Creating the Perfect Editorial Caption

Dateline:

The dateline is very important because it allows editors to quickly scan through
image titles for the date and location they need. Therefore, the dateline must be in
an exact format, and in all CAPITAL LETTERS.

• If the city is large or well-known, such as MOSCOW, it is not necessary to

include the country in the dateline or description. Please see the bottom of this
article for a comprehensive list of standalone cities.

• If the exact date is unknown or does not apply, please provide as much
information as available, and replace unknown information in both the dateline and
description.

First Sentence:

Look at your photograph. Describe what is going on in the image. Here, includes
the necessary factual information which directly describes the depicted scene. If
the photo depicts people, start by identifying the subject(s) with the
person’s/people’s name(s), and describe what they are doing. Be sure to describe
the action in the active present tense (Example). End the first sentence with the
date, followed by the location.

People:

• Sports and Celebrity images should ALWAYS include the name of the person
depicted.

• Human interest photos – if the name of the subject is not available, simply write
“unidentified” in your caption. For example, “An unidentified woman sells
vegetables…”

• Children – due to the sensitive nature of photographing children, provide the

name, age, and general area of residence for all children in editorial photographs. If
this information cannot be obtained and the photo is particularly newsworthy, we
will consider approval, provided the description is factually accurate, and states
“an unidentified child” .

Action:

• Always describe actions in the active present tense (Example1).

Example 1
Second Sentence:

Sometimes a second sentence is not necessary (Example 1). However, if the first
sentence is not enough to fully describe the photograph, use a second sentence.
Ask yourself: why is this newsworthy? Remember, all photos of famous landmarks
or cities can be newsworthy, even if they are not taken during a particular event.
You simply need to find the news angle (Example 2).

Example 2
 Caption Writing Practice

For each photo, write a photo caption using the rules you have learned.

Note: All identifying information for these photos is fictional.

1. The photographer of this picture is Yaron Schmid.

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2. A boy and his daddy.

__________________________________________________________________
3. Syahrini and padi field.

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