Are Newspaper Articles Italicized

So, the other day I’m editing my cousin’s essay on 20th-century journalism. She’s a college freshman, bless her heart, and she’s frantically highlighting everything. Suddenly, she looks up with pure panic: “Are New York Times articles supposed to be in italics? My professor is going to eat me alive.”

I almost choked on my coffee. See, this is the exact moment where style guides go to die. She was treating a newspaper article like it was a novel title.

Let’s clear this up right now: No, you do not italicize individual newspaper articles. Period. End of story. (Unless your style guide specifically says otherwise, but let’s pretend those don’t exist for a moment.)

The Short, Brutal Answer

You only italicize the name of the newspaper itself. Think The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, or The Onion (yes, even fake news gets fake italics).

The actual article—“Why Your Cat Hates You”—gets wrapped in quotation marks. Not italics. Ever. I know, it feels wrong, like wearing socks with sandals, but it’s correct.

Why? Because italics signal a standalone work (books, movies, albums). Articles are just chapters in a giant, noisy newspaper. Chapters don’t get italics; they get quotes. Simple, right?

Wait, What About Online Articles?

Ah, the digital loophole. You’re reading this on a blog, not a printed page. Does that change anything? Nope. Even if it’s a blog post on Medium, the article title still gets quotes.

The website or publication name? Italics. So if I wrote for BuzzFeed, the article “27 Cats Who Look Like Your Ex” would be quoted. The site stays italicized. Yes, it’s that rigid—and I love it.

Unless you’re writing for AP Style, which hates italics with a fiery passion. Then you use quotes for everything. But we’re talking MLA, Chicago, or common sense here.

Why Does This Even Matter?

Because formatting is the secret handshake of the writing world. Get it wrong, and professors, editors, and grammar bots will sniff you out.

Italics for articles make you look like you’re trying too hard. Like wearing a tuxedo to a barbecue. It screams, “I’m a beginner who read one blog post.”

Also, imagine reading a sentence like: “I loved The Rise of Skywalker but hated ‘The Last Jedi’.” One is italicized (the movie), one is quoted (the article about the movie). See? It’s a visual signal for your brain.

But My Friend Says...

I know, I know. Someone told you it’s “fine” to italicize. Maybe they’re citing a specific style guide from 1982. Let’s be real: your friend is wrong.

Unless your friend is Chicago Manual of Style itself, ignore them. Even then, Chicago says articles get quotes. Trust me, I checked while writing this. (I also checked my fridge. No cheese.)

The only exception? If the article title is also a book title. Like if To Kill a Mockingbird was also an article. Then you italicize it. But that’s a rare, confusing scenario. Avoid it unless you want a headache.

A Quick Cheat Sheet (Because I Love You)

Newspaper: The Washington Post (italics). Article: “How to Survive a Family Dinner” (quotes). Magazine: Time (italics). Article: “The 100 Most Influential People” (quotes). Blog post: “Why You Should Eat More Avocado” (quotes) on Bon Appétit (italics).

Memorize this. Tattoo it on your arm. Or, you know, just bookmark this article—which is not in italics, by the way. It’s in quotes if you cite it later.

Oh, and if you’re writing a tweet? Forget all of this. Just use asterisks like a savage. Because no one cares.

What About “The” in Newspaper Names?

This is the petty debate that breaks friendships. Do you write The New York Times or just New York Times? Always include “The” and italicize it. It’s part of the official name.

Unless you’re writing in AP Style, which drops “The” for brevity. But then you also have to spell “advisor” with an “o” and I just can’t. Pick your battles.

For most of us? Keep “The” italicized. It looks classy. Like a monocle on a newspaper.

Final, Slightly Ironic Thought

Here’s the real kicker: you’re probably reading this on a screen, where italics look exactly the same as regular text but slightly tilted. So does it even matter? Yes. It matters to the gods of grammar.

They are petty, they are ancient, and they will smite your GPA if you disobey. But also, it’s just a dumb convention we all agreed on because someone in 1890 said, “Quotes for articles, please.”

So next time you see a newspaper article title in italics, you have my permission to gently correct the writer. Or, you know, just judge them silently. That’s what I do.

And if you’re my cousin? You owe me a coffee. And your professor owes me a thank-you note.