Or use Text::Table 
#!

use strict;
use warnings;
use Text::Table;

my $title = "Shooter of US teen appears in court";
my $author = "Stephanie Kennedy";
my $date = "Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:00:16";
my $content = "A Hispanic neighbourhood watch volunteer, charged with 
+second-degree murder over the shooting death of an unarmed black teen
+ager in the United States, has appeared briefly in court for the firs
+t time.";
# "Cheap" wrapper
$content=~  s/(.{40}[^\s]*)\s+/$1\n/g;

my $tb = Text::Table->new(\"| ","",\" | ","",\" |");
$tb->load(
        [ "TITLE",$title ],
        [ "AUTHOR",$author ],
        [ "DATE",$date ],
        [ "CONTENT",$content ],
    );
my $rule=$tb->rule('-', '+' );
for my $line ($tb->table) {
    print $rule
        unless ($line =~ /^\| +\|/);
    print $line;
    };
print $rule;

[download]
to get something like
+---------+---------------------------------------------+
| TITLE   | Shooter of US teen appears in court         |
+---------+---------------------------------------------+
| AUTHOR  | Stephanie Kennedy                           |
+---------+---------------------------------------------+
| DATE    | Fri, 13 Apr 2012 06:00:16                   |
+---------+---------------------------------------------+
| CONTENT | A Hispanic neighbourhood watch volunteer,   |
|         | charged with second-degree murder over the  |
|         | shooting death of an unarmed black teenager |
|         | in the United States, has appeared briefly  |
|         | in court for the first time.                |
+---------+---------------------------------------------+

[download]

In reply to Re: Neat format and word wrap by clueless newbie
in thread Neat format and word wrap by jesus

Title:
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