AD
Printed notice of something for sale (short for advertisement).

AGATE LINE
A measurement that is one column in width and 1/14 of an inch deep. Used primarily for classified measurements.

ATTRIBUTION
A line identifying the source of a quote.

AUTHORIAL INTENT
What the writer of a text intends to achieve by it, especially in terms of audience reaction.

BALLOON
A drawing, usually in a comic strip, which makes words or thoughts appear to be coming directly from the speaker's mouth or mind.

BAR
A thick rule. Often used for decoration, or to contain type for subheads or standing heads.

BAR CHART
A chart comparing statistical values by depicting them as bars.

BEAT
The area of news regularly covered by a reporter (i.e...the city hall beat or the education beat).

BIAS
A form of prejudice when a person, place or thing is misrepresented, underplayed or ignored.

BODY
The main part of a story.

BOLD FACE
Heavy or dark type.

BREAK
Initial news coverage of an event.

BROADSHEET
A large-sized newspaper which deals with news in a more detailed and serious way.

BUMPING/BUTTING HEADS
Headlines from adjacent stories that collide with each other. Should be avoided when possible. Also called Tombstoning.

BYLINE
The reporter's name, which appears at the head of a news or photo story.

CALLOUTS
Words, phrases or text blocks used to label parts of a map or diagram (also called factoids).

CAMERA-READY COPY
A paste-up ready to be photographed by the plate maker. Does not require any camera work, paste-up or type set up.

CAPS
Abbreviation for capital letters.

CHEQUEBOOK JOURNALISM
When a journalist entices a person to tell their story or provide them with information in exchange for a payment.

CLIPS
Articles having been cut out of the newspaper (short for clippings).

COLD TYPE
Type that is produced photographically.

COLUMN INCH
One inch of type or space (measured vertically), one column wide.

COLUMNIST
A person who writes a regular column giving a personal opinion.

COPY DESK
Area of the newsroom where editing is done.

COPY EDITOR
The person who edits news stories and writes headlines.

CORRESPONDENT
An out-of-town reporter.

COST PER THOUSAND (CPT)
Means the basic measurement of the cost efficiency of a newspaper.

CREDIT LINE
The name of a photographer or artist below a piece of art.

CUTLINE
Explanatory information under a photo or piece of art. Also called a caption.

CUTOFF RULE
A horizontal line running under a story, photo or cutline to separate it from another element below.

CUTOUT
A photo where the background has been removed, leaving only the main subject; also called a silhouette.

DATELINE
Words at the beginning of a story giving the story's place of origin.

DEADLINE
Time at which all copy for an edition must be in.

DECK
A small headline running below the main headline; also called a drop head.

DEFAMATION
To attack the good name of someone verbally.

DINGBAT
Any typographical device used for ornamentation.

DOGLEGS
L-shaped columns of text that wrap around art, ads or other stories.

DOT SCREEN
A special screen used to produce tiny rows of dots, thus allowing newspapers to print shades of gray.

DOUBLE BURN
The process by which two different elements are overlapped when printed (for instance, printing type on top of a photo); also called overprinting.

DOUBLE-TRUCK
Two facing pages used for a single, unbroken advertisement. Also called a two-page spread and usually incorporating the gutter.

DOWNSTYLE
A headline style that capitalizes only the first word and proper nouns.

DROP HEAD
A small headline running below the main headline; also called a deck.

DUMMY
A diagram of a newspaper page used to show printers where stories, photos and ads are to be placed.

EAR COPY
In either upper corner of the front page, on either side of the flag (sometimes used for weather, jokes or to call attention to a special feature inside); also called an ear lug.

FEATURE
A news story that may not have late-breaking news value, but is timely and of interest to readers.

FILLER
A story with little news value, used to fill space.

FLAG
The newspaper's name as it appears at the top of the first page; also known as the logotype or nameplate.

FOURTH ESTATE
A traditional name for the press, referring to it as the "fourth branch" of government; the term indicates the role and importance of the free press in a democratic society.

FREELANCE
To work for yourself and not an organisation.

GATE KEEPING
The decisions made by the editor to leave some information/opinions out a news story.

GUTTER
Margin between facing pages, where the fold lies.

HACK
A colloquial and generally derogatory term for a journalist.

HAMMER HEAD
A headline that uses a big, bold word or phrase for impact and runs a small, wide deck below.

HARD NEWS
Urgent news, usually of a serious nature, found in the front pages of a newspaper.
HOT TYPE

Type made from molten lead, rarely used since the advent of computers.

INDEXICAL
Symbols which are associated with something, e.g. a yellow cab is associated with New York City.

INTERPOLATION
How a media text creates a mood to provoke an audience response.

INVERTED PYRAMID
Form for a news story where the important facts are listed first and additional details follow.

JOURNALESE
A style of writing which is characteristic of tabloids.

JUMP
To continue a story from one page to another.

KICKER
A small, short, one-line headline, often underscored, placed above a larger headline.

KILL
To take out, or delete, or stop publication of a news report.

LAY-OUT OR MAKE-UP
To position editorial, pictorial and advertising elements on a page to prepare it for the camera.

LEAD
The first paragraph or two of a news story, telling who, what, where, when, why/how; also called a lead.

LEAD-IN
A word or phrase in contrasting type that precedes a cutline, headline or text.

LIBEL
To write something, which is damaging to someone's reputation.

LINAGE
The total amount of space taken up by advertising, expressed in agate lines or column width times inches of depth. Can refer to a single ad, total ad space for a page, an entire paper or a total amount over some period of time.

LINOTYPE
Machine used to produce hot type, one line at a time; no longer used in modern newspaper production.

MASTHEAD
Detailed information printed in the newspaper stating names of the publication's publisher, editors and other top executives, usually printed in a box on the editorial page.

MEDIA MOGUL
A businessperson who owns different types of media and is therefore seen to have of control many different types of media.

MORGUE
A newspaper's library of stories, photos, biographies and other references.

MUG SHOT
A small photo showing a person's face.

NEWS SHEET
The historical precursor to newspapers.

OBIT
Short for obituary, a death notice.

OP-ED
A page opposite the editorial page, where opinions by guest writers are presented.

PAPARAZZI
Colloquial term for freelance photographers.

PICA
A typographic unit of measurement: 12 points = 1 pica or 1/16” (0.166”), and 6 picas = 1” (or 0.996”). Also, used to designate typewriter type 10 characters per inch (as opposed to elite typewriter type, which has 12 characters per inch).

RADICAL
Extreme political views someone or a newspaper that does not follow the consensus.

REACH
The number of different persons or homes exposed to a specific media vehicle or schedule at least once. Usually measured over a specific period of time.

REVERSE
White letters in a gray, black or colour area.

REDTOPS
A reference to the tabloids used by the broadsheets.

ROP
Run of paper or run of press. Denotes advertising that appears on the pages of the newspaper itself (as opposed to pre-printed inserts).

SAU
Stands for “Standard Advertising Unit.” SAUs are a series of standard ad size formats that may be accepted in different daily newspapers. Created to make it easier for a large advertiser to place the same ad in many different newspapers without adjusting the ad to different column specifications.

SCOOP
A story obtained before other newspapers receive the information.

SCREEN
The fineness of the dot structure of a photograph or art.

SIDESADDLE HEAD
A headline placed to the left of a story, instead of above it; also called a side head.

SIG
A small standing head that labels a regularly appearing column or feature.

SILHOUETTE
A photo where the background has been removed, leaving only the main subject; also called a cutout.

SKEW
Text that wraps around a photo or artwork; also called a wraparound or a runaround.

SKYBOXES, SKYLINES
Teasers that run above the flag on Page One. If they're boxed (with art), they're called skyboxes or boxcars; if they use only a line of type, they're called skylines.

SOLUS READERSHIP
A person who reads only one newspaper.

SPADEA
A single page folded vertically around the spine of a section (typically the colour comics) covering 1/2 of the front page and 1/2 of the back.

SPEC AD
A preliminary layout showing the position of illustrations and text of a proposed ad.

STEREOTYPE
A socially constructed image, which enables consumers to make sense of people, events and places, e.g. a 'mother' or a 'businessman'.

STRINGER
A part-time reporter, a correspondent.

SYNDICATE
Organization distributing columns or feature material, such as comics or advice columns, to many different newspapers.

TABLOID
Small-sized paper that tends to sensationalise stories.

TARGET AUDIENCE
The group that a newspaper and advertisers within that paper want to reach ... Usually there is more than one target for each paper.

TABLOID TAG
A phrase used to describe a person in an article, often using colloquial language, e.g. Bubbly blonde, Sally…

TEASER
An eye-catching graphic element, on Page One or section fronts, that promotes an item inside; also called a promo.

TMC
Total market coverage-100 percent household coverage within a given area. TMC can also refer to Target Market Coverage

TEAR SHEET
A full page torn from a newspaper given to an advertiser to show proof of publication.

TRIPOD
A headline that uses a big, bold word or phrase and two smaller lines of deck squaring off alongside.

VELOX
A black & white print of the advertisement to be reproduced in the newspaper.

VDT
Abbreviation for video display terminal, the work station for people entering information on to the mainframe computer of the newspaper.

X-HEIGHT
The height of a typical lowercase letter.

Copyright © 2004 Third World Media Journal A Quarterly Publication of Third World Media Network (TWMN)