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.
