B

BA - (for British Airways) ie both caps. It should be used only after a first reference where the title is given in full...

BA

(for British Airways) ie both caps. It should be used only after a first reference where the title is given in full. The same abbreviation is used for Bachelor of Arts.

Baa-Baas

(rugby union) ie two words, both capped, hyphenated, no apostrophe. Acceptable abbreviation - but only after a first reference has spelled out The Barbarians.

Baath

(ruling party in Syria - and formerly in the late Saddam Hussein's Iraq) ie without an internal apostrophe.

babies/toddlers

A child up to 12 months can be described as a baby. A toddler is generally aged one or two.

Backbench

ie one word (eg backbench unrest, backbencher). But two words for back benches.

Bacteria

is a plural - the singular is bacterium. They cause food poisoning, cholera, typhoid etc, and may be treated with antibiotics. Not to be confused with viruses, which are smaller organisms - not susceptible to antibiotics - which cause influenza, measles, mumps, chicken pox, Aids etc. 

Bad news

is, like 'good news', a term never to be used unqualified, because it is subjective. A rise in interest rates is bad news for house-buyers, but good news for savers. Just say what has happened - and let the punters decide.

BAE Systems

And not 'BAe' (it is the former British Aerospace).

Bail/bale

Use bail for the temporary release of someone awaiting trial. To bail out is to help a company or person with financial problems (noun: bailout). Use bale out for removing water from a boat, or jumping out of a plane.

Balance of payments

is not the same as the trade balance, which involves only visible imports and exports. The balance of payments includes so-called invisibles: earnings from the City, international insurance, tourism etc.

Ban Ki-moon

(former UN Secretary General) ie upper case 'B' and 'K', but lower case 'm' in Ki-moon hyphenated. Mr Ban at second reference. This style applies to all Korean names.

Bank holiday

ie lower case, unless a specific one (eg: the Spring Bank Holiday). Note that some bank holidays do not apply across the whole of the UK.

Bank of England

Should be spelled out at first reference, but can be trimmed later to BoE. NB: interest rates are set by the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee (which can be abbreviated at second reference to MPC).

Bankruptcy

A UK company should never be described as 'going bankrupt' since, under UK law, this can only happen to individuals (who file a petition for bankruptcy). The technical situation for a company in financial crisis is that it faces the possibility of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), administration, receivership or winding-up. Use the proper technical description in the top four pars (eg: Smith Scaffolding has gone into administration). Elsewhere, it is acceptable to say simply that a company has collapsed or gone bust.

Outside the UK, the term bankruptcy can be valid. In the US, for example, companies can go bankrupt or enter bankruptcy protection. The best-known form of bankruptcy protection is called 'Chapter 11', which allows a company to continue to operate while all claims from debtors or the company are put on hold. If using the term, explain what Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection means.

Bar, the

(barristers) ie with capital 'B'.

Barclays Bank

ie no apostrophe.

Basel

(city in Switzerland) ie not 'Basle'. Our style conforms to the rules on banking supervision and the football team.

BBC

Say the BBC in references to the organisation that makes announcements, decisions and programmes (eg The BBC is to devote more money to sports coverage). For news-related items, say eg BBC News understands that... or Our correspondent has learned... For news online, say the BBC News website (ie website, lower case).

Do not start your first sentence with 'The BBC...' The aim should be to convey the news - not to wave the BBC flag. Always check BBC quotes from other sources with the BBC press office.

BBC networks

Stick with the official titles for BBC networks, even when this involves extra characters.

For the TV networks, say: BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, CBeebies, CBBC, BBC News channel, BBC Parliament.

Write BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio 5 live sports extra.

The word 'Radio' does not feature in either BBC 6 Music or 1Xtra - which is also without a 'BBC' label. Elsewhere: BBC Asian Network, BBC World Service.

Note that some BBC local radio stations do not have the word 'Radio' in their title (eg BBC Essex).

Non-BBC TV channels include Sky One, ITV, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4 and Channel 4.

Channel 5, which for a time was known as Five, has reverted to its original name.

BC

(before Christ) ie unpunctuated. It goes after the year - eg: 100BC, with no gap. 

Beg the question

Often misused. The dictionary definition is 'to assume in an argument the truth of something which is part of what is to be proved'. Best avoided.

Belarus

formerly part of the Soviet Union as Byelorussia; now independent. Adjective, Belarusian.

Benelux

comprises Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Best-seller, best-selling ie with hyphens.

Between

is correctly used when only two parties are involved (eg: talks between Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn). If there are more than two parties, use 'among' (eg: talks among cabinet ministers).

Beverley/Beverly Hills

The town in Yorkshire is Beverley with an 'e' before the 'y'. There is no third 'e' in California's Beverly Hills.

Biannual/biennial

These are often confused: biannual means twice a year; biennial means every two years. (Plants that complete their lifecycle in two years are biennials.) Best to avoid both.

Bible/bible

The original gets an initial cap. Otherwise, lower case (eg: The footballer's bible).

Bid

May serve as substitute for 'attempt', but should primarily be used to mean 'financial bid', as in auctions, company takeovers and the football transfer market - as well as campaigns to stage the Olympics, and similar events.

Big Society

Our style is to cap up this government initiative - no quote marks.

Bill/bill

In a parliamentary context, use caps for the full title (eg: the Health Bill). Otherwise, lower case (eg: Pressure is growing for a new education bill).

Billion

Means one thousand million. Spell the word out, except in headlines, or when using it with currencies (eg: £3bn).

Bin Laden

Former al-Qaeda leader who died in 2011. Always with a capital 'B'. At first mention, Osama Bin Laden. Afterwards, Bin Laden (never Mr). He was Saudi-born, but was not 'a Saudi citizen', as he was stripped of his citizenship.

Biro

Do not use generically - it is a trademark. Say: ballpoint pen.

Bishops

Bishops (both Anglican and Roman Catholic) are consecrated (whereas priests are ordained, and deacons made). At first reference, say eg The Bishop of St Albans, the Right Reverend John Smith or, if he has a doctorate, The Bishop of St Albans, Dr John Smith. Afterwards, Bishop Smith or Dr Smith. If in doubt, check in Crockford's Clerical Dictionary for Anglicans; via the diocesan website; or the Catholic Media Office for Roman Catholics.

Bits/bytes

There are eight bits in a byte. Historically, memory (hard drives, file sizes etc) is measured in bytes - kilobytes (kB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), terabytes (TB). However, data rates/speeds or capacities of fibres and networks are quoted in bits (megabits per second, Mbps) eg: Bloggsnet is offering broadband at 20Mbps and a contract comes with a free 16GB USB stick.

Black

Use the term black people rather than 'blacks'.

But the colour of someone's skin should be mentioned only when it is relevant.

The term 'black' should not normally be used to include Asians. Refer to black and Asian people or Asian, African and Caribbean people. Avoid 'non-whites'.  

The word 'coloured' is inappropriate in a racial context, except with reference to apartheid South Africa, where the term Coloured (ie initial cap) meant 'mixed race'. Take care, too, with the word 'immigrant', which is often wrongly used to describe people who were born in the UK.

Many people in Britain of African and Caribbean origin prefer to be called black British.

black box

Although they tend to be orange, flight recorders are widely known and described as 'black boxes'. But we should clarify what it is at first reference - Divers are searching for the ‘black box’ flight recorder - and use quotes in headlines. Be aware there are two recorders – a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder – that may be together or in separate containers.

Black, in the

Avoid this phrase. It means 'in profit' for a UK audience, but exactly the opposite for some other English speakers.

Blast

Should not be used in sentences such as: 'The prime minister has blasted his own supporters.' Say: criticised or condemned.

Blind

Write about blind people - not 'the blind'.

Blond/blonde

Use blond of a man, and blonde of a woman.

Boat Race, the

ie initial caps.

Bogus

The phrase 'bogus asylum seeker' is judgemental and should not be used except in a quote eg The government spokesman said the number of 'bogus' asylum seekers had doubled.

Bomb warning/hoax

Should not normally be reported - unless there is a strong news angle (eg: significant disruption).

Book titles

Use initial caps, with short 'link' words in lower case: eg: Far from the Madding Crowd. No italics or quotation marks.

Boots

(the chemists) ie no apostrophe.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Formerly part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia-Herzegovina emerged in its present form after the end of the Bosnian war in 1995. Spell it with a hyphen (rather than the official title, which is 'Bosnia and Herzegovina') and with a 'z' in Herzegovina rather than a 'c'.

Citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina should be referred to as Bosnians, unless their ethnicity or religion is of particular relevance.

The Dayton accords formalised the division of the country into two parts - the Bosnian Serb republic (Republika Srpska) and the Bosniak-Croat Federation. Most Bosniaks are Muslims.

When referring to these groups separately, they should be called Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims). 

In stories specifically about Bosniaks, it may be useful to include this line of background: 'The Bosniak people, most of whom are Muslims, are descended from Bosnian Slavs who adopted Islam under Ottoman Turkish rule in the Middle Ages.'

It is wrong to call the Bosnian conflict a 'civil' war, because neighbouring countries were involved. Stick to 'war' or 'conflict'.

Bottom line

is a cliché. Do not use it unless you are quoting someone, or referring literally to the bottom line of a company balance sheet.

Bourse

is a French word, favoured by some agencies. Use the English: stock market or stock exchange.

Brackets, square

Use these, not round brackets, for interpolations within quotes: eg: Reacting to the news, Mr Smith said: 'He [President Brown] must not back down.'

Brands Hatch

ie it has no apostrophe.

Britain

(aka Great Britain) is made up of England, Scotland and Wales; the United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland. The British Isles also include the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. However, it is a term that can be frowned on in Ireland, so if using it ensure it is employed correctly.

British means 'belonging or relating to Great Britain'.

British law

There is no such thing. England and Wales have a separate legal system from Scotland. Northern Ireland's system is similar to England and Wales.

BSE

It stands for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The alternative, mad cow disease, should be in quotation marks at first reference.

BTec

(a vocational qualification, available at various levels, from the equivalent of GCSEs to professional diplomas.) ie with both the 'B' and the 'T' capped up. Plural is BTecs.

Budget/budget

Use an initial cap for the Westminster extravaganza. Otherwise, lower case (Mr Brown's Budget; Mr Brown's pre-Budget report; the Australian budget).

Bullet points

If, for example, someone has three objections to a pay deal, then use bullet points to summarise them, and then explain in more detail. They are easier to read on screen than dense paragraphs of text.

If the items in a bullet point list are complete sentences in themselves, then each should start with a capital letter, and in general end with no punctuation: eg:

There is more than one way to cook potatoes.

  • You can roast them in the oven
  • You can mash them with milk and butter
  • You can fry them in a pan

If the items are not complete sentences, they should start with a lower case letter, and again omit punctuation at the end: eg:

If you want to cook potatoes, you can

  • roast them in the oven
  • mash them with milk and butter
  • fry them in a pan

Single-word lists of nouns should also start with a lower case letter: eg:

Teachers think they are getting a raw deal in three areas:

  • pay
  • hours
  • pensions

The exception on punctuation is that we do include a question mark after each item if that is what logic would suggest: eg:

Is the first thing you think about in the morning

  • your headache?
  • your shower?
  • your breakfast?

This is also true with complete sentence lists. Eg:

There are three questions you should ask yourself each morning:

  • Why am I here?
  • Who is this person?
  • Where are my clothes?

Bullseye

ie no apostrophe.

Bundestag

ie initial cap. We should make clear at first reference it is the lower house of the German parliament. Elections for the Bundestag are held every four years.

Burka

is our favoured spelling for this form of Islamic veil, which covers the entire face and body.

Burma

The BBC is gradually moving towards calling the country Myanmar. We should use Myanmar rather than Burma in headlines and summaries. Inside the body of our stories, preferably on first mention, we should include the wording ‘Myanmar, also known as Burma’. Further references should be to Myanmar. We should talk about the main commercial city as ‘Yangon, also known as Rangoon’, and thereafter Yangon.

Businessmen

Use only if they really are all men. Otherwise, say business people, a business audience, business executives etc.

By-election

ie no 'e' - and with a hyphen.

by-law

ie no 'e' - and with a hyphen.

Bylines

Should not be used on general news stories compiled from a variety of sources (agencies, correspondents' despatches etc). A byline should be reserved for original journalism.

Picture bylines should be used sparingly: for well-known BBC correspondents writing a substantial piece for us, or occasionally for a diary or a first-person piece.

The tag in the CPS production system will enable you to provide:

a) a first line beginning By (capped) and then giving the person's name.

b) a second line giving further information

Examples:

By Zoe McGuire
BBC News, Birmingham

By Jonathan Garrod
BBC News Magazine

By Paula Harris
BBC News

Specialist non-correspondents should be called reporter, not 'staff' or 'writer' etc (initial cap, then lower case) eg:

By Kevin Robertson
Political reporter, BBC News

By Christine Peters
Health reporter, BBC News

Refer to specialist BBC correspondents and editors as follows:

By Peter Bywater 
Political editor, BBC News

By Jane McGuire 
Business editor, BBC News

By Mark Morgan
Transport correspondent, BBC News

We should refer to (non-specialist) overseas BBC correspondents as belonging to 'BBC News' and give their location. So examples would be:

By Simon Hargreaves

BBC News, Beirut

By Peter James

BBC News, Washington

By Melanie Buford

BBC News, Brussels

Pieces of original journalism by non-staff should normally follow a similar pattern: ie the first line of a byline should consist of the name only eg:

By Clive James

If relevant, a job description or a location can be added as a second line eg:

By Nicola Horlick

Investment fund manager

However, it will sometimes be preferable with high-profile outside contributors to give further information not as a second line but as a more detailed standfirst, in bold eg: Nicola Horlick has run a number of successful investment funds and earned the nickname Superwoman for having a high-flying career and bringing up five children. If the expert has a rather lower profile, stick with the one-line job description at the top, and add a longer note at the end of the story. This should be written in italics (not bold).

We do not use correspondents' bylines with on-demand video and audio pages. The convention is to go with The BBC's as a label; Sport, where appropriate, say BBC Sport's.

Bypass

ie no 'e' - and no hyphen.