“The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law” publishes around May each year (in the past it published under other names including “The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual”). Currently, the AP publishes a spiral-bound version, although it is also possible to buy a paperback from the publisher Basic Books.
In new editions, the first few pages typically outline how guidance has changed compared to the previous year. This section usually includes terms or phrases that reflect big changes in culture, society or technology. In 2017, for example, the AP issued new guidance on the singular they and them, to account for people who don’t identify as male or female. 2017 also marked a new entry for fact checks and fake news. And in 2018, the stylebook added new guidance for augmented reality, how to quote emojis and, likely in response to the #MeToo movement, how to write about sexual harassment and misconduct.
The rest of the book is organized somewhat like a dictionary, with alphabetized entries for key words, concepts or phrases. Next come several longer sections, the order of which may change from one year to the next. In general, these are longer chapters dedicated to style, such as punctuation; journalistic practice, such as avoiding conflicts-of-interest; how to report on data, polls and surveys; broadcast journalism; how to cover common beats such as sports, religion, food and fashion; and a briefing on current media law, which covers key topics including First Amendment rights, defamation and copyright infringement.
The stylebook is primarily a reference guide rather than a document to be read cover-to-cover. Use the well-organized index to look up the recommend guidance for specific words and phrases. Reporters with a specific beat or who work with data should read the entire chapters dedicated to these topics. And investigative journalists — or anyone reporting contentious stories — should review the media briefing in full.
For editors who prefer digital over print, it is possible to subscribe to searchable online or mobile versions of the stylebook. The AP also offers plugins that can check a document for style, somewhat like the spellcheck function in Microscoft Word or GoogleDocs.