Q. Should the names of certain organizations, such as the New York Times, be italicized whether they are referred to as a company or as a publication? For instance, if a sentence says “Tuesday’s debate, which was hosted by the New York Times,” would it be appropriate to set the name in regular type because the company is hosting the debate, rather than the publication? Or is it best to set all instances of “the New York Times” and similar names in italics to maintain consistency? More examples where this issue comes into play:
We returned to Real Clear Politics’ database and found eight surveys . . .
A 2013 poll conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News found . . .
A. You have the right idea—italics for the newspaper, roman for the company. Consistency is secondary. Keep in mind that sometimes either will do. If you have to agonize to decide, just make them all italic.