Bob's 'glossary' of news-speak

Journalists may write for the ear of the "average person," but when they talk to other journalists about their work, their language can be as "in-group" as any other profession. Inspired by our cross-media "Newsgathering" course and with considerable help from the team of Kolodzy & Ricks, here are some words you might hear around an American newsroom -- or journalism classroom. (Other English-speaking journalists may have variations, such as "paras" for "grafs.")

I think pages full of definitions are boring, so I'll just give you the words (see "tease," below)... Check off the terms you know; then listen for (or look up) the ones you don't. "print" and "broadcast" flavors included.

... newspaper jargon

Words about pages, stories and parts of stories

above the fold (of a broadsheet, not tabloid)
lede story
jump
sidebar
pull-out (take-out)
advance
slug
copy
take
add (versus "ad")
ROP (all-edition)

lead (lede); lede paragraph
anecdotal lede
delayed-identification lede (useful technique)
burying the lede (bad practice)
hard lede
soft lede
multiple-element lede
direct quote
paraphrase

graph (graf)
nut graf

byline
dateline
second-day story
op-ed
cut
cutline
headline
kicker
decks (e.g., second deck)
column inches
points (72 of them)
flag
masthead
section front


Words about people and sources

bureau
copy desk
freelancer
stringer
beat reporter
general assignment reporter
city desk
editor
managing editor
wire service
PIO
flack
primary sources
secondary sources

...crossover issues

FOI (FOIA) (see SPJ's FOIA pages)
CAR (CARR) (See NICAR)
convergence
The Web (World Wide, as opposed to "web press")
shovelware

... broadcast-news jargon

Real broadcast insiders tease me about the days when they might "hot-roll a donut." You'll have to ask them about that.

Parts of a newscast:
rundown
blocks
tease
toss
lead-in
package
actualities
sound bite
B-roll
SOT
MOS/POS
tag
sig-off or sign off

Shots and stuff:
talking heads
standup
reader (tell)
cutaway
gangbang
spray
wallpaper
character generator
fonts (supers, Chyron)
SOT
natsot
VO
sweeps

People
:
producer
director
news director
floor manager
anchor
assignment editor
reporter


Some computer jargon...

This could go on forever, so I'll stop... and head
back to the print world...

-30-

 

--last revision April 17, 2002. Write Bob@Stepno.com if you want a word added or removed. (And yes, to take the quote marks away from the word "glossary" in the headline, I may get around to adding definitions someday!)