12 recent AP style changes

Keeping pace with AP Stylebook guidance is a tremendous way to catch a journalist’s eye.

Following AP style also keeps your writing tidy, clear and concise, so let’s dig into some recent changes and clarifications:

Elections

Associated Press journalists David Scott and Jerry Schwartz joined @APStylebook to discuss style questions for politics and polling.

Here are the top responses:

Winter weather

A winter weather chat with Paula Froke offered some helpful reminders:

Coworking vs. Co-worker

Coworking, no hyphen, refers to people who are sharing a workspace and amenities but are not working for the same employer. This applies to individuals who are self-employed or working remotely.

Co-worker, on the other hand, is used for a colleague within the same company.

HIPAA

HIPAA, the acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, generally should be avoided.

@APStylebook recommends referring instead to “privacy laws or the federal law restricting release of medical information.”

Make sure to explain HIPAA if it’s used.