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Today's nitpicking question: datelines

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Cadet, Dec 17, 2006.

  1. Cadet

    Cadet Guest

    In theory :)

    I'm actually writing our first sports desk style guide and trying to establish some consistency. This is already a conversation I've had with others across the newsroom, and there has been no consensus. Therefore, I bring the question to the SportsJournalists.com masses!
     
  2. blondebomber

    blondebomber Member

    I don't know my Mississippi geography, but what Ledbetter wrote is confusing. He says Ole Miss is "technically" in University, Miss., because that's the mailing address. Those two things don't necessarily have anything to do with each other.
     
  3. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    I know we had the problem with State College, Penn State's town, vs. University Park, which is the mailing address. We shifted to State College a few years ago because that's where everybody thinks Penn State is.

    Whether that's right or wrong ... I don't know.
     
  4. ServeItUp

    ServeItUp Active Member

    Good for you, Cadet. Fight the consistency battle.

    At my rag, sports style is different from news style in a lot of areas. Yet my Monday and Tuesday pages get proofed by... wait for it... the news copy desk because the sports guys (save the desk guy) take Sunday and Monday off. And so, my pages get proofed in news style because no one in sports bothered to a.) put together a sports style guide or b.) pass sports style along to me when I arrived earlier this year, or at any time since.
     
  5. blondebomber

    blondebomber Member

    Ummmm ... if you always use the mailing address, then you're not being accurate. You're guessing (and PROBABLY getting it right).
     
  6. HoopsMcCann

    HoopsMcCann Active Member

    i knew that was another problem one -- although, i've seen my fair share of university park datelines
     
  7. Ledbetter

    Ledbetter Active Member

    The mailing address for the entire campus is University, Miss., but the campus is located inside the city limits of Oxford.

    It's just a postal thing, but technically all games are played in University.
     
  8. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    Games are NOT played in Univrsity, Miss., or Stanford, Calif. They are played in the cities of Oxford and Palo Alto.

    A post office address is NOT a dateline.

    Simple solution, does University, Miss., or Stanford, Calif., or Notre Dame, Ind., or (the worst AP dateline!) Air Force Academy, Colo., have a town/city/borough/township government separate from the incorporated government of which it is a section?

    The one I have never figured out (Help me, shottie) is University Park-State College. Which is the incorporated town/city with a town/city governent?
     
  9. Clerk Typist

    Clerk Typist Guest

    Scrupulous attention to accuracy means you use the down-to-the-inch location, even if it means using a comparatively unknown location compared to the commonly known location. University Park instead of State College (but not for all facilities, I recall), and University instead of Oxford. And in that case, shouldn't the school be called Mississippi and not Ole Miss? Or is Ole Miss on the diploma? :)
     
  10. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    Boston College I've seen as being Chestnut Hill and Newton. The one time I covered an event there I used Chestnut Hill.
     
  11. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    If the fine folks at the University call themselves Ole Miss for athletic purposes, that's what we'd go with. Otherwise you'd have poor headline wrters in the mid-Atlantic fighting through Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University every damned Sunday.
     
  12. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS IN SPEEDWAY, IND.! A REAL CITY, NOT A POST OFFICE ADDRESS. GOD DAMMIT, AP, RECOGNIZE! ARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

    Rant over.
     
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