The Style Book of The Detroit News Part 2

Use articles sparingly. Occasionally they are needed. Observe the difference in meaning between _King George Takes Little Liquor_ and _King George Takes a Little Liquor_.

Avoid such overworked and awkward words as _probe_, _rap_, _quiz_, _Russ_.

Never abbreviate _President_ to _Pres._

Avoid ending a line with a preposition, an article or a conjunction, as,

TO MAKE PLANS FOR AMERICAN DEFENSE

Do not divide phrases, as,

CUT IN SCHEDULE "K" IS PROBABLE

CAMP PICKS ALL- AMERICAN TEAM

Try to make each line of the first deck a unit, as,

POSTOFFICE ROBBED BY BAND OF TRAMPS

TARIFF BOARD REPORTS ON ALL WOOL SCHEDULES

STORY OF DYING MAN REOPENS GRAFT CASE

Observe that in reading these heads there is a natural pause that comes at the end of the line. The same principle may govern the writing of three-line heads, as,

ONE GIRL'S ACT PREVENTS 60,000 FROM WORKING

WAYNE MEN WANT Ca.n.a.l TO CONNECT CITY WITH DETROIT

In the head just written observe that the first line has fewer letters because it contains two W's and an M. Either an M or a W is equal to a letter and a half, and an I and a s.p.a.ce are each equal to half a letter.

The first line contains 14 units; the second line contains 15 units; the third line contains 15 units. And yet the first line contains 14 letters and s.p.a.ces, the second 16, and the third 17.

Every deck should contain a verb, expressed or implied. In this head,

THIEVES BUSY IN NORTH END

the verb _are_ is understood.

If the subject of the verb in the first deck is not written, it should be the first word of the second deck, as,

INVESTIGATE WET VICTORY

Texas Senators All Agreed to Inquire Into Late Election.

Omit all forms of the verb _to be_ whenever possible. This head,

ASKED HOW HE GOT STOLEN AUTOMOBILE

is more effective than this,

IS ASKED HOW HE GOT THE STOLEN AUTOMOBILE

Avoid expressions that are awkward because of omission of some form of the verb _to be_ such as this:

U. S. WEATHER MAN SAYS SUMMER HERE

Negatives should be avoided. The head should as a rule tell what happened, not what did not happen.

Avoid the word _may_. The head should as a rule tell what happened, not what is going to take place, perhaps.

Beware of heads that contain words of double meaning, as,

NURSES HOPE TO WIN GAME

The word _nurses_ may be taken as a noun or a verb.

In this head the first word might be read as a noun or as a verb:

SCOUTS CLAIM KAISER IS TO BLAME FOR WAR

Use as little punctuation as possible in the first deck.

Avoid alliteration.

Use few abbreviations.

Use figures sparingly.

Insert subheads in long stories at intervals of 150 to 200 words. Use at least two subheads or none.

When there is a paragraph ending, _The President spoke as follows:_, place the subhead before this paragraph and not between it and the quoted matter.

Avoid such makes.h.i.+ft constructions as

M A Y O R WILL RESIGN, SAID WILSON WON'T REPLY, RUMOR

Avoid beginning a head with quotation marks because the white s.p.a.ce destroys the balance of the head. When it is unavoidable, use single quotation marks.

Avoid heads in which a dash takes the place of _says_, as,

s.h.i.+PPING BOARD MUST GO--WILSON

When this style is necessary, use quotation marks.

It is permissible to make the first deck of a head a quotation without quotation marks, writing the name of the person quoted in full-face caps immediately below the deck. One need seldom resort to this expedient.

Be careful of the present tense in writing of historical events. The head on a story about the legality of Christ's trial should not read,