A dateline is the short line at the start of a news story or press release that says where and when it was written or filed. In American style it usually shows the city in capital letters, then the state or country, then the date, before the first sentence.
A dateline identifies the place and time a story originates. Wikipedia describes it as a brief piece of text in news articles that says where and when the story was written or filed, and traditional newspaper style puts the city in capital letters first. When a wire service such as the Associated Press moves a story, its identifier can appear alongside it.
In press releases, the dateline sits at the beginning of the first paragraph, for example CITY, State, followed by the date and a dash. AP style, the style many newsrooms follow, uses city names in capitals, follows most with a state name in its AP abbreviation rather than the postal code, and lets some major cities stand alone with no state. Dates use Arabic numerals without endings such as 'st' or 'th', and the year is included.
The dateline matters because it tells editors when the news is current and where it applies, which helps them judge local relevance. For an organization with no obvious headquarters, choose the place where the news actually happened or where the organization is based, and stay consistent.
How to: 1) Write the city in capitals. 2) Add the state or country in AP style where the city does not stand alone. 3) Add the release date. 4) Put a dash or comma after it, then start the lede. 5) Use the same pattern on every release, and update the date if you reissue the same text.
QUESTIONS
What is a dateline in journalism?
A dateline is a line at the beginning of a story that says where and when it was written or filed. In print it starts with the city in capital letters, such as a city name followed by the date.
Do all press releases need a dateline?
Most traditional releases include one, because it tells editors where and when the news applies. Online-only announcements sometimes drop it, but keeping the place and date clear is useful and costs little.
Which cities stand alone in AP datelines?
AP style allows a group of major cities to appear without a state, and published lists differ in length. Check the current AP Stylebook rather than relying on a copied list, and use the state for all other cities.
Should the dateline date be the send date or the news date?
Use the date the release is issued, unless it is embargoed, in which case many senders use the embargo release date. Whatever you choose, keep it consistent and correct it if you reissue the release later.
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