Project Abstract Throughout this paper I discuss the idea of ethics being represented through text. How a given newspaper chooses to write a certain word can let the reader understand a little more about the papers ethical framework and history. I compare and contrast the New York Times style choices to the Associated Press’ style choices and ultimately compare them to different ethical codes and theories. A stylebook for The Otter Realm was also designed in conjunction with this research paper. I listed unique words encountered on our campus so that future generations of Otter Realm staff can have a consistent reference to write from.

Project Context and Contribution Currently I am thinking that the style guide I am developing should be in the form of a small book. The length of this book has yet to be determined. The style guide I design will be used with the Associated Press Style Guide, this book already includes much of the information journalism students need but I think I will include more information on the importance of a organized style and a small section on the importance of proper punctuation. I will have to get in touch with someone who knows about book layouts and the process of creating and binding small books.

Project Format My final project will be presented as a research paper comparing the ethical style choices made by the Associated Press and The New York Times. This paper will be bound and will include a short stylebook which will also be bound and presented in conjunction with the research.

OtterRealm.net The Otter Realm Online

Research Questions For the Otter Realm Style guide: 1) How can I create a useful, organized and consistent Style Guide for CSUMB's student newspaper "The Otter Realm"? 2) How will I keep the Style Guide consistent? 3) What are the current Otter Realm reporters looking for in a Style Guide? 4) How will I decide what is important? Should I run all of my ideas and inclusion past Juanita before I decide their importance? 5) What issues do we have with the newspaper currently? 6) What input should editors have on my creation of this style guide? 7) How will I determine what applies to our unique CSUMB culture? 8) What should this Style Guide include? Punctuation, anagrams, numbers, dates etc. 9) How will I express the need for a consistent style to future Otter Realm staff? I feel consistency represents a well organized paper and this practice of consistency will only help The Otter Realm. 10) How many pages should this Style Guide include? Should I imply that students use the Associated Press hand book in accompaniment to The Otter Realm Style Guide? For Style as Ethics research paper: 1) How are ethics perceived through text? 2) How do these text choices influence readers? 3) How do this choices shape the appearance of said news organizations? 4) What makes these news organizations different? 5) Are this ethical choices similar to known ethical codes? 6) How do these ethical choices shape the writers ability to report?

Key Findings Text can have more than one meaning. This is something everyone should be aware of and at attempt to understand. While studying journalism here at CSUMB, I have come to understand the importance of properly chosen text and the implications of poorly chosen text. We communicate through written word. All newspapers need to be aware of what they represent and how these standards communicate to their audience. The associated press uses text to inform the public where as the New York Times seems to use text to protect itself. Both organizations use the same language but using it under different ethical standards. These different ethical standards affect the writing and intern affects how their readers interpret their text. These differences can be interpreted from their text, stylebooks and ethical ideals explained earlier in the paper. The Otter Realm has needed a stylebook for sometime now, and as an addition to this paper I have assembled a list of words often misused by writers at the paper. CSUMB being a new school has developed a new lingo used about campus, and if you do not live on campus or participate in courses you may not understand what students are trying to say. While writing this style book words were incorporated and hopefully from what you have learned about text and ethics from this paper you can analyze the ethical standards of our own newspaper. Hopefully this stylebook will grow and become a part of the CSUMB journalism experience. I hope that future students will add new terms and words to the book and in turn provide all journalism students with a current and accurate guide for writing.

Evidence The purpose of this paper is to analyze text and its ability to convey an ethical perspective or foundation through interpretation. Discourse analysis will be used to analyze the primary sources I have found useful during my research. “Discourse analysis is useful because it emphasizes not the meaning of the text but the social construction of meaning through the text” (Acosta-Alzuru & Lester-Roushanzamir, 2000). The primary sources I have chosen to use for my research and development of The Otter Realm stylebook are sources with first hand experience in the field of journalism, for example Otter Realm editors, provided me lists of common problems encountered during their time at The Otter Realm. I will also be using my experience as a Copy Editor for The Otter Realm as a primary source. One of these articles detailed ideas on how to create a style guide and reminders like “be consistent” and ideas on what I should think about including. For the ethics as style paper I will also use primary articles from persons experienced in the journalism field. I will be using references to articles found in The New York Times, The Associated Press wire and possibly local newspapers for examples of ethical choices made by writers and editors. I will use these choices to exemplify the theory of ethics through text, and how a framework can be possibly subconsciously planted into a widely read text.

Working Bibliography "The New York Times Company." 21st Century News, Information, Entertainment. 2007. The New York Times Company. 4 Feb 2007 <http://www.nytco.com/index.html>. Editor, Goldstein , Norm. The Associated Press Stylebook. 39th. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2004. Khodarahmi, Sue. "You're stylin' now." Communication World Volume 23. Issue 5september/october 2006 16-17. 15 Oct 2006 <http://library2.csumb.edu:2121/pqdweb?index=0&did=1123968911&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst =PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1170655719&clientId=17856>. Patterson, Philip, and Lee Wilkins. Media Ethics, Issues and Cases. 5th. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Silverman, Jonathan, and Dean Rader. The World Is A Text. 2nd. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2003. Stunk Jr., William, and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th. Needham Heights, Mass.: Pearson Education Company, 2000. Scanlan, Christopher. Reporting and Writing Basics for the 21st century. Fort Worth TX: Harcourt College Publishers, 2000.