Every country has news consumers—and news avoiders—who are media illiterate. OJ-UGANDA’s media literacy section exists to change that. Follow along.

You have probably heard sceptics and cynics alike say that journalism is a free-for-all. That it is not a real profession and that anyone can work as a journalist.

When the cynics talk about professions, they mention architecture, engineering, law, medicine, etc—and say little or nothing about journalism.

But this opinion is not grounded in fact. Anyone who has worked in a proper newsroom will tell you that journalism is a profession just like any other. It has the code of ethics and editorial guidelines, all of which are a marker of professionalism. 

In fact, how editorial guidelines and rules are enforced helps set real professional news organisations apart from unprofessional ones that are only seeking to push a certain agenda or to spread disinformation and misinformation.

Information that news organisations share with the public, apart from being fact checked, has to conform to something many news consumers do not often hear about: the style guide.

The style guide—a detailed, evolving document that spells out the dos and don’ts for writing/presenting news—is normally written by senior journalists, people with solid editorial experience and a good understanding of what works for news consumers and what confuses them.

They share the style guide with the newsroom, and editorial staff deliberate on it before it is adopted. Copy editors or subeditors police the use of the style guide, although all editorial staff have to ensure they adhere to it.

Depending on the size of a news organisation, the style guide can be a voluminous document, with hundreds of pages. But small news organisations can do with brief style guides since their news reporting often focuses on the local community.

The style guide also deals with abbreviations and acronyms, punctuation, whether names of people should have honorifics (Mr, Miss), whether names with accents (José, André ) or umlauts (Jürgen, Chloë) should have those accents and umlauts.

Currency symbols ($, £), English usage (American or British), temperature scale (Celsius or Fahrenheit), units of distance (miles or kilometres) and weight (kilograms or kg) are all governed by the style guide.

Consistency

There is no wrong or correct approach in applying the style guide as long as logic is not tossed out. What matters is consistency, and it is non-negotiable. When in doubt, copy editors, reporters and editors consult the style guide, not Google or ChatGPT.

Consistency means that if, for example, the Economist spells names such as Jose Maria Aznar (former Spanish prime minister) with accents and those of Germans such as Jürgen Klopp with umlauts, it does not make exceptions. Otherwise, “Jürgen” in one sentence and “Jurgen” in another signals to the reader that the style guide is not followed properly.

Style guides are updated according to the prevailing situations and the news ecosystem. In 2019, the Guardian adopted a new name for “climate change”, replacing it with “climate crisis” because it appropriately describes the climate problems many countries are grappling with.

Journalists compiling style guides wade into far weightier terrain: the politics of language. Governments fight armed groups, and some groups have valid reasons for taking up arms. So, what do you call an armed group fighting a government—rebels, insurgents, terrorists or freedom fighters? The choice has political implications.

That is why many style guides avoid the word “terrorist” altogether, arguing that it carries moral judgement, not just description.

And why does a style guide matter? Why should readers care?

It gives content professional garnish, sharpens a publication’s identity and serves as a stamp of editorial discipline.

When you see a hyphen in a news article where you expected it, or a name spelled with an umlaut where the umlaut should be, that is professionalism at work.

To the average reader, the style guide is invisible—but it is essential to producing quality journalism. In an era of AI-generated content and viral misinformation, it helps set professional news outlets apart from content producers and social media influencers.

CORRECTION: This article originally stated that the Guardian changed its style guide to replace “climate change” with “climate crisis” in 2022. The correct date is May 2019.

🔴 If you care about truth, credibility and understanding how journalism really works, media literacy is essential. Follow OJ-UGANDA’s media literacy section to sharpen your news sense and separate fact from fiction. Media literacy is your weapon against misinformation, manipulation and media distrust.