Journalism’s Glossary of Terms – 10 words every 2 weeks
1. add – an addition to a story already written or in the process of being
written
2. assignment – instruction to a reporter to cover an event
3. attribution – designation of the person being quoted, the source of
information in a story
4. banner – headline across or near the top of all or most of a newspaper
page, also called a line, ribbon, streamer, or screamer
5. beat – area assigned to a reporter for regular coverage
6. break – when a news development becomes known and available, the
point of interruption in a story continued from one page to another
7. byline - name of the reporter who wrote the story
8. correspondent – reporter who sends news from outside a newspaper
office
9. cutline – any descriptive or explanatory material under a picture, also
called a caption
10. deck – a smaller headline added below the main headline
11. exclusive – story a reporter has obtained to the exclusion of the
competition
12. feature – story emphasizing the human or entertaining aspects of a
situation, a news story or other material differentiated from straight
news
13. file – to send a story to the office usually by wire or telephone
14. flag – printed title of a newspaper on page one
15. folo – story that follows up on a theme in a news story
16. folio – a line showing the page number, date, paper’s name, etc.
17. graf – abbreviation for paragraph
18. gutter – the white space running vertically between elements on a
page
19. header – a label used for packaging special features or stories
20. headline – the story’s title or summary in large type above or beside
the text
21. infographic – a diagram, chart, or map used to convey information
pictorially
22. investigative reporting – technique used to unearth information that
sources often want hidden
23. jump – continuation of a story from one page to another
24. jump head – a headline treatment reserved for stores jumping from
another page
25. jump line – a line showing the page number this story continues from
26. kill – to delete a section from copy or to discard the entire story
Journalism’s Glossary of Terms – 10 words every 2 weeks
27. lead – first paragraph in a news story
28. lift out quote – a quote taken from the story and given graphic
emphasis, also called a pull quote, pop out quote, or break out quote
29. makeup – layout or design, the arrangement of body type, headlines,
and illustrations into pages
30. masthead – formal statement of newspaper’s name, officers, place of
publication and other descriptive information, usually placed on
editorial page
31. mug shot – a small photograph of someone in the story
32. off the record – describes material offered to the reporter in
confidence
33. op-ed page – abbreviation for the page opposite the editorial page,
frequently devoted to opinion columns and related illustrations
34. pool – arrangement whereby limited members of reporters and
photographers are selected to represent all those assigned to the story
35. photo credit – a line giving the photographer’s name
36. press release – publicity handout, story give to the news media for
publication
37. refer – brief reference to a related story elsewhere in the paper
38. roundup – a story that joins two or more events with a common
theme
39. running story – event that develops and is covered over a period of
time
40. sell – presentation a reporter makes to impress the editor with the
importance of his or her story
41. sidebar – story that emphasizes and elaborates on one part of another
nearby story
42. situation – story that pulls together a continuing event for the reader
who may not have kept track as it unfolded
43. slant – to write a story so as to influence the reader’s thinking
44. source – person, record, document, or event that provides the
information for the story
45. split page – front page of an inside section
46. stringer – correspondent, not a regular staff member
47. teasers – promote other stories inside the paper
48. text – type in a standard size and font, set in columns
49. tip – information passed to a reporter, often in confidence
50. verification – determination of the truth of the material the reporter
gathers or is given