dpa Style: Introduction

These guidelines lay out some clear and simple rules for the writing and presentation of stories. Try to follow them. It's irritating to see somebody's title, like a government minister's, in lower case one day and capitalized the next. There is a mass of seemingly small details like this which separately may not seem important. But pulling them together into order makes for a much more professional-looking product.

The reader is primarily interested in what you have to say. The way you say it may encourage him to read on. Simple English is best. dpa copy must be easily understood and easy to translate.

Reduce the lead paragraph to the minimum information needed for clarity. Do not clutter it with references that become clear only when explained lower in the story. If a newspaper is the source, it is sufficient simply to say "a news report said" in the first sentence and name the specific publication lower down in the text.

Try to avoid the passive voice. Use active verbs whenever possible.

Assume that readers are unfamiliar with a story. Include all essential background to satisfy the demands of a varied and international readership.

The verb "said" is usually the best, neutral choice for any attribution. Beware of "announced", as only competent authorities have the right to make announcements.

Stories should have a source unless the correspondent witnessed the event himself. The source is usually contained in the lead paragraph. Where several sources report on an event that obviously did take place, a reference in the lead to "news reports said" may be dispensed with. See also: Business.

When giving a total, followed by a list - nations attending a conference, seats in a parliament - double check to make sure the list and total tally. Avoid saying, "The minister will visit Rome ...", because the minister could be run over by a bus before then: it is better to say he was due/scheduled or planned to visit.

dpa style is to use British English rather than American English for spelling: theatre not "theater", defence not "defense" (see also: Capitalization), colour not "color", programme not "program".

If there is any doubt about the spelling of a word, consult The Concise Oxford Dictionary!