Why do some news stories spell out acronyms in their lead paragraphs then just keep them in acronym through the rest of the article? Is that only a matter of style or the correct way to go about it?
Also, the acronym PWDs was coined to refer to "persons with disabilities." How can a single person with disability use it in describing herself?
As a matter of style, old-school print journalism mandated that acronyms for individuals and entities shouldn’t be used to identify them on first mention in a news story (except in a headline, of course, where use of the acronym is obviously justified by the space constraints). So every name, whether short or long, would be completely spelled out on first mention and the acronym would be supplied beside it and then used in all subsequent mentions. In present-day journalism, this practice is no longer rigorously observed particularly in the case of very long names; in the United States, in particular, we will notice the frequent use by print media of the acronym “SCOTUS” even on first mention for the “Supreme Court of the United States.” It’s admittedly an unsettling practice, but for as long as the acronyms are largely understood on first mention, I don’t think there’s nothing intrinsically wrong about it. After all, the objective is to communicate an idea, and if the acronym is familiar to practically every reader or listener, why not avail of if for brevity and clarity’s sake?
As to the singular form for the notionally plural “PWDs,” it’s common practice to use “a PWD”—minus the “s.” Individually then, a PWD can describe himself or herself as follows: “I’m a PWD.”
There are also news stories quoting speakers who did not spell out acronyms in their statements. Should writers keep them at that even if it means baffling possible readers several paragraphs later?
How about popular acronyms such as OS and SMS? Babies are born every minute...
When a reporter quotes a statement where an unfamiliar acronym is used for the first time or for the only time in a news story, it is obviously obligatory for him or her to immediately spell it out for the reader or listener. This can be done by spelling out the acronym in a parenthetical immediately after the acronym or in a note immediately after the quoted statement. For example:
“I think there’s wisdom in the decision of the SCOTUS [Supreme Court of the United States] to uphold the Health Care Law as legislated by the US Congress,” the first-term Democrat senator from Pennsylvania said.
or, for readers or listeners outside of the United States:
“I think there’s wisdom in the decision of the SCOTUS to uphold the Health Care Law as legislated by the US Congress,” the first-term Democrat senator from Pennsylvania said. (SCOTUS is the acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States.)
As to the use of the popular acronyms “OS” and “SMS” in a story without spelling them out, the writer has to play it by ear. For a technical journal, for instance, there's really no need to spell them out or explain them in a news or feature story. For a formal dissertation, however, it is highly advisable to spell out both of them on first mention.
