newsroom-style

Name: newsroom-style
Author: jamditis

156installs57forks

How to install newsroom-style?

jamditis/claude-skills-journalism/newsroom-style

$npx -y skills add jamditis/claude-skills-journalism --skill newsroom-style

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Enforce AP Style and newsroom conventions for journalism writing. Use when writing news articles, editing drafts, creating headlines, or converting notes into publishable copy. Ensures professional standards for attribution, numbers, dates, and formatting.

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SKILL.md

1	# Newsroom style guide
2
3	Write like a professional journalist. Follow AP Style. Keep it tight.
4
5	## When to use
6
7	- Writing news articles, briefs, or headlines
8	- Editing drafts for publication
9	- Converting interview notes into publishable copy
10	- Writing press releases or media advisories
11	- Creating social media posts for news content
12
13	## Core AP Style rules
14
15	### Numbers
16
17	\| Rule \| Example \|
18	\|------\|---------\|
19	\| Spell out one through nine \| "three witnesses" not "3 witnesses" \|
20	\| Use numerals for 10 and above \| "15 people attended" \|
21	\| Always use numerals for ages \| "a 5-year-old girl" \|
22	\| Always use numerals for percentages \| AP allows the `%` symbol with numerals (`5%`) since 2019; some publications still spell out "percent" as house style \|
23	\| Always use numerals for addresses \| "123 Main St." \|
24	\| Always use numerals for money \| "$5 million" not "five million dollars" \|
25	\| Spell out first through ninth for ordinals \| "first place" but "10th anniversary" \|
26
27	Exception: Never start a sentence with a numeral. Rewrite or spell out.
28
29	### Titles and names
30
31	\| Rule \| Example \|
32	\|------\|---------\|
33	\| Capitalize formal titles before names \| "Mayor Jane Smith said..." \|
34	\| Lowercase titles after names \| "Jane Smith, the mayor, said..." \|
35	\| Lowercase titles standing alone \| "The mayor said..." \|
36	\| No courtesy titles on second reference \| First: "Jane Smith." Second: "Smith" \|
37	\| Use full name on first reference \| "Jane Smith" not "Smith" or "Ms. Smith" \|
38
39	Exceptions:
40	- Use courtesy titles in obituaries
41	- Some publications use them for all subjects (house style)
42
43	### Attribution
44
45	\| Do \| Don't \|
46	\|----\|-------\|
47	\| "said" \| "stated," "remarked," "noted," "expressed" \|
48	\| Attribution after quote \| Attribution before quote \|
49	\| At first natural pause \| At awkward break \|
50
51	Examples:
52
53	Bad: Mayor Smith stated, "We are committed to this project."
54
55	Good: "We are committed to this project," Mayor Smith said.
56
57	Good: "We are committed to this project," said Mayor Jane Smith, who has pushed for the development since 2022.
58
59	### Dates and times
60
61	Months:
62	- Abbreviate: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
63	- Don't abbreviate: March, April, May, June, July
64	- Only abbreviate with specific dates: "Sept. 15" but "September 2025"
65
66	Times:
67	- Use figures with a.m./p.m.: "9 a.m." not "9:00 a.m."
68	- Noon and midnight: Use the words, not "12 p.m." or "12 a.m."
69	- Time ranges: "9 a.m. to 5 p.m." or "9-11 a.m."
70
71	Days:
72	- Capitalize days of the week
73	- Don't abbreviate except in tables
74	- Use "Tuesday" not "on Tuesday" when possible
75
76	### Common word choices
77
78	\| Use \| Instead of \|
79	\|-----\|-----------\|
80	\| more than \| over (for quantities) \|
81	\| fewer \| less (for countable items) \|
82	\| less \| fewer (for mass nouns) \|
83	\| that \| which (for restrictive clauses) \|
84	\| which \| that (for nonrestrictive clauses) \|
85	\| said \| stated, remarked, noted \|
86	\| about \| approximately \|
87	\| because \| due to the fact that \|
88
89	### Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive clauses
90
91	Restrictive (essential, use "that"):
92	> The bill that passed yesterday includes tax cuts.
93
94	(Which bill? The one that passed yesterday.)
95
96	Nonrestrictive (extra info, use "which" + comma):
97	> The bill, which passed yesterday, includes tax cuts.
98
99	(We already know which bill; the passage is extra info.)
100
101	## Formatting rules
102
103	### Paragraphs
104	- Keep paragraphs short: 1-3 sentences
105	- One idea per paragraph
106	- Break up long quotes into multiple paragraphs
107
108	### Headlines
109	- Use sentence case, not title case
110	- No periods at the end
111	- Use present tense for past events: "Council approves budget"
112	- Use infinitive for future events: "Mayor to announce plan"
113	- No exclamation points in hard news
114
115	### Quotation marks
116	- Periods and commas always go inside
117	- Colons and semicolons always go outside
118	- Question marks and exclamation points: inside if part of quote, outside if not
119
120	### Abbreviations
121	- Spell out on first reference, then abbreviate
122	- Don't use periods in most abbreviations: FBI, CIA, NATO
123	- State abbreviations: Use postal codes (NY, CA) only with full addresses; otherwise use AP abbreviations or spell out
124
125	## Ledes (opening paragraphs)
126
127	### The inverted pyramid
128	Most important information first. Answer the key questions:
129	- Who is involved?
130	- What happened?
131	- When did it happen?
132	- Where did it happen?
133	- Why did it happen? (if known)
134	- How did it happen? (if relevant)
135
136	### Lede length
137	- Aim for 35 words or fewer
138	- One sentence is ideal
139	- Focus on the news, not background
140
141	Too long:
142	> The city council, which has been debating the issue for several months and heard from dozens of residents at multiple public meetings, voted Tuesday night to approve a controversial new zoning ordinance tha

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Type

newsroom-style

156installs57forks

View on GitHub

How to install newsroom-style?

jamditis/claude-skills-journalism/newsroom-style

$npx -y skills add jamditis/claude-skills-journalism --skill newsroom-style

Installs into the current project.

Summary

Files · 1

View on GitHub

SKILL.md

1	# Newsroom style guide
2
3	Write like a professional journalist. Follow AP Style. Keep it tight.
4
5	## When to use
6
7	- Writing news articles, briefs, or headlines
8	- Editing drafts for publication
9	- Converting interview notes into publishable copy
10	- Writing press releases or media advisories
11	- Creating social media posts for news content
12
13	## Core AP Style rules
14
15	### Numbers
16
17	\| Rule \| Example \|
18	\|------\|---------\|
19	\| Spell out one through nine \| "three witnesses" not "3 witnesses" \|
20	\| Use numerals for 10 and above \| "15 people attended" \|
21	\| Always use numerals for ages \| "a 5-year-old girl" \|
22	\| Always use numerals for percentages \| AP allows the `%` symbol with numerals (`5%`) since 2019; some publications still spell out "percent" as house style \|
23	\| Always use numerals for addresses \| "123 Main St." \|
24	\| Always use numerals for money \| "$5 million" not "five million dollars" \|
25	\| Spell out first through ninth for ordinals \| "first place" but "10th anniversary" \|
26
27	Exception: Never start a sentence with a numeral. Rewrite or spell out.
28
29	### Titles and names
30
31	\| Rule \| Example \|
32	\|------\|---------\|
33	\| Capitalize formal titles before names \| "Mayor Jane Smith said..." \|
34	\| Lowercase titles after names \| "Jane Smith, the mayor, said..." \|
35	\| Lowercase titles standing alone \| "The mayor said..." \|
36	\| No courtesy titles on second reference \| First: "Jane Smith." Second: "Smith" \|
37	\| Use full name on first reference \| "Jane Smith" not "Smith" or "Ms. Smith" \|
38
39	Exceptions:
40	- Use courtesy titles in obituaries
41	- Some publications use them for all subjects (house style)
42
43	### Attribution
44
45	\| Do \| Don't \|
46	\|----\|-------\|
47	\| "said" \| "stated," "remarked," "noted," "expressed" \|
48	\| Attribution after quote \| Attribution before quote \|
49	\| At first natural pause \| At awkward break \|
50
51	Examples:
52
53	Bad: Mayor Smith stated, "We are committed to this project."
54
55	Good: "We are committed to this project," Mayor Smith said.
56
57	Good: "We are committed to this project," said Mayor Jane Smith, who has pushed for the development since 2022.
58
59	### Dates and times
60
61	Months:
62	- Abbreviate: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
63	- Don't abbreviate: March, April, May, June, July
64	- Only abbreviate with specific dates: "Sept. 15" but "September 2025"
65
66	Times:
67	- Use figures with a.m./p.m.: "9 a.m." not "9:00 a.m."
68	- Noon and midnight: Use the words, not "12 p.m." or "12 a.m."
69	- Time ranges: "9 a.m. to 5 p.m." or "9-11 a.m."
70
71	Days:
72	- Capitalize days of the week
73	- Don't abbreviate except in tables
74	- Use "Tuesday" not "on Tuesday" when possible
75
76	### Common word choices
77
78	\| Use \| Instead of \|
79	\|-----\|-----------\|
80	\| more than \| over (for quantities) \|
81	\| fewer \| less (for countable items) \|
82	\| less \| fewer (for mass nouns) \|
83	\| that \| which (for restrictive clauses) \|
84	\| which \| that (for nonrestrictive clauses) \|
85	\| said \| stated, remarked, noted \|
86	\| about \| approximately \|
87	\| because \| due to the fact that \|
88
89	### Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive clauses
90
91	Restrictive (essential, use "that"):
92	> The bill that passed yesterday includes tax cuts.
93
94	(Which bill? The one that passed yesterday.)
95
96	Nonrestrictive (extra info, use "which" + comma):
97	> The bill, which passed yesterday, includes tax cuts.
98
99	(We already know which bill; the passage is extra info.)
100
101	## Formatting rules
102
103	### Paragraphs
104	- Keep paragraphs short: 1-3 sentences
105	- One idea per paragraph
106	- Break up long quotes into multiple paragraphs
107
108	### Headlines
109	- Use sentence case, not title case
110	- No periods at the end
111	- Use present tense for past events: "Council approves budget"
112	- Use infinitive for future events: "Mayor to announce plan"
113	- No exclamation points in hard news
114
115	### Quotation marks
116	- Periods and commas always go inside
117	- Colons and semicolons always go outside
118	- Question marks and exclamation points: inside if part of quote, outside if not
119
120	### Abbreviations
121	- Spell out on first reference, then abbreviate
122	- Don't use periods in most abbreviations: FBI, CIA, NATO
123	- State abbreviations: Use postal codes (NY, CA) only with full addresses; otherwise use AP abbreviations or spell out
124
125	## Ledes (opening paragraphs)
126
127	### The inverted pyramid
128	Most important information first. Answer the key questions:
129	- Who is involved?
130	- What happened?
131	- When did it happen?
132	- Where did it happen?
133	- Why did it happen? (if known)
134	- How did it happen? (if relevant)
135
136	### Lede length
137	- Aim for 35 words or fewer
138	- One sentence is ideal
139	- Focus on the news, not background
140
141	Too long:
142	> The city council, which has been debating the issue for several months and heard from dozens of residents at multiple public meetings, voted Tuesday night to approve a controversial new zoning ordinance tha

People who liked this also viewed

6 picks

Type