Good writing is important to journalists, but it is especially important to BBC writers.Along with our commitment to accuracy, impartiality and fairness, it is part of our contract with the licence fee payer. A listener, Dr D.S. King, wrote from Essex: The BBC is listened to throughout the world and should be a beacon of correct English.

Listeners and viewers look to the BBC to maintain high standards. It is a responsibility that should be welcomed by a public service broadcaster, and it is a rôle the BBC has acknowledged since its creation.There is a good reason for this.Well written English is easier to understand than poorly written English.

It is our job to communicate clearly and effectively, to be understood without difficulty, and to offer viewers and listeners an intelligent use of language which they can enjoy. Good writing is not a luxury; it is an obligation.

Our use, or perceived misuse, of English produces a greater response from our audiences than anything else. It is in nobody’s interest to confuse, annoy, dismay, alienate or exasperate them.

The fact is that good English will offend no one and so serves our audiences better.The best journalists appreciate that writing well is not a tiresome duty but a necessity.This guide is intended as a small contribution to achieving that end. It is, though, just what is says it is – a guide. It is not a collection of rules and regulations. It is not a dictionary and it is not a list of what is acceptable and what is not.The aim is to stimulate thought and to highlight areas of potential difficulty.

Getting it right

English, like any living language, does not stand still. This creates difficulties. Some of our listeners and viewers have very strong opinions about what is right and wrong.They complain when we deviate from their preferences, and accuse us of lowering standards or of having none at all. Our task is to tread a fine line between conservatism and radicalism, to write in such a way that we do not alienate any section of our audience.

An added complication is that a great deal of news output is written in haste, with one eye on the script and the other on the clock.Writing under pressure is what our kind of journalism is all about, but it is no reason for ungrammatical, inelegant or sloppy use of English.

The introduction of 24-hour news networks on radio and television means BBC journalists do many more live two-ways than they once did.The informal conversational style used in this context is not appropriate in a prepared script. Bulletin writing demands a more formal, structured approach, and more organisation.

Bi-medial working has brought further complications. Story-telling with pictures is not the same as story-telling with words alone; organising your material on Ceefax or online presents particular problems. BBC writers need to be aware of the opportunities and limitations of the medium they are working for, and to adjust their style accordingly.
It is not always easy.

Download The BBC News Styleguide

PDF format, 275KB, 95Pages.

The New BBC News Styleguide
by John Allen

Every time anyone writes a script for BBC News they are potentially touching the lives of millions of people – through radio, tv and the internet.That is the privilege of working for one of the biggest news organisations in the world.

It brings with it responsibilities. BBC News is expected to set the highest standards in accuracy, fairness, impartiality – and in the use of language. Clear story-telling and language is at the heart of good journalism.This styleguide will help make your journalism stronger and connect better with our audiences. As my first news editor on a small weekly paper used to say:“Keep it plain and keep it simple.”

It still holds true.

Richard Sambrook Director, BBC News

The BBC is a remarkable place. Much of the accumulated knowledge and expertise locked in people’s heads stays that way: occasionally we share, and the result is a bit of a revelation.

This styleguide represents some of John Allen’s extraordinary wisdom surrounding the use of English in written and spoken communications.This is in many ways at the heart of what the BBC does and what it is respected for.This is not a “do and don’t” list but a guide that invites you to explore some of the complexities of modern English usage and to make your own decisions about what does and does not work. It should improve your scripts and general writing, not to mention making you feel better informed, challenged and amused.

This guide is being made available as a publication and online in order to make maximum impact. If you have any comments about it I would be delighted to hear from you.

Nigel Paine Head of People Development

Visit The BBC News Styleguide Website

Acknowledgements:

Many people have helped in the compilation of this guide. I would particularly like to thank Matt Morris, Tim Bailey, Lesley Fitton, Dave Treanor,Tom Fort, Michael Tumelty,Vin Ray, Alex Gerlis and Amanda Ashton. I owe a great debt to colleagues who have trodden this path before me, including Rick Thompson, Richard A. Baker, Geoff Morley, Stuart Dew and Roy Walters. My particular thanks to Fran Acheson of BBC Training and Development, without whose help this volume would never have been published.

The BBC News Styleguide - http://www.bbctraining.com 
written by John Allen, March 2003
commissioned by Simon Major at BBC Training & Development
edited by Fran Acheson
designed by Frank Greenland
production co-ordinated by Sadie East

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