ABSTRACT
Each newsroom should have its own style guide: a directory outlining how that organisation’s staff should spell certain words, write sentences and structure information. A choice quotation can add considerably to the flavour of a report, but there are hazards in using quotes in broadcasting. Broadcasters are able to follow events as they unfold, and most newsrooms heighten the sense of immediacy in their copy by using the present or perfect tenses. News is about what is happening, so even what is not happening should be expressed in an active, positive way. Writing for broadcast is writing to be read aloud. Sentences should be broken into groups of meaning and these should be separated by a visible pause. Semicolons and colons do not work well because they are visually too similar to the full stop or comma. Ambiguity offers the audience a rich source of humour at the newsreader’s expense.
