Language is the tool of the journalist. Whatever the aims of the student press, little can be achieved unless copy is written in clean, correct English. The purpose of this style guide is to suggest some guidelines for correct style. Each student newspaper must make its own decisions on the issues discussed here. Many of the points made below are discussed annually at Congress; frequently the only decision is an agreement to disagree. Once a newspaper has made a decision on style, however, that decision should be scrupulously followed. The South African student press cannot be completely consistent, but any newspaper can and should be.