It’s all about style
Some readers may have noticed that we changed our “style” on several words or phrases this month.
Some people equate the term “style” with fashion, but it really means a “way or manner of doing something.”
Dressing, decorating, talking, walking, leading …
For journalists, style is about how we use words.
Journalistic style is guided by two things: consistency and clarity.
We don’t want to measure temperature in Celsius one day and Fahrenheit the next.
We don’t want to spell Moammar Qaddafi one day and Gadhafi the next, knowhow one day and know-how the next.
Is it labor or labour?
Center or Centre?
Is it Cannon St. or Cannon Street?
Do we write jewellery or jewelry? Okay or OK? World War Two, World War II or the Second World War?
Nine or 9?
Esthetic or aesthetic?
Depending on your perspective, both are often correct, but a news agency can choose only one.
It’s not always easy coming up with a determination.
In general, we try to use common sense if there is disagreement on spelling or description, and tend to choose the shortest option.
We try also to be responsive to concerns or suggestions from the community, from experts, from readers, and to the realities of the times.
For example, a few years ago we stopped saying “yesterday” or “today” in favour of “Monday” or “Saturday” because our online stories last longer than 24 hours.
For example, until last month, we used al-Qaeda, but have since switched to al-Qaida because the Canadian Press and the Associated Press use the latter.
We also changed Kyiv and Qur’an.
Until recently, we used Kyiv and Koran.
It seemed excessive, frankly, to be changing every Kyiv to Kyiv and Qur’an to Koran, when our copy editors should really be concentrating on grammar, spelling, syntax, fairness, balance, the facts, compelling stories, good headlines …
So we now default to Canadian Press style on Kyiv, even though we think Kyiv is a better choice.
Why?
Well, it’s complicated.
Politics plays a part. Ukraine prefers we use Kyiv, (because Kyiv is Russian, Ukrainians say) and many western governments (including Canada) have obliged over the last decade.
Pronunciation is also a factor. How exactly should Kyiv be pronounced, and can the English alphabet even be a useful guide for a Russian or Ukrainian word?
However, the English translation has been Kyiv for as long as anyone can remember, just as Naples has been the English translation for Napoli, or Munich has been the English translation for Munchen (or Muenchen).
Why does Kyiv get special treatment?
So while our move to Kyiv is consistent with Canadian Press style, we do not think Canadian Press style is consistent with, well, Canadian Press style.
And to be brutally honest, despite all the emphasis news organizations put on style, there are endless examples of inconsistencies in all of them.