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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Marking 9/11 anniversary? Get the terms right

Two weeks from today is the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed 2,977 people in the United States. News media large and small are preparing to mark the anniversary, and The Associated Press provides some help getting key names, words and phrases right, with a Sept. 11 Style and Reference Guide.

Some examples: "ground zero" and "twin towers" are not capitalized; AP's spelling of the terror group is al-Qaida; and "Flight 93" qualifies for a short reference, unlike the other three that were hijacked.

The guide also includes basic references, such as a 9/11 timeline, the flights hijacked, where the planes crashed, the hijackers' full names, their names on second reference, and their pronunciation. It notes that 2,983 victims' names will be on the memorial at 1 World Trade Center, including six killed in the 1993 al-Qaida bombing of the center.

For details, via the Nieman Journalism Lab, click here.

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