Stylebot

Next week, journalists might get a lot of questions as we wait for election results to be tallied. In our final style guide release before Election Day, we worked with Trusting News to share advice on how journalists can address audience questions and explain more about journalists' role in calling elections. Learn more at the links in the comments ⬇️⬇️

Using the active voice usually enhances clarity in your writing. However, passive voice is still used in professional writing. (See what we did there?) We've been asking you what writing mistakes you have to fix most often (https://lnkd.in/gGwYDTWj), and one of the top responses is passive voice. So that's the topic of today's writing tips newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gFDsb8rG

Everyone has writing pet peeves: the mistakes that annoy them the most. But they're not always the most common mistakes. Tell us below about the most common mistakes you see, and feel free to comment with your writing pet peeve!

When you're writing about election-related issues, you often need to choose your words carefully. Such is the case with immigration, which is getting a lot of attention this election cycle. In today's writing tips newsletter, we share guidance for writing about immigration: https://lnkd.in/ghSK82Wc Our newsletter has also covered abortion and words that can signal bias. We'll drop the links to those editions in the comments.

Only 31% of Americans have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the media, according to a poll Gallup released this week. Meanwhile, 36% have no trust at all. Roughly the same number of Americans do not believe President Joe Biden was legitimately elected, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll. With another presidential election less than three weeks away, we want to help journalists report responsibly on election-related conspiracy theories and earn trust. That's why we worked with Modifier at Resolve Philly and Trusting News to develop a free guide with strategies for journalists navigating this media landscape. Download it at the link in comments.

Monday is Indigenous Peoples' Day. Use an apostrophe after the "s" in "Peoples." But, when you’re writing about Indigenous people, you should not use a possessive that implies they belong to a state or country. Learn more in our weekly writing tips newsletter at the link in comments.

Trust in news is about on par with Americans' belief in election-related conspiracy theories. But there are things journalists can do to help dissuade people of conspiratorial beliefs and earn trust with election coverage. In our new free guide, which we developed as part of our partnership with Trusting News and Modifier at Resolve Philly, we cover: 1️⃣ When and how to report on conspiracy theories 2️⃣ Choosing the right words to help ward off misinformation about the voting process 3️⃣ How to address accusations of bias 4️⃣ Labeling opinion content Download it at the link in comments.

CBS News pioneered some of the modern standards of journalism. And now, CBS News and Stations uses Stylebot to make its style guide and other key editorial workflow documents instantly accessible to journalists across the country. “Anytime we have a style question, Stylebot is our first line of defense,” Alison Linton, the executive producer of streaming for KOVR | CBS News Sacramento, said. Read more about how CBS stations nationwide made Stylebot a daily habit: https://lnkd.in/g6wz5Xnv

Journalists have a responsibility this election season to set appropriate expectations and ward off misinformation about voter fraud. Simple word choices can help. Learn more here and get free access to Stylebot through the Knight Foundation Election Hub: https://lnkd.in/ggPwAjPt

“The only asset any news organization actually has is trust and credibility.” - CalMatters CEO Neil Chase: https://lnkd.in/g8PJn_Db At Stylebot, we're working alongside you to build trust with your audience. That includes everything from helping your team get every comma and hyphen in the right place to sharing guidance on ethical and inclusive language to expanding our style guide with research-backed advice from Trusting News. You can get started now with one of our free resources on: 1️⃣ ethical and inclusive language: https://lnkd.in/gnx3Yn6y 2️⃣ common grammar mistakes: https://lnkd.in/giDW_G93