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March 22, 2004

Dear AP Sounding Board:

• 1. What style does your newspaper use for headlines — up and down, or with just the first word and proper names capitalized?

AP uses the latter style for headlines on print wires. Does that work for you? Do you prefer the same format on your Web sites?

• 2. Regarding headline content, AP normally uses straightforward summary lines atop spot stories, unless a pithy or humorous phrase is more appropriate. Any comments/thoughts on how we write our headlines?

The AP's headline style and content for wire and Web are in tune with the needs of members, our latest survey shows. All 11 respondees said their newspapers use down-style headlines, capitalizing the first word and proper nouns.

The Buffalo News goes to all caps for BIG STORIES, others use all-up for front-page refers. The Topeka Capital-Journal makes exceptions to down-style for display type.

Everyone gave a thumbs up on the content of AP's headlines — straightforward, concise summaries of hard-news stories, and some lighter-touch heads on brites or features.

— John Bartosek, managing editor, The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla.:

1. First word and proper nouns capitalized. Same style on the Web site. That works just fine for us that AP does it too.

2. AP heds on stories are fine. Accurate, specific, bright when appropriate. We like having them there, at the least as a guidepost for headline writers.

— Joe Stinnett, managing editor, The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.:

We use first word and proper names up. Summary lines are fine for AP headlines, we generally rewrite most headlines anyway.

— M.L. Schultze, managing editor, The Repository, Canton, Ohio:

1. First word and proper names capitalized only, so the wire style works well for us.

2. Please stick to the straightforward summaries.

— Tom Eblen, managing editor, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader:

We use the same headline style the AP does. What you do is fine for our Web site. Straightforward is best in the summary lines.

— Reed Eckhardt, managing editor, Wyoming News-Tribune, Cheyenne, Wyo.:

We use downstyle. I prefer it in the paper and on the Web. I've been around the wire long enough to recall when y'all didn't do headlines at all. This was a great improvement to the AP service, and I hope there is no thinking about discontinuing it. I think straight news headlines on news stories is the way to go. I don't like my people getting cute with straight news, so this is in line with our policies. Certainly on brights, features and the like, it is always fun to see what AP is thinking. Sometimes the headlines find their way into the paper; sometimes not.

— Steve Bell, managing editor, The Buffalo (N.Y.) News:

We use first word and proper names capitalized. We go to all caps on bigstories. The AP heads are good flags for their stories. Good quick-hit summary lines.

— Wayne Stewart, managing editor, Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal:

1. We cap the first word and proper names. Exceptions are made for display type.

2. We like that the AP is pretty direct with the headlines. My crew is creative enough to write the bright headlines when appropriate. What I don't want to see is the same clever phrase showing up in all the papers in the state.

— Daryl Kannberg, national editor, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:

At The Plain Dealer, our headlines just capitalize the first word and proper nouns. Your headlines that move with the stories are fine. When I'm quickly scanning the wires, I just want to get the basic idea about what the stories are about. Most often, your headlines do the trick. I don't see a compelling need to change anything you folks do.

— Steve Roberts, news editor, Dayton Daily News:

Our headline style is generally the first word and proper names capitalized. The headline style AP uses on stories is just fine with us. Please keep the headlines straightforward. We use them primarily to ensure we have captured the essence of the story in the headlines that we write.

— Dave Butler, editor, Daily News, Los Angeles:

First word and proper names. AP ought not try to become expert headline writers. Capturing the essense or the story or any change in developments is fine.

— Rick Hall, managing editor, Deseret News, Salt Lake City:

1. Caps for the first word (like the beginning of a sentence) and proper nouns; everything else lower case. We like AP's head style. Same for the Web.

2. Straightforward is best. Because of varying page makeup, the AP head, obviously, is rarely, if ever, used. But having an AP head there can't hurt.

Have a question the board should pose to AP? Send it to AP National Desk Editor David Minthorn at dminthorn@ap.org, who is coordinating the Sounding Board.

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