To treat all readers in a similar fashion. The difficult task for a newspaper is to use style and policy as tools to make the newspaper easier to read, to make certain sources and readers are treated fairly and to establish a record of credibility by being consistent. Style notes are a list of preferred ways that words appear in the newspaper. For examples, both tornados and tornadoes are acceptable spellings for the plural of tornado. However, it's easier for the reader if The Independent uses just one version.
Abbreviations are another example of why style is important.
The reason is that many abbreviations are acronyms, meaning they are initials that form a word. G.I. The abbreviation of Grand Island carries initials to distinguish it from the Army GI, or General Issue. During World War II, readers needed to be able to distinguish between Grand Island and the Army. Today the exception of using initials with the abbreviation for Grand Island continues, although the distinction is much less important. Courtesy titles is another area where careful usage is required.