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Journalism Terms

Terms in this set (50)

5W's
who, what, where, when and why (sometimes the "H for how" is added); the main questions a reporter asks and answers when planning and writing a news story.
angle
the specific, unique approach or point of view for a story ("what's the angle?")
AP
an abbreviation for Associated Press, the largest wire service of journalistic content, operating worldwide
art
photos, graphics, or any other visual elements related to a story (as opposed to copy)
attribution
identification by name and other information of a source of information
beat
a reporter's regular area of coverage, such as local government, police news, science, religion.
bias
the opposite of being neutral and objective; a personal viewpoint expressed in an editorial, column or quote; journalists typically strive to avoid bias when reporting and writing their stories
breaking news
news that is developing at the moment; news that occurs on or just before deadline
broadsheet
the size and format for newspapers that fold in four parts; opposed to the smaller tabloid format
circulation
the number of newspaper copies sold
column
the arrangement of horizontal lines of type in the newspaper; also, an op-ed article expressing the personal opinion of a specific writer (the columnist)
copy
any written text ("body copy" is the main text, or body, of a news article, as opposed to the headline)
deadline
the time by which all copy and art for an edition of a publication must be submitted
dummy
fake or placeholder copy ("dummy text"); also, a placeholder diagram of a newspaper page
editorial
an op-ed article stating the communal, group opinion of the news outlet's publisher and/or staff
expose
a story that uncovers corruption, poor conditions, or other info generally difficult to obtain; also called an investigative report
hard news
stories that focus on the available facts of an event or situation; a makes the key facts easy to find
hole
missing info or unanswered questions in a story
inverted pyramid
the basic organization of a news story: the most important information comes first, and the least important details appear last
lede
(pronounced LEED) - the first 1-2 sentences of a story. For straight "hard news," usually answering who, what, when and where questions
op-ed
opinion/editorial pages, giving personal opinions
obits/obituaries
announcements of deaths, funerals and details of the deceased person's life
profile
any story that provides an in-depth look at a person's life and/or career: celebrity, sports, etc
scoop
an exclusive story, obtained before a competitor prints it; if you're the first to break the news, you've "scooped" the competition
slug
a short (4-8 letter) nickname for a story, to make story planning easier and clearer; instead of "West Essex pep rally article," the slug might just be "pep" to write on a list of front-page stories
source
a supplier of information, such as a person or publication
tabloid
the standard size of the newspaper folded into half; also, but not necessarily, may refer to style and content of reporting in newspaper (sensational stories)
tip
an idea for a story
top story
editors' pick for most important story of the day; usually at top of front page, on right-hand side
A-1
the frontmost page of the newspaper
(so called because it's the first page of
Section A)
above the fold
an article on the top half of
a broadsheet page (literally above the fold
line); designates importance
banner
a type of headline running across the entire width of the page; also an ad running across the page of the newspaper
body copy
the main text of a story ("body"
copy as opposed to the headline
byline
the name of the writer printed at the top of the story (who's the story by? By...)
cutline
the caption to a photo or graphic; an explanatory phrase, usually a full sentence
centerpiece
the dominant visual element of a page; refers to an entire story or "package"
copy
any written text (content that is differentiated from "art," or the visual elements)
dateline
the opening words of a story, usually in bold type, which give the location from which the story was submitted and sometimes the date; may also tell the location of the reporter when he/she gathered the information for the story
deck
A "second headline" of sorts (smaller than the headline but bigger than the body copy) that gives additional details about the story
double truck
a package/group of stories that spreads out across two pages in a spread
downstyle
headline style; only first word and proper nouns are capital (vs. all-caps)
flag
the name and "logo" of a newspaper, always on top of the front page
folio
the line above the text of each page with the publication title, edition and page number
gutter
the space between newspaper columns, or the margin between pages where the fold is
headline
the large type above a story stating its main idea. (note: it's not a "title"!)
jump
to continue a story from one page to another (story slug is used as nickname)
layout
the arrangement of copy, art and headlines on a page
masthead
the formal statement of a paper's name, officers, point of publication and other information, usually found on the editorial page
skybox
words and graphics on the very top of a news page (above the flag on the front page) that encourage readers to read stories inside the newspaper
subheads
short for "sub-headings." Small headings that appearing within the body copy of a longer story to break up the text and provide "chapter titles" of sorts
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