Updated Dont's list

Business letters:

·         Don’t center address on envelope

·         Don’t put your information at top of business letter

·         Envelopes: your name; name and title of the person youre writing, name of organization.

·         Salutations: Don’t use comma, use a colon in business situation.

·         Dates: every letter must be dated

·         Your address: if youre using letterhead, don’t write your address on the letter of the envelope.

·         Ending: Thank you, yours truly, very truly yours, etc.

 

When covering a speech:

·         Conduct research before the speech or meeting

·         Arrive early

·         Mingle before and after

·         Interview the speaker following the meeting and ask questions as he/she leaves

·         Get reaction from relevant people affected by the speech or meeting and those who couldaffect the outcome

·         Avoid interviewing irrelevant people

·         Ask the clerk for information to clarify things about which youre uncertain

·         Ask yourself whether you have enough info to compose a balanced, fair article before leaving.

Others:

·         Avoid putting the time element anywhere but next to the verb

·         Keep lead paragraphs short and don’t ask questions

·         Avoid inappropriate verbs in the lead paragraphs. Use Said.

o   Spoke, addressed, discussed, covered, stood, met, hosted, held.

·         Avoid backing into the story

·         Avoid a lack of balance

·         Avoid calling adults by their first names

·         Don’t use direct quotations of unimportant statements.

·         Avoid referencing budget stories without providing budgetary amounts

·         Avoid misspelled words

·         Avoid use of clichés – such as beat the drums

·         Avoid factual errors

·         Don’t use numbers at beginning of a sentence

·         Don’t babble

·         Don’t ask questions. You don’t want reader to have to think.

·         Use correct AP style

·         Use proper capitalization

·         There was/There were

·         Don’t say “some people:

·         Use proper Dates – (not today, last Saturday, Monday, etc.)

·         Don’t say feel, think

·         Preachers = the Rev, If they have a doctorate = the Rev. Dr. ________

·         Don’t use over when you mean more than

·         Weak verb forms: called for, look up, intends on , stated, etc

·         Infinitives: Don’t split them up (to + a word)

·         Attributions: Identifiy the speaker of quutations after the first pause (middle of quote).

·         The words mention: Don’t use it.

·         Happy: Don’t say happy, excited in their various forms

·         Speak, spoke: Avoid spoke in all its forms.

·         Apples and oranges: Avoid in leads and second paragraphs.

·         Avoid non sequiturs.

·         Don’t be a secretary: Avoid statements about at the beginning of the speech, at the end of the speech, etc.

·         Acronyms: Avoid Southeastern Conference (SEC) use SEC