Journalistic Terms & News Values

Basic Concepts

• Journalism: practice of gathering, verifying, presenting news to the public.
• Newswriting: structured writing of factual, timely stories, often using inverted-pyramid form.

News Article Components

• Nameplate: paper’s title on the front page; includes logo, date, volume.
• Ear: small top-corner space for teasers, slogans, weather.
• Headline: bold title that summarizes the main idea and grabs attention.
• Byline: line naming the article’s author.
• News Story: factual account of a current event, written to journalistic standards.
• Column Rule: vertical line separating text columns.
• Column: vertical text block or recurring opinion piece by one writer.
• Banner: main, full-width headline at top of front page, largest font.
• Dateline: line at story start giving place (and often date) of writing.
• Deck: sub-headline below headline, adding detail.
• Jump Line: note telling readers where story continues on another page.
• Folio: line at page top or bottom showing page, paper name, date.
• Index: directory (usually front page) listing sections or major stories.
• Infographic: visual data display—charts, maps, diagrams.

Additional Newspaper Elements

• Editorial: article expressing the publication’s official stance.
• Op-Ed: guest or columnist opinion article opposite the editorial page.
• Feature Article: in-depth, human-interest or trend story.
• Sidebar: shorter item or graphic beside main article providing extra info.
• Mug Shot: small photograph of a person, common in profiles/opinions.
• Pull Quote: quotation lifted and enlarged for emphasis.
• Teaser / Promo: brief preview of inside stories, near nameplate or ear.

News Values (Newsworthiness)

• Immediacy (Timeliness): how recent the event is.
• Proximity: geographic or emotional closeness to the audience.
• Prominence: involvement of well-known individuals.
• Significance: magnitude of effect or importance.
• Names: use of notable people.
• Drama: conflict, action, tension.
• Oddity: unusual or unexpected aspects.
• Romance & Adventure: elements of love, excitement, exploration.
• Sex: relationship or sexual topics (handled ethically).
• Progress: developments showing improvement or change.
• Animals: stories featuring animals for emotional/humorous pull.
• Numbers: data or statistics highlighting scale or impact.
• Emotions: ability to move, inspire, or stir strong feelings.