Italics are like the fancy outfit you wear to a party. They signal that this word or phrase is special—a book, a movie, a ship, or, yes, a major newspaper. It’s a typographical handshake that says, "I’m a stand-alone work."
And here’s the fun part: The New York Times itself follows this rule in its own style guide! They italicize their own name in headlines and articles. How meta is that? It’s like hearing someone say their own name in a fancy accent.
The Tricky Little Exceptions (Because Life Loves a Plot Twist)
Now, before you go italicizing every newspaper you see, let’s get real. There’s a difference between the publication and the company. When you write, "I read a story in The New York Times," that’s the name of the newspaper—italicized. But when you say, "I work for The New York Times Company," that company name is usually not italicized. It’s a legal entity, not a title.
And what about the specific article? That goes in quotation marks! So you’d write: I loved the article "How to Eat a Bagel in 3 Steps" from The New York Times. See the little dance? Italics for the big stage, quotes for the solo act.
Why Don't Online Readers Like Italics? - Fast Company
