The use of past tense should be favored whenever possible.

Your content will almost always be consumed after you’ve created it — in most cases, several days after — so you should write with a future audience in mind.

Past tense should be especially favored when talking about events in progress or that are unlikely to have concluded by the time the content is viewed. In those cases, make the timing explicitly clear in case new information develops later: The Mariners had yet to come to an agreement on a new contract with their star player as of Wednesday afternoon; The Celtics held an 8 1/2-game lead in the division entering Friday.

Do not use “at the time of publication” or its variants. This outdated term from the era when most news was printed or broadcast no longer applies, as news on the internet and social media can be updated continually.

See: present tense and future tense