Dateline
 | The examples and perspective in thisdeal primarily with the United States and do not represent aworldwide viewof the subject.(August 2021) |
Adatelineis a brief piece of text included innewsarticles that describes where and when the story was written or filed,[1]though the date is often omitted. In the case of articles reprinted fromwire services,the distributing organization is also included (though the originating one is not). Datelines are traditionally placed on the first line of the text of the article, before the first sentence.
Format[edit]
The location appears first, usually starting with thecityin which thereporterhas written or dispatched the report.[2]City names are usually printed in uppercase, though this can vary from one publication to another. Thepolitical divisionand/ornationthe city is in may follow, but they may be dropped if the city name is widely recognizable due to its size or political importance (a nationalcapital,for instance). The date of the report comes after, followed by anem dashsurrounded by spaces, and then the article.
A typical newspaper dateline might read:
BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 2 — The outlook was uncertain today as...
The same story, if pulled from theUnited Press Internationalwire, might appear with the UPI identifier as:
BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 2 (UPI) — The outlook was uncertain today as...
Datelines can take on some unusual forms. When reporters collaborate on a story, two different locations might be listed.[3]UPI and theAssociated Pressomit a dateline "when a story has been assembled from sources in widely separate areas."[4][5]In other cases, the exact location may be unknown or intentionally imprecise, such as when profiling a riverboat plying its route,[6]when coveringmilitaryoperations while on ashipat sea or following an invasion force, or when covering a press conference aboard an airplane.[7]
Other media[edit]
The concept of a dateline has been adapted totelevision.Reporters on news programs might have their location mentioned in an introduction from thenews anchor:
"Here now from Albuquerque, New Mexico, is reporter Nigel Culpepper"
A field reporter might also end his stories by combining the location from where he filed the report with a "lockout" (the last thing a reporter says in the report, and includes his name and station ID, in addition to a news branding such asEyewitness News); especially if the segment is recorded and not live. For example, the last bit of a report could sound like:
"... prompting an investigation into the matter. Richard Morris, BBC News, London."
A number ofcurrent affairsTV shows havedatelineas part of their name.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Zelizer, Barbie; Allan, Stuart (2010).Keywords in News and Journalism Studies.Milton Keynes: Open University Press. p. 29.ISBN978-0-335-22183-7.
- ^Moos, Julie."Datelines, Bylines, Other Lines".Poynter Institute.Retrieved2017-02-19.
- ^Martin, Paul (2010).The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide to Business Style and Usage.New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 34.ISBN978-1-4516-0364-4.
- ^Cook, Bruce, ed. (2004).UPI Stylebook and Guide to Newswriting(4th ed.). Herndon, Virginia: Capital Books Inc. p. 67.ISBN978-1931868587.
- ^Goldstein, Norm, ed. (1998).The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual(33rd ed.). New York: Associated Press. p. 58.ISBN0-917360-16-8.
- ^Hamill, Sean D. (2007-10-25)."A Riverboat Could Be Cruising to the End of the Line".The New York Times.Retrieved2023-02-05.
ON THECUMBERLAND RIVER,Tenn.
- ^Horowitz, Jason (2019-02-05)."Pope Acknowledges Priests and Bishops Have Sexually Abused Nuns".The New York Times.Retrieved2019-02-05.
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE