AP's style will be President Barack Obama (not President Obama)?

Damn good point. Timing is odd.

 

This sounds like a diversionary tactic. Is someone looking to see if AP's rolling any corpses out the back of the building while we're talking about this?

 

Seems that way, but years from now it won't matter. I doubt AP is making the change for this presidency and plans to change it back for the next one. Yeah, it would have been better to make the change earlier, as mentioned, but if you think you have a better style policy, you just put it in place. You don't wait for the next time there's a better fit or reason for it in the White House.

 

And let's not forget it's for all heads of state, not just the U.S.

 

I think it makes sense. What's the problem? lone star scribe is right....we refer to everyone as first name last name on first reference...why would heads of state be different?

 

We've been changing it to President-elect Barack Obama all week, on the basis that he's not a head of state yet and P.E. is such an awkward title anyway.

 

What's the fuss? Seriously.

Title, first name, last name on first reference. Nothing to see here.

 

Great! AP is now adhering to the style rules of the people we have who didn't know the correct style in the first place!

 

It was a dumb style in the first place. First reference = first names for everyone else. Why not heads of state?

 

I blame Ron Fournier.

 

This will help cut down on all the confusion between Osama and Obama.