AP style takeaways from Obama’s final SOTU

All writers, regardless of their audience, can benefit from knowing AP style.

For writers who dare delve into the realm of political writing, there can be a tough learning curve when it comes to correctly conveying official titles, party affiliations and legal terms.

Lucky for us writers, editors from The Associated Press dedicated its weekly Twitter chat to giving tips on political style.

In response to written coverage of President Barack Obama’s final SOTU address—and with with an eye to this year’s election—here are a few items to note regarding political terminology, per the editors of the AP Stylebook:

Setting the scene

Is he stepping up to the podium or the lectern? #APStyleChat https://t.co/ga1IBRzsXm

— Victoria Camron (@VCamron_writer) January 11, 2016

Thanks for joining #APStyleChat. @davidthornhill is stepping to the podium to talk about the style of politics. Who has the first question?

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

You are right. A speaker stands behind a lectern, on a podium or rostrum, or in the pulpit . #APStyleChat https://t.co/jjxnVBWTVv

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

Plenty of journalists get this one wrong, as the difference between a podium and a lectern is slight. A podium is a raised platform on which a speaker would stand to deliver a speech. A lectern is a stand on which a speaker can place his or her noted.

You would be correct in saying that Obama stepped onto the podium Jan. 12. It would also be correct to say that the president stood at or behind the lectern.

In coverage of public speaking events, it’s wise to note the venue.

Party affiliation

A common mistake is using lowercase p for the Democratic or Republican Party. They are proper nouns, uppercase P. #APStyleChat

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

GOP is like FBI. No need to spell out Grand Old Party but use Republican Party on first reference. #APStyleChat

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

In most cases, when referring to a candidate who isn’t affiliated with either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, the word independent (with a lowercase “i") is used. As independent isn’t the name of a formal party, it’s designated as such by its lack of an uppercase letter. In case you were curious, here’s a list of independent presidential candidates participating in the 2016 election.

The AP Stylebook says that GOP is acceptable to use on second reference for Republican Party. The Grand Old Party is the unrequired, but not forbidden, spelling out of the term GOP.

Titles

The right title for a member of Congress is Rep. or Sen., not Congresswoman Kristi Noam, for example. #APStyleChat

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

If referring to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives on first reference, use Rep. or U.S. Rep. before his or her name. Same goes for the use of Sen. when referring to a member of the Senate. Distinguish, as needed, between a U.S. senator and a state senator.

The AP Stylebook says it’s OK to use congressman or congresswoman (in lowercase) when the reference doesn’t use a person’s name.

If you’re still hoping to use the word congressman/woman—get a quote first. You can use the capitalized versions of these words as formal titles before a name ONLY in a direct quotation.

Congress (i.e., the U.S. Congress) is capitalized when referring to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. According to the AP Stylebook, Congress is commonly misused as a substitute when referring to the House, but the more proper usage refers to both the House and the Senate.

If you should find yourself covering the politics of foreign country, and that country happens to also use the term Congress, use the uppercase (e.g., the Argentine Congress).

When declaring winners

The leader in a race is the front-runner, with a hyphen. Be careful when crowning a front-runner. That’s the voters’ job. #APStyleChat

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

The first votes of 2016 are in the Iowa caucuses. There are many caucus sites around the state, hence plural and lowercase. #APStyleChat

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

After that comes the New Hampshire primary, also lowercase, and soon thereafter comes Super Tuesday, a proper noun. #APStyleChat

— AP Stylebook (@APStylebook) January 11, 2016

A primary caveat here is not to anoint a victor prematurely. Candidate X is not “winning” the New Hampshire primary, but rather leading in the polls in New Hampshire.

As there are many caucuses held around the country throughout election season, the caucus’s lowercase “c” is important to keep consistent. The words primary (e.g., New Hampshire primary) or primary day (e.g., any of the days set aside for balloting in a primary) follow suit.

Also, when the remaining 2016 presidential candidates are handed their fate in November, make sure to call it Election Day, as it refers only to the day of the general election. By the way, election night is lowercase.

[RELATED: Join speechwriters for three U.S. presidents in our executive comms and speechwriters conference in Washington, D.C.]

The AP Stylebook says Inauguration Day takes capitalization only when referring to the collection of events that include an inauguration of a U.S. president; use lowercase when referring to other inaugural events.

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