- published: 14 May 2016
- views: 831
A dateline is a brief piece of text included in news articles that describes where and when the story occurred, or was written or filed, though the date is often omitted. In the case of articles reprinted from wire services, the distributing organization is also included (though the originating one is not). Datelines are traditionally placed on the first line of the text of the article, before the first sentence. The location appears first, usually starting with the city in which the reporter has written or dispatched the report. City names are usually printed in uppercase, though this can vary from one publication to another. The political division and/or nation the city is in may follow, but they may be dropped if the city name is widely recognizable due to its size or political importance (a national capital, for instance). The date of the report comes after, followed by an em dash surrounded by spaces, and then the article.
A typical newspaper dateline might read
The same story if pulled from the Associated Press (AP) wire might appear as
I started feeling blue
back in 1972
barefoot in the street
I had patches on my jeans
and high up in the hills
they were nodding out on pills and booze
a æ
»odawful sad affair?
and the lights were there to thrill you
my oh my
we live from time to time
and day by day
itæ¯ the modern way
look at me Iæ¦ speeding through
self obsessive
just like you
we can smile
oh yeah we can smile
1984
and school was out for summer
I was hot for teacher
well you should have seen our double feature
started feeling fine
in the winter of 1989
such an underrated year
but itæ¯ gone gone gone
my oh my
we live from time to time
and day to day
itæ¯ the only way I know
look at me Iæ¦ speeding through
a self obsessive just like you
we can dance
we can dance the days away
1999
itæ¯ the end of modern time
thereæ¯ panic in your eyes
so if you canæ° get muscles
then you better get yourself a tan
and be a real man
cos the heroes that you worshipped
are all gone gone gone
my oh my
we live from time to time
and day to day
itæ¯ the modern way
look at me Iæ¦ speeding through
self obsessed Iæ¦ just like you
we can dance