AP stylebooks

Is it unreasonable for me to expect my employer to provide me with a new stylebook? Not every year, but perhaps every couple years. Ours are five years old and some shit I just don't know about anymore.

 

Does it have an entry for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics? Because the first stylebook at my first job had one. It was 2001.

 

Some papers have electronic versions of AP stylebooks for everyone to view.

 

That would've been an unreasonable request at the small rag I worked for, but not many people in the newsroom knew what the AP was. They also thought 15 cents a mile was more than enough when gas was $3 a gallon.


hell yes they should update your stylebook!!!

 

The AP stylebook also is online. Don't know what access costs, though.

 

www.apstylebook.com

If your paper is a member, you can get individual Web access for $15. General access (for non-member papers) is $25. You can also get site licenses.

http://www.apbookstore.com/onsu.html

 

Maybe you should try memorizing it. What the hell were you doing for four years at journalism school?

 

I still use one my h.s. journalism teacher gave me in 92 ...

 

Some of us didn't go to journalism school...

 

Well, it's still good advice. In J-school, I had a class where we were quizzed on several chapters of the book every day. I thought then that it was dumb but now I'm thankful it's burned into my memory.

 

I didn't say it wasn't good advice. I'm just pointing out that you shouldn't assume that everyone went to J-school for four years (or even one year in a master's program).

 

If your employer doesn't provide updated books every couple of years and doesn't pay for access to the electronic version, that ought to tell you everything you need to know about the kind of product it wants to put out.