FBLA Journalism Terms

Blog

Short for Web log. A Web-based publication in which articles, issued periodically, appear in reverse chronological order

Bureau

A news-gathering office maintained by a newspaper somewhere other tan its central location. Papers may have bureaus in the next county; in the state capital; in Washington, D.C.; or in foreign countries

Byline

A line identifying the author of a story

Citizen Journalism

A new form of media in which citizens actively participate in gathering and writing information, often in the form of news

Closed-ended question

A direct question designed to draw a specific response--for example, "Will you be a candidate?"

Contextual advertising

Advertising on a website that is directed to likely users of that site based on demographic profiles

Convergence

The coordination of print, broadcast and online reporting in a news operation. The terms is defined in different ways by different people in the media industry

Copy

What reporters write. A story is a piece of copy

Copy desk

The newspaper desk at which the final editing of stories is done, headlines are written and pages are designed

Copy editor

A person who checks, polishes and corrects stories written by reporters. Usually copy editors write headlines for these stories; sometimes they decide how to arrange soties and pictures on a page

Cover

To keep abreast of significant developments on a beat or to report on a specific event. The reporter covering the police beat may be assigned to cover a murder, for example

Crowdsourcing

The practice of asking members of the public to provide information for a story

Cutline

The caption that accompanies a newspaper or magazine photograph. The terms dates from the days when photos were reproduced with etched zinc plates called cuts.

Deadline

The time by which a reporter, editor or desk must have all scheduled work completed

Deep background

Information that may be used but that cannot be attributed to either a person or a position.

Desk

A term used by reporters to refer to the city editor's or copy editor's position, as in "The desk wants this story by noon"

Editor

The top-ranking individual in te news department of a newspaper, also known as the editor-in-chief. The term may refer as well to those at any level who edit copy

Editorial department

Generally, the news department that is responsible for all newspaper content except advertising. At some papers this term refers to the department responsible for the editorial page only.

Editorialize

To inject the reporter's or the newspaper's opinion into a news story or headline. Most newspapers restrict opinion to analysis stories, columns and editorials

Facebook

A social networking site that connects friends and acquaintances. It also offers businesses, including news media, an opportunity to connect with customers.

Fair comment and criticism

Opinion delivered about the performance of anyone in the public eye. Such opinion is legally protected as long as it is not malicious and reporters do not misstate any of the facts on which it is based.

Freedom of Information Act

A law passed in 1966 to make it easier to obtain information from federal agencies. The law was amended in 1974 to improve access to government records

Futures file

A collection-filed according to date- of newspaper stories, letters, notes and other information to remind editors about stories to assign. See also tickler

Gatekeeper

An editor who determines what readers or viewers read, hear, and see.

Graf

A shortened form of paragraph, as in "Give me two grafs on that fire."

Graphics editors

Usually, the editor responsible for all non photographic illustrations in a newspaper, including information graphics, maps, and illustrations

Hard lead

A lead that reports a new development or a newly discovered fact. See also soft lead

Hard news

Coverage of the actions of government or business; or the reporting of an event, such as a crime, an accident, or a speech. The time element often is important.

HTML

Short for hypertext markup language, the coding language used to create texts on the Web.

Hyperlink

A connection between two places on the Web

Hyperlocal

Information that is intensely local in its emphasis.

Hypertext

A Web document coded in HTML

Information graphic

A visual representation of data

Interest

A measure of the cumulative effect of all the news values. The more elements of the six news values that appear in the story, the more interesting that story will be to readers

Invasion of Privacy

Violation of a person's right to be left alone

Inverted pyramid

The organization of a news story in which information is arranged in descending order of importance

Investigative Reporting

The pursuit of information that has been concealed, such as evidence of wrongdoing

Lay out

V. To prepare page drawings to indicate where stories and pictures are to be placed in the newspaper; now done with design software.

Layout

n. The completed page drawing, or page dummy

Lead

The first paragraphy or first several paragraphs of a newspaper story (sometimes spelled lede); the story given the best display on Page One; or a tip.

Libel

Damage to a person's reputation caused by a false written statement that brings the person into hatred, contempt or ridicule or injures his or her business or occupational pursuit.

Media Fragmentation

The impact of the internet and digital media on traditional media, such as newspapers and broadcast television. The addition of many new websites and social media divides or fragments the audience into smaller parts

Multimedia Editor

An editor responsible for coordinating or producing news content for various media.

Multimedia Journalist

A journalist capable of producing content in more than one medium, such as radio and newspapers

New media

Emerging forms of computer-delivered news

News conference

An interview session in which someone submits to questions from reporters. Also called a press conference

News director

The top news executive of a local television station

News release

An item that is sent out by a group or individual seeking publicity. Also called a handout or press release

News value

A measure of how important or interesting a story is.

Not for attribution

An expression indicating that information may not be ascribed to its source.

Nut paragraph

A paragraph that summarizes the key element or elements of a story. A nut paragraph is usually found in stories not written in inverted-pyramid form. Also called a nut graf.

Off the record

An expression that usually means "Don't quote me." Some sources and reporters use it to mean "Don't print this." Phrases with similar, and equally ambiguous, meanings are "not for attribution" and "for background only."

Online editor

The editor of a website for a newspaper or television station

Op-ed page

The page opposite the editorial page, frequently reserved for columns, letters to the editor and personality profiles.

Open-ended question

A question that permits the respondent some latitude in the answer-for example, "How did you get involved in politics?"

Open-meetings law

A state or federal law guaranteeing public access to meetings of public officials. Also called a sunshine law

Open-records law

A state or federal law guaranteeing public access to many-but not all- kinds of government records

PDF file

Short for portable document format. An electronic facsimile of a printed document

Photo editor

The individual who advises editors on the use of photographs in the newspaper. The photo editor also may supervise in the photography department

plagiarism

Using any part of another person's writing and passing it off as your own

Podcasting

A method of distributing multimedia files, usually audio or video, to mobile devices or personal computers so that consumers can listen or watch on demand. The term derived from Apple Inc.'s iPod, but podcasts may be received by almost any music player or computer

Press

The machine that prints the newspaper. Also a synonym for journalism, as in the phrase "freedom of the press". Sometimes used to denote print journalism, as distinguished from broadcast journalism.

Privilege

A defense against libel that claims the right to repeat what government officials say or do in their official capacities

Profile

A story intended to reveal the personality or character of an institution or person.

Public figure

A person who has assumed a role of prominence in the affairs of society and who has persuasive power and influence in a community or who has thrust himself or herself to the forefront of a public controversy. Courts have given journalists more latitude in reporting on public figures than on private citizens.

Public journalism

The new (or rediscovered) approach to journalism that emphasizes connections with community rather than separation from it. Among the newspapers best known for practicing public journalism are the Wichita (Kan.) Eagle and The Charlotte(N.C.) observer.

Publisher

The top-ranking executive of a newspaper. This title often is assumed by the owner, although chains sometimes designate the top local executive as publisher

Pulitzer Prize

The most prestigious of journalism awards. It was established by Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University

Qualified privilege

The right to report what government officials say or do in their official capacities if the report is full, fair and accurate. Also called conditional privilege.

Quote

N. A source's exact words, as in "I have a great quote here."

Quote

V. To report a source's exact words inside quotation marks.

Relevance

The impact of a story as measured by the number of readers it affects and how seriously it affects them.

Reporter

A person whose job is to gather and write the news for a publication or a broadcast outlet.

Shield law

Legislation giving journalists the right to protect the identity of sources

Sidebar

A secondary story that is run alongside a major story on the same topic. A story about a disaster, for example, may have a sidebar that tells what happened to a single victim.

Situation ethics

The philosophy that recognizes that a set of rules can be broken if circumstances indicate that the community would be served better by breaking them. For example, a journalist who generally believes that deceiving a news source is unethical may be willing to conceal his or her identity to infiltrate a group operating illegally.

Slug

A word that identifies a story as it is processed through the newspaper plant or on broadcast news. A slug is usually placed in the upper left-hand corner of each take of a newspaper story. See also take.

Social networking

The practice of connecting with others for business or social purposes. Social networking sites make it easy for individuals to connect with toreros who have similar interest or goals.

Soft lead

A lead that uses a quote, anecdote or other literary device to attract the reader. See also hard lead.

Soft news

Stories about trends, personalities or lifestyles. The time element usually is not important. See also hard news.

Source

A person or record form which a reporter gets information. The term is used more often to describe people than documents.

Spot news

A timely report of an event that is unfolding at the moment

Story

A newspaper article. Most journalists use the term story. Another synonym is piece, as in "I saw your piece on the mayor". A long story may be called a take-out or a blockbuster.

Stylebook

A book of rules on grammar, punctuation, capitalization and abbreviation in newspaper text. The AP and UPI publish similar style books that are used by most papers.

Summary lead

The first paragraph of a news story in which the writer presents a synopsis of two or more actions rather than focusing on any one of them.

Teleprompter

A mechanical or electronic device that projects broadcast copy next to the television camera lens so that a newscaster can read it while appearing to look straight into the lens.

Truth

Correspondence to fact or reality. Truth is the best defense against libel

URL

Short for Uniform Resource Locator, the address of an internet site.

Webcast

The online alternative to broadcast

Wiki

A type of website that allows users to add or alter content. Wikipedia, for example, is a user-written and user-updated encyclopedia.

Wikinews

A wiki on which users can post or update information in news format