Byline

Byline is the term used for the signature line of a newspaper article or other contributed piece to a news publication. Bylines refer to the author or authors of a news item and appear in conjunction with the dateline and the place where the story originated, if it is not a local story. For news articles received via a wire service, a byline is not reported and credit is given to the respective news service, such as the Associated Press. Internal newsletters may or may not allow for bylines if the articles are written by a staff member.

For public relations practitioners, securing a byline is not as important as it is to reporters. Press releases do not contain a byline; they include only contact information for reporters who need additional information. If a reporter uses a press release to write his or her article, he or she receives the byline. Even if public relations practitioners issue press releases on behalf of a client, the reporter gets the byline.

If a reporter prints a press release in its entirety, the reporter gets the byline, not the person who wrote the release. Because this sometimes happens, it is imperative that a press release contain accurate information and be written as if it were going to be printed as submitted.

Reporters have an urgency to “get the byline,” but there are certain checks in place to ensure that this need for “immediate and frequent reward” does not cause a story to be written prematurely (Mencher, 2000, p. 419).

Mencher made the point that when a reporter was given a byline, that means that he or she was actually present and on the scene before writing the story. Mencher refers to an “old-timer,” who commented,

Public relations practitioners should be aware of this issue in journalism and should work to provide reporters with all pertinent facts. Although the public relations practitioner does not receive the byline for the article, it is highly likely that he or she will be quoted in the article. Whether those quotes are supplied in a press release or given through follow-up interviews with a reporter, the article's truth [Page 105]will fall back on the public relations practitioner and the organization.