🚀 go-pugleaf

Check out the Style Book written by the beloved wire service....I do
believe that present tense is most commonly used, and is industry standard
style.

You are describing what is happening, not happened, in the caption of the
photo. Makes sense to me to use, or to have used, present tense.~<g>eorge

At 11:06 AM -0700 5/6/99, Carmen Sisson wrote:
>   My publisher and I are having a conflict over whether to write captions in
>past or present tense. I say past, he says present. I understand that it's
>his paper, and I am willing to write them in past tense to please him, but
>for my own peace of mind and the future of our paper is there a rule written
>somewhere? As the first chief photographer (we are a six-month-old weekly)
>I feel an obligation to establish systems that not only work, but are also
>CORRECT. Any input or does it even matter?

______________
George Gryzenia
gryz@voyager.net

Carmen,


I 've always been told that you write a caption in present tense. That being
said, I have also seen newspapers who use past tense as a "style" choice. My gut
feeling is present tense though. It may be worth your investing in a copy of the
AP style guide for answers to these types of questions. I have a copy and since
I'm local to you, will be happy to loan it to you until you can get yourself a
copy. (205)349-2212  x-145 is my work number.

I also wanted to tell the group that as a resident of Northport and a reader of
the paper that Carmen works for, I find it a refreshing change from the
Tuscaloosa News, which has at times ignored community journalism in our little
town, which is directly adjacent to the city of Tuscaloosa. The Gazette is a
 good
example of how a small community paper can fill a void in the marketplace. Good
job, Carmen!


Cordially,


Mark Lent



Carmen Sisson wrote:

>    My publisher and I are having a conflict over whether to write captions in
> past or present tense. I say past, he says present. I understand that it's
> his paper, and I am willing to write them in past tense to please him, but
> for my own peace of mind and the future of our paper is there a rule written
> somewhere? As the first chief photographer (we are a six-month-old weekly)
> I feel an obligation to establish systems that not only work, but are also
> CORRECT. Any input or does it even matter?
>
> Carmen Sisson
> Northport Gazette
>
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