Style Guide

  • The introduction of the story should be as accurate and precise as possible.
  • Use of abbreviations allowed only after first use of the particular word, with all first letters capital in the first use. Example
  • The Free Press Kashmir (FPK) is a…. FPK was started in…
  • Be neutral while writing a story. Sides can be taken only while writing an opinion piece.
  • Spell out the numbers below 10. Use figures above 10. E.g. Two people were arrested and 19 people protested.
  • Don’t abbreviate names of places. Abbreviating names of countries e.g. using PAK instead of Pakistan should not be done, unless in a headline which has space constraints.
  • The date format to be followed is Month/Day/Year e.g. The inauguration of the 46th president of the United States took place on January 20, 2017.
  • Avoid using yesterday, today and tomorrow unless the item is an update. The same applies to time. Instead of writing 9 pm tonight, use 9 pm Sunday.
  • The picture positioning in the story will be left aligned. The captions for pictures will be written in AP (Associated Press) style.
  • Formal titles before the name should be capitalized e.g. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
  • Titles after the name should not be capitalized e.g Khurram Parvez, chairperson of civil society.
  • Names of regions should be capitalized e.g. South Korea has more freedom as compared to North Korea.
  • Use hyperlinks in stories wherever needed.
  • Use of Kashmiri and Urdu words (any local dialect) can be used with their meaning in brackets. If it’s a hard news item, avoid local language. If it’s a narrative, opinion or a feature story, local dialects can be used depending upon how strong the content is.
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