A dateline should be used when the preponderance of reporting is done outside the news outlet’s home location.

The dateline should identify where the bulk of the reporting was done. It does not identify where the story was written or where a subject was located when interviewed by phone or video call.

When applicable, a dateline consists of the city or town name written in all capital letters, then the abbreviation of the state (which are listed below), followed by a space and two hyphens: VINELAND, N.J. —

The dateline always lists the municipality, not a neighborhood, village, borough (in most jurisdictions), or non-incorporated entity. For instance, “Brooklyn, N.Y. –” would never be correct; NEW YORK — would be used, with the copy making clear that the events being reported took place in Brooklyn.

The state abbreviation is not required in datelines or in copy for the following cities:

ATLANTA	MILWAUKEE
BALTIMORE	MINNEAPOLIS
BOSTON	NEW ORLEANS
CHICAGO	NEW YORK
CINCINNATI	OKLAHOMA CITY
CLEVELAND	PHILADELPHIA
DALLAS	PHOENIX
DENVER	PITTSBURGH
DETROIT	ST. LOUIS
HONOLULU	SALT LAKE CITY
HOUSTON	SAN ANTONIO
INDIANAPOLIS	SAN DIEGO
LAS VEGAS	SAN FRANCISCO
LOS ANGELES	SEATTLE
MIAMI	WASHINGTON

For all other US cities, the state abbreviation must be included in all datelines and on first reference in copy. Note that this is a departure from AP style, which has since phased out the abbreviations.

ALABAMA	Ala.	MONTANA	Mont.
ALASKA	Alaska	NEBRASKA	Neb.
ARIZONA	Ariz.	NEVADA	Nev.
ARKANSAS	Ark.	NEW HAMPSHIRE	N.H.
CALIFORNIA	Calif.	NEW JERSEY	N.J.
COLORADO	Colo.	NEW MEXICO	N.M.
CONNECTICUT	Conn.	NEW YORK	N.Y.
DELAWARE	Del.	NORTH CAROLINA	N.C.
FLORIDA	Fla.	NORTH DAKOTA	N.D.
GEORGIA	Ga.	OHIO	Ohio
HAWAII	Hawaii	OKLAHOMA	Okla.
IDAHO	Idaho	OREGON	Ore.
ILLINOIS	Ill.	PENNSYLVANIA	Pa.
INDIANA	Ind.	RHODE ISLAND	R.I.
IOWA	Iowa	SOUTH CAROLINA	S.C.
KANSAS	Kan.	SOUTH DAKOTA	S.D.
KENTUCKY	Ky.	TENNESSEE	Tenn.
LOUISIANA	La.	TEXAS	Texas
MAINE	Maine	UTAH	Utah
MARYLAND	Md.	VERMONT	Vt.
MASSACHUSETTS	Mass.	VIRGINIA	Va.
MICHIGAN	Mich.	WASHINGTON	Wash.
MINNESOTA	Minn.	WEST VIRGINIA	W.Va.
MISSISSIPPI	Miss.	WISCONSIN	Wis.
MISSOURI	Mo.	WYOMING	Wyo.

For Canadian cities, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Toronto stand alone. For all other Canadian cities, write the name of the city or town in all caps, followed by the unabbreviated province or territory name.

Only Mexico City stands alone among Mexican cities. For all other Mexican cities, write the name of the city or town in all caps, followed by the country: CANCÚN, Mexico —

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