Comp Midterm Journalism terms

anecdote

a short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person

angle

a particular way of approaching or considering an issue or problem

attribution

the action of ascribing a work or remark to a particular author, artist, or person

audience

the readership of a book, magazine, or newspaper

byline

the line of a news story/newspaper naming the writer of the story

connotation

an idea or feeling that a word invokes

denotation

the literary or primary meaning of a word

documentation

the process of classifying and annotating texts, photographs, etc.

figurative language

words or phrases that are meaningful, but not literally true ex. metaphor, hyperbole, etc.

genre

a category of artistic composition characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter

hard news

journalistic style and genre that focuses on events or incidents that are considered to be timely and consequential to people locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally

hed/headline

a heading at the top of an article or newspaper that is in sentence case, but does not end in a period

hook

a sentence in a news article designed to grab the reader’s attention

hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

imagery

visually descriptive or figurative language

inverted pyramid

information in a news article goes from most important to least important

lede

the first sentence of an article that hooks the reader

libel

a published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation

metaphor

a comparison between two unlike things without using like or as

newsworthiness

noteworthy as news; topical

parallel structure

involves two or more words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in length or grammatical form ex. easy come, easy go

paraphrase

express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity

parenthetical citation

 gives credit to the author in parentheses

personification

the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form

primary source

a document, first hand account, or other source that constitutes direct evidence of an object of study

purpose

the reason for which something is done or created for which something exists

research database

a website or a collection of digital objects that contains professional resources or documents that are collected or produced during the process of research

rhetorical context

historical context and cultural context that led to the piece of writing

scholarly journal

a periodical publication that publishes original research and reviews related to a specific field or discipline

secondary source

a book, article, or other source that provides information about an object of study but does not constitute direct, first-hand evidence

signal phrase

attributes a quote or idea to an outside source by stating the author’s name and job

simile

a comparison between two unlike things using like or as

soft news

a journalistic style and genre that blurs the line between information and entertainment

thesis statement

a statement that usually falls at the end of the first paragraph and summarizes the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, etc.

transition

a word or phrase that connects one idea to another

works cited

a reference list at the end of a research paper that includes every source used in the paper

feature article

a narrative that uses creativity and subjectivity to connect with readers