dateline

dateline · Not mentioned by Google

Appears in

• NewsArticle

What is it?

dateline is a short text string that states where and when a news story was filed. In print journalism, it appears at the top of an article, typically formatted as "CITY, State (Month Day, Year)." The date portion is often omitted when the publication date is obvious from context.

Why this matters for AEO

When a user asks an AI engine about the origin of a news report ("where was this story filed from?"), dateline provides a structured answer. AI engines parsing NewsArticle markup can use this field to attribute geographic context to a story, which matters for queries about local news coverage or sourcing ("which outlets have reporters on the ground in [city]?").

What the specs say

Schema.org: Text. Applies to NewsArticle. "A dateline is a brief piece of text included in news articles that describes where and when the story was written or filed though the date is often omitted. Sometimes only a placename is provided." schema.org/dateline

Google: Not mentioned. Google's article structured data documentation covers author, dateModified, datePublished, headline, and image, but does not reference dateline.

How to find your value

• News article byline — The city/location line at the start of the article body
• Wire service copy — AP, Reuters, and AFP stories always include a dateline
• CMS fields — Some newsroom CMS platforms store dateline as a separate field
• Editorial guidelines — Your newsroom style guide defines dateline format

Format and code

dateline accepts a plain text string. Follow AP style for consistency.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "NewsArticle",
  "headline": "Storm Causes Flooding in Coastal Towns",
  "dateline": "HOUSTON, Texas",
  "datePublished": "2026-03-15",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Jane Rivera"
  }
}

Valid values:

• "WASHINGTON" (city only)
• "LONDON, England (March 15, 2026)" (city, region, and date)
• "HOUSTON, Texas" (city and state, AP style)

Invalid values:

• "2026-03-15" (date alone is not a dateline; use datePublished)
• "Filed from our Houston bureau" (narrative text, not a dateline)

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add the JSON-LD in Page Settings > Custom Code > Head Code:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "NewsArticle",
  "headline": "Your Article Headline",
  "dateline": "CITY, State",
  "datePublished": "2026-03-15"
}
</script>

CMS template pages

If your Webflow CMS has a dateline plain text field:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "NewsArticle",
  "headline": "{{wf {"path":"name","type":"PlainText"} }}",
  "dateline": "{{wf {"path":"dateline","type":"PlainText"} }}",
  "datePublished": "{{wf {"path":"published-date","type":"PlainText"} }}"
}
</script>

In Schema HQ

Field mapping pulls CMS plain text field to dateline when generating NewsArticle markup. If your collection includes a location or dateline field, Schema HQ includes it in the published JSON-LD.

Real examples

No major news organizations were found using dateline in live JSON-LD markup during research. News publishers that implement structured data focus on Google's recommended properties (headline, datePublished, author, image).

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "NewsArticle",
  "headline": "Central Bank Raises Interest Rates by 25 Basis Points",
  "dateline": "WASHINGTON (April 2, 2026)",
  "datePublished": "2026-04-02",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Reuters"
  },
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Reuters"
  }
}

Related fields

• headline
• datePublished
• author
• articleBody
• dateModified

FAQ

How is dateline different from datePublished?

dateline is a location-first text string describing where a story was filed (and optionally when). datePublished is an ISO 8601 date recording when the article was published. They serve different purposes and both can appear in the same NewsArticle markup.

Should every NewsArticle include a dateline?

No. Datelines are a journalism convention used primarily by wire services and newspapers. Blog posts, opinion pieces, and feature articles typically do not use datelines. Only include it if your editorial workflow produces dateline information.