Ask the Experts: Bylines and Credits

Question: Should local newsletter use bylines and photo credits?

Answer: Yes. When a newsletter contributor has put in effort on a story, illlustration or photograph, it's essential to give him or her credit for it. This doesn't mean that every four-inch story or quickly snapped photo needs a byline or photo credit. But if members of your local spend the time to write an article or photograph an event, they deserve to get credit. And readers deserve to know who wrote newsletter articles. Opinion columns always need a byline -- unless they are editorials that reflect the opinion of the local's executive board.

Generally, graphic artists, illustrators, and photographers get small credit lines in the bottom righthand corner of their work, or along the right-hand side. Writers' bylines can go at the beginning or end of a story. Use the person's full name and title.