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The Angry Grammarian
Web of Confusion
Why did the Internet, like Web site, get capitalized? Is "Web" then, as an adjective, always capitalized?
Because newspaper people are old and stodgy. And when the newfangled Internet came about, they were caught with their pants down.
No newspapers knew what to do when the Internet first surfaced--still don't--hence the sad, soggy wet birthday cake that is the news business today. Print journalism is dying. That's not news to anyone.
The copyediting rules applied to Internet- related terms go a long way in showing just how unprepared newspapers were for the Internet's arrival, and how fundamental their misunderstanding was of it.
The 1996 edition of The Associated Press Stylebook, considered the bible of newspaper style, contains a simple three-line entry (all emphasis theirs): "Internet: The Internet is a decentralized network of host computers that are linked by high-speed lines."
From the start, the Internet was viewed as a place where people go (hence the capitalization, like, "We're going to France"), not a medium where anyone with enough savvy can become a publisher on their own. Blogs weren't a glint in the AP's eye.
A few years later the 2000 edition blocks off a whole "Internet Guide" section, which contains loads of entries that are frankly adorable in their quaint descriptions of the many mysteries you'll encounter on this World Wide Web: "FAQ: Acronym for frequently asked questions, a format often used to summarize information on the Internet." "Chat room: A World Wide Web site that enables computer users to message each other in an online conversation." (To be honest, I'm a little surprised that in 2000 the AP was using "message" as a verb.) "Home page: The 'front' page of a particular Web site." Yes, they put "front" in quotation marks. Isn't that precious?
So now, thanks to complete unpreparedness on the part of newspapers, we're left with a mess of rules rife with inconsistencies. "Web" is capitalized, but "website" isn't. "Internet" capitalized," but "intranet" isn't. Grrr.
It's time to get consistent, embrace the technology and lowercase the lot of them. Newspapers might be rapidly sinking ships, but if they're smart, the copy editors could grab that one last lifeboat.
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1. Jennifer said... on May 21, 2008 at 06:08AM
“Actually, Web site is capitalized and it's two words...just checked my 2007 AP style guide. But webcam, webcast and webmaster are not capitalized and one word - go figure.”
2. Laura said... on May 21, 2008 at 09:18AM
“What? Print journalism's dying?”
3. angrygrammarian said... on May 21, 2008 at 03:37PM
“Angry Grammarian: Doesn't anyone copy edit your work? The fact that someone had to leave a comment pointing out that Web site is, in fact, two words, is shameful. Furthermore, how does your employer feel about you bashing print journalism? Great idea of the century: Tell readers that print journalism is dying. Are you trying to decrease your circulation? The industry is changing, no doubt. But if that's how you feel, perhaps you should get another job; you clearly don't respect the one you have now.”
4. Editor said... on May 21, 2008 at 04:37PM
“Angry Grammarian: Doesn't anyone copy edit your work? The fact that someone had to leave a comment pointing out that Web site is, in fact, two words, is shameful. Furthermore, how does your employer feel about you bashing print journalism? Great idea of the century: Tell readers that print journalism is dying. Are you trying to decrease your circulation? The industry is changing, no doubt. But if that's how you feel, perhaps you should get another job; you clearly don't respect the one you have now.”
5. angrygrammarian said... on May 21, 2008 at 05:38PM
“To clarify: The AP still goes with "Web site," but I was referring to overall newspaper style preference, not just the AP. Lots of papers, PW included, have by now broken with the AP on website/Web site. As for the death of print journalism--you're leaving and reading these comments on the Internet, no? ”