BA
(for British Airways) ie both caps. It should be used only after a first reference where the title is given in full. The same abbreviation is used for Bachelor of Arts.
Baa-Baas
(rugby union) ie two words, both capped, hyphenated, no apostrophe. Acceptable abbreviation - but only after a first reference has spelled out The Barbarians.
Baath
(ruling party in Syria - and formerly in the late Saddam Hussein's Iraq) ie without an internal apostrophe.
babies/toddlers
A child up to 12 months can be described as a baby. A toddler is generally aged one or two.
backbench
ie one word (eg backbench unrest, backbencher). But two words for back benches.
bacteria
is a plural - the singular is bacterium. They cause food poisoning, cholera, typhoid etc, and may be treated with antibiotics. Not to be confused with viruses, which are smaller organisms - not susceptible to antibiotics - which cause influenza, measles, mumps, chicken pox, Aids etc.
bad news
is, like "good news", a term never to be used unqualified, because it is subjective. A rise in interest rates is bad news for housebuyers, but good news for savers. Just say what has happened - and let the punters decide.
BAE Systems
And not "BAe" (it is the former British Aerospace).
bail/bale
Use bail for the temporary release of someone awaiting trial. To bail out is to help a company or person with financial problems (noun: bailout). Use bale out for removing water from a boat, or jumping out of a plane.
balance of payments
is not the same as the trade balance, which involves only visible imports and exports. The balance of payments includes so-called invisibles: earnings from the City, international insurance, tourism etc.
Bank holiday
ie lower case, unless a specific one (eg: the Spring Bank Holiday). Note that some bank holidays do not apply across the whole of the UK.
Bank of England
Should be spelled out at first reference, but can be trimmed later to BoE. NB: interest rates are set by the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (which can be abbreviated at second reference to MPC).
bankruptcy
A UK company should never be described as "going bankrupt" since, under UK law, this can only happen to individuals (who file a petition for bankruptcy). The technical situation for a company in financial crisis is that it faces the possibility of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), administration, receivership or winding-up. Use the proper technical description in the top four pars (eg: Smith Scaffolding has gone into administration). Elsewhere, it is acceptable to say simply that a company has collapsed or gone bust.
Outside the UK, the term bankruptcy can be valid. In the US, for example, companies can go bankrupt or enter bankruptcy protection. The best-known form of bankruptcy protection is called "Chapter 11", which allows a company to continue to operate while all claims from debtors or the company are put on hold. If using the term, explain what Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection means.
Bar, the
(barristers) ie with capital "B".
Barclays Bank
ie no apostrophe.
Basel
(city in Switzerland) ie not "Basle". Our style conforms to the rules on banking supervision and the football team.
±«Óătv
Say the ±«Óătv in references to the organisation that makes announcements, decisions and programmes (eg The ±«Óătv is to devote more money to sports coverage). For news-related items, say eg ±«Óătv News understands that... or Our correspondent has learned... For news online, say the ±«Óătv News website (ie website, lower case).
Do not start your first sentence with "The ±«Óătv..." The aim should be to convey the news - not to wave the ±«Óătv flag. Always check ±«Óătv quotes from other sources with the ±«Óătv press office.
±«Óătv networks
Stick with the official titles for ±«Óătv networks, even when this involves extra characters.
For the TV networks, say: ±«Óătv One, ±«Óătv Two, ±«Óătv Three, ±«Óătv Four, CBeebies, C±«Óătv, ±«Óătv News channel, ±«Óătv World News, ±«Óătv Parliament.
Write ±«Óătv Radio 1, ±«Óătv Radio 2, ±«Óătv Radio 3, ±«Óătv Radio 4, ±«Óătv Radio 4 Extra, ±«Óătv Radio 5 Live and ±«Óătv Radio 5 Live sports extra.
The word "Radio" does not feature in either ±«Óătv 6 Music or 1Xtra - which is also without a "±«Óătv" label. Elsewhere: ±«Óătv Asian Network, ±«Óătv World Service.
Note that some ±«Óătv local radio stations do not have the word "Radio" in their title (eg ±«Óătv Essex).
Non-±«Óătv TV channels include Sky One, ITV, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and Channel 4.
Channel 5, which for a time was known as Five, has reverted to its original name.
BC
(before Christ) ie unpunctuated. It goes after the year - eg: 100BC, with no gap. Avoid BCE (Before Common Era) unless justified by a particular historical, religious or academic context.
beg the question
Often misused. The dictionary definition is "to assume in an argument the truth of something which is part of what is to be proved". Best avoided.
Belarus
formerly part of the Soviet Union as Byelorussia; now independent. Adjective, Belarusian.
Benelux
comprises Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
best-seller, best-selling
ie with hyphens.
between
is correctly used when only two parties are involved (eg: talks between Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn). If there are more than two parties, use "among" (eg: talks among cabinet ministers).
Beverley/Beverly Hills
The town in Yorkshire is Beverley with an "e" before the "y". There is no third "e" in California's Beverly Hills.
biannual/biennial
These are often confused: biannual means twice a year; biennial means every two years. (Plants that complete their lifecycle in two years are biennials.) Best to avoid both.
Bible/bible
The original gets an initial cap. Otherwise, lower case (eg: The footballer's bible).
bid
May serve as substitute for "attempt", but should primarily be used to mean "financial bid", as in auctions, company takeovers and the football transfer market - as well as campaigns to stage the Olympics, and similar events.
Big Society
Our style is to cap up this government initiative - no quote marks.
Bill/bill
In a parliamentary context, use caps for the full title (eg: the Health Bill). Otherwise, lower case (eg: Pressure is growing for a new education bill).
billion
Spell the word out, except in headlines, or when using it with currencies (eg: ÂŁ3˛ú˛Ô).
Bin Laden
Former al-Qaeda leader who died in 2011. Always with a capital "B". At first mention, Osama Bin Laden. Afterwards, Bin Laden (never Mr). He was Saudi-born, but was not "a Saudi citizen", as he was stripped of his citizenship.
Biro
Do not use generically - it is a trademark. Say: ballpoint pen.
Bishops
Bishops (both Anglican and Roman Catholic) are consecrated (whereas priests are ordained, and deacons made). At first reference, say eg The Bishop of St Albans, the Right Reverend John Smith or, if he has a doctorate, The Bishop of St Albans, Dr John Smith. Afterwards, Bishop Smith or Dr Smith. If in doubt, check in Crockford's Clerical Directory for Anglicans; via the diocesan website; or the Catholic Media Office for Roman Catholics.
bits/bytes
There are eight bits in a byte. Historically, memory (hard drives, file sizes etc) is measured in bytes - kilobytes (kB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), terabytes (TB). However, data rates/speeds or capacities of fibres and networks are quoted in bits (megabits per second, Mbps) eg: Bloggsnet is offering broadband at 20Mbps and a contract comes with a free 16GB USB stick.
black box
Although they tend to be orange, flight recorders are widely known and described as "black boxes". But we should clarify what it is at first reference - Divers are searching for the "black box" flight recorder - and use quotes in headlines. Be aware there are two recorders – a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder – that may be together or in separate containers.
black, in the
Avoid this phrase. It means "in profit" for a UK audience, but exactly the opposite for some other English speakers.
blast
Should not be used in sentences such as: "The prime minister has blasted his own supporters." Say: criticised or condemned.
blind
Write about blind people - not "the blind".
blond/blonde
Use blond of a man, and blonde of a woman.
Boat Race, the
ie initial caps.
bomb warning/hoax
Should not normally be reported - unless there is a strong news angle (eg: significant disruption).
book titles
Use initial caps, with short "link" words in lower case: eg: Far from the Madding Crowd. No italics or quotation marks.
Boots
(the chemists) ie no apostrophe.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Formerly part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina emerged in its present form after the end of the Bosnian war in 1995. Spell it with a hyphen (rather than the official title, which is "Bosnia and Herzegovina") and with a "z" in Herzegovina rather than a "c".
Citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina should be referred to as Bosnians, unless their ethnicity or religion is of particular relevance.
The Dayton accords formalised the division of the country into two parts - the Bosnian Serb republic (Republika Srpska) and the Bosniak-Croat Federation. Most Bosniaks are Muslims.
When referring to these groups separately, they should be called Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims).
In stories specifically about Bosniaks, it may be useful to include this line of background: "The Bosniak people, most of whom are Muslims, are descended from Bosnian Slavs who adopted Islam under Ottoman Turkish rule in the Middle Ages."
It is wrong to call the Bosnian conflict a "civil" war, because neighbouring countries were involved. Stick to "war" or "conflict".
bottom line
is a cliché. Do not use it unless you are quoting someone, or referring literally to the bottom line of a company balance sheet.
bourse
is a French word, favoured by some agencies. Use the English: stock market or stock exchange.
brackets, square
Use these, not round brackets, for interpolations within quotes: eg: Reacting to the news, Mr Smith said: "He [President Brown] must not back down."
Brands Hatch
ie it has no apostrophe.
Brexit
It’s Brexit, with an initial cap. When referring back to the referendum, it was the Leave and Remain campaigns (initial caps, no quotation marks). The deal struck between the UK government and the European Union is the withdrawal agreement (lower case) and the outline statement on how both sides wish to get along is the political declaration (lower case). Likewise, it’s the backstop plan and the transition period. No-deal is only hyphenated when used adjectivally, eg “What does a no-deal Brexit actually mean?”, otherwise not, eg “Cleverly says no deal better than no Brexit”.
In line with our style guide ruling on parliamentary bills, it’s the Withdrawal Agreement Bill at first mention, the bill at second reference. The acronym Wab and the initialism WAB should be avoided and in direct quotes replaced with [Withdrawal Agreement Bill] at first mention and [bill] at second reference.
Similarly, in line with our style guide ruling on acts of parliament, it’s the Fixed-term Parliaments Act at first mention, the act at second reference.
- ±őłŮ’s&˛Ô˛ú˛ő±č;Brexit, with an initial cap. When referring back to the referendum, it was the Leave and Remain campaigns (initial caps, no quotation marks). But lower case and quotes when talking about “l±đ˛ą±ą±đ°ů˛ő” and “r±đłľ˛ąľ±˛Ô±đ°ů˛ő”. The deal struck between the UK government and the European Union is the withdrawal agreement (lower case) and the outline statement on how both sides wish to get along is the political declaration (lower case). Likewise, it’s the backstop plan and the transition period.
Britain
(aka Great Britain) is made up of England, Scotland and Wales; the United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland. The British Isles also include the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. However, it is a term that can be frowned on in Ireland, so if using it ensure it is employed correctly.
British law
There is no such thing. England and Wales have a separate legal system from Scotland. Northern Ireland's system is similar to England and Wales.
BSE
It stands for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The alternative, mad cow disease, should be in quotation marks at first reference.
BTec
(a vocational qualification, available at various levels, from the equivalent of GCSEs to professional diplomas.) ie with both the "B" and the "T" capped up. Plural is BTecs.
Budget/budget
Use an initial cap for the Westminster extravaganza. Otherwise, lower case (Reeves's Budget; Reeves's pre-Budget report; the Australian budget).
bullet points
If, for example, someone has three objections to a pay deal, then use bullet points to summarise them, and then explain in more detail. They are easier to read on screen than dense paragraphs of text.
If the items in a bullet point list are complete sentences in themselves, then each should start with a capital letter, and in general end with no punctuation: eg:
There is more than one way to cook potatoes.
- You can roast them in the oven
- You can mash them with milk and butter
- You can fry them in a pan
If the items are not complete sentences, they should start with a lower case letter, and again omit punctuation at the end: eg:
If you want to cook potatoes, you can
- roast them in the oven
- mash them with milk and butter
- fry them in a pan
Single-word lists of nouns should also start with a lower case letter: eg:
Teachers think they are getting a raw deal in three areas:
- pay
- hours
- pensions
The exception on punctuation is that we do include a question mark after each item if that is what logic would suggest: eg:
Is the first thing you think about in the morning
- your headache?
- your shower?
- your breakfast?
This is also true with complete sentence lists. Eg:
There are three questions you should ask yourself each morning:
- Why am I here?
- Who is this person?
- Where are my clothes?
bullseye
ie no apostrophe.
Bundestag
ie initial cap. We should make clear at first reference it is the lower house of the German parliament. Elections for the Bundestag are held every four years.
burka
is our favoured spelling for this form of Islamic veil, which covers the entire face and body.
Burma
We should use Myanmar rather than Burma in headlines and summaries. Inside the body of our stories, preferably on first mention, we should include the wording "Myanmar, formerly known as Burma". Further references should be to Myanmar. We should talk about the main commercial city as "Yangon, also known as Rangoon", and thereafter Yangon. The name of the capital is Nay Pyi Taw.
businessmen
Use only if they really are all men. Otherwise, say business people, a business audience, business executives etc.
by-election
ie no "e" - and with a hyphen.
by-law
ie no "e" - and with a hyphen.
bylines
The tag in the CPS production system will enable you to provide:
a) a first line beginning By (capped) and then giving the person's name.
b) a second line giving further information
Examples:
By Zoe McGuire
±«Óătv News, Birmingham
By Jonathan Garrod
±«Óătv Stories
By Paula Harris
±«Óătv News
Specialist non-correspondents should be called reporter, not "staff" or "writer" etc (initial cap, then lower case) eg:
By Kevin Robertson
Political reporter, ±«Óătv News
By Christine Peters
Health reporter, ±«Óătv News
Refer to specialist ±«Óătv correspondents and editors as follows:
By Peter Bywater
Political editor, ±«Óătv News
By Jane McGuire
Business editor, ±«Óătv News
By Mark Morgan
Transport correspondent, ±«Óătv News
We should refer to (non-specialist) overseas ±«Óătv correspondents as belonging to "±«Óătv News" and give their location. So examples would be:
By Simon Hargreaves
±«Óătv News, Beirut
By Peter James
±«Óătv News, Washington
By Melanie Buford
±«Óătv News, Brussels
Pieces of original journalism by non-staff should normally follow a similar pattern: ie the first line of a byline should consist of the name only eg:
By Niall Ferguson
If relevant, a job description or a location can be added as a second line eg:
By Nicola Horlick
Investment fund manager
However, it will sometimes be preferable with high-profile outside contributors to give further information not as a second line but as a more detailed standfirst, in bold eg: Nicola Horlick has run a number of successful investment funds and earned the nickname Superwoman for having a high-flying career and bringing up five children. If the expert has a rather lower profile, stick with the one-line job description at the top, and add a longer note at the end of the story. This should be written in italics (not bold).
We do not use correspondents' bylines with on-demand video and audio pages. The convention is to go with ±«Óătv News as a label; Sport, where appropriate, say ±«Óătv Sport.
bypass
ie no "e" - and no hyphen.