DICED carrots, rutabaga, celery and onion can be the beginning of something good to eat. Just add some crushed tomatoes, peas, green beans, barley, pasta, water, chicken and beef bouillon cubes and cornstarch -- and heat. Those are the ingredients for a recipe for "Alphabet Soup."
That soup, however, probably tastes different than the one of the same name most of us ate as youngsters, the hot dish from a major soup company that some college students might still be calling a nutritious meal.
But alphabet soup in journalistic writing isn't usually very tasty, nor does it encourage reading or clarity of language. In many cases it makes the reader gag, or at least chew on something for far too long.
Take for instance the alphabet soup that was served up in The Cavalier Daily on Tuesday, in the News article entitled, "Expert addresses 'bamboo ceiling'" with the sub headline, "Rotunda speech addressed restrictions faced by Asian Americans, APA exhibits at Smithsonian," (Nov. 7).
APA was used eight times in the story, once in the sub headline. Not the biggest journalistic sin in the world, but what is APA?
Asian Pacific American. OK, then doesn't it make sense to say that in print -- at least once? Yes. It keeps the reader from wondering, stumbling and grumbling. The one-time explanation would aid readability and understanding in every other APA mention.
Readers have told journalists they seek ease in acquiring news and information, and it isn't an easy process when readers have to work to decipher meaning.
There are exceptions, however, when acronyms can, and should, be used to aid in readability and clarity. When an acronym is widely known or understood, in most cases there is no need to spell out the name of the group or organization. For instance, U.Va. is an obvious acronym, especially in Charlottesville and Virginia. Nor would there be much, if any, question what was meant by the acronym ACC, where the first Internet entry references Atlantic Coast Conference. But an Internet search for APA immediately reveals the American Psychological Association, American Poolplayers Association, American Planning Association and the APA format and style guide.
The Associated Press stylebook is clear: "In general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize."
The story about "bamboo ceilings" was a good one and a needed voice of diversity, the type of newspaper voices that are often under-covered or ignored. While it wasn't a conscious snub, it was an oversight to Asians -- and all readers -- not to make clear the APA acronym -- Asian Pacific American.
Again, this was not a major, in-your-face slight. But it can't be assumed readers know, maybe by osmosis, everything reporters assume everyone should know. It is the little things that make the difference between a good newspaper and a great one or an average one becoming a good one. The little things shouldn't be ignored or regarded as non-important. They matter.
Sports is an area where acronyms are most generally known and accepted -- NBA, NCAA, PGA, NFL, NHL, etc. But sports reporters and columnists must also be careful not to assume too much. It's an easy way to frustrate and lose readers.
Take another example from the same Tuesday newspaper in a sports column. The author lost me on several occasions, and I assume many other readers gave up at some point trying to connect the dots, depending upon how much they were in or out of the loop and their level of jargon or knowledge of writing often referred to as "inside baseball" stuff.
For example, "
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 5 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
