate communication, to media relations and employee communication, to crisis communication and social media, the somewhat stodgy rules of AP style don’t allow the status and sophistication that many public relations communications now demand.
For this reason, I’ve developed this rundown of what I think are the best practices to follow when writing some of the most common media names. In tandem with the AP Stylebook, I’ve drawn on The Chicago Manual of Style for more specific guidance in how to treat some media names. I hope the guide here helps you navigate today’s complex media landscape and correctly write multiple media names.
Magazines
Magazine and newspaper names are properly italicized. In Associated Press style, however, these names are written in roman since AP style is based on a mostly outmoded convention that wire services and periodicals cannot duplicate italics in wire transmissions or typeface. For this reason, if you’re writing something targeted to media and for which it’s important to follow AP style, write magazine and newspaper names without italics. In other writing, though, such as marketing communication, employee communication or even personal emails, italicize these names: “Two of the magazines with the highest circulation in the U.S. are People magazine and National Geographic.”
Here are a couple of other fine points to remember with some magazine names:
Fortune: Please, do not write “FORTUNE” – with all caps – unless you’re in the logo-replication business.
Time: The name of the magazine is just “Time“ – not “Time Magazine.” Therefore, the correct way to write the latter expression is “Time magazine.”
Newspapers
As with magazine names, newspaper names should also be italicized when AP style isn’t necessary. Capitalize “the” in a newspaper's name if that is the way the publication prefers to be known, but do not place the name in quotes: “She subscribes to The Washington Post.” However, lowercase “the” before newspaper names if a story mentions several papers, some of which use “the” as part of the name and some of which do not: “The quote was published in the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Barron’s.
Books
Put book titles in quotation marks if you’re writing for media and following AP style. In other cases, book titles should be italicized: “Did you read A Tale of Two Cities in high school?”
Movies
The same guideline for books goes for movie titles: “We just watched Once Upon a Time in . . . Hollywood.”
TV and Radio Shows and Networks
TV and radio show names are properly italicized. In AP style, again, these names are written with quotation marks for the same reason as periodicals are. For this reason, write TV and radio show names with quotation marks when you’re writing for media, but italicize them in other cases: “Two of my all-time favorite TV shows are Seinfeld and Deadliest Catch.”
Some special notes to remember with some TV names:
Fox: Don’t be tricked into writing this in all caps to replicate the Fox logo. “Fox” was the name of the founder, and any of the Fox TV and radio entities – such as Fox TV or Fox News Radio – should be written with only the “F” capitalized.
Today: This NBC morning show’s name is just “Today.” To describe that you’re referring to the show, write “the Today show.”
Songs and Musical Works
Song names are enclosed in quotation marks. But the names of albums, operas and other long pieces of music should be italicized: “The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is considered by many to be one of the best rock albums of all time.” However, albums, operas and other long pieces are placed in quotation marks in AP style for the reason already given above.
Websites
There are several forms in which a website name can be written.
Full website URL-http://www.facebook.com
Use this spelling for citations in scholarly works.
Simplified website URL-www.facebook.com
Use in the text of a document to refer to the URL.
Website name-Facebook.com
Use in the text at first mention, and later to emphasize that the name refers to a website.
Simplified website name- Facebook
Use in the text after the first mention, as long as the context is clear.
Blogs
Again, following the standard practice of AP style, the names of blogs are put in quotation marks. A better practice, however, for communications in which AP style is not crucial, is to italicize blog names, which is the guideline by The Chicago Manual of Style Online advises: He is a regular reader of HuffPost.
Podcasts
Likewise, AP style practice for the names of podcast and podcast episodes is quotation marks, but it is better to italicize the names of podcasts whenever possible. Podcast episodes should be put in quotation marks in all cases: “One of the best podcasts I’ve come across recently is Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, and one of the best episodes to start with is “1. Will Ferrell.”