ledenoun
leed
The opening sentence or paragraph of a news article, containing the most important information.
"The lede of any news story should answer who, what, when, where, and why in the first two sentences."
inverted pyramidnoun phrase
in-VUR-ted PIR-uh-mid
The standard structure of news writing: most important information first, background and detail below.
"The inverted pyramid structure means readers get the essential story even if they stop reading after the first paragraph."
attributionnoun
at-rih-BYOO-shun
The identification of the source of a statement or piece of information in a news article.
"Strong attribution — naming who said what — is essential for credibility and accountability in journalism."
anglenoun
ANG-gul
The particular perspective or approach from which a story is told; the journalist's chosen focus.
"Two reporters cover the same event but take completely different angles — one focuses on economics, the other on the human story."
bylinenoun
BY-lyne
The line in an article naming the journalist who wrote it.
"The byline showed she was the paper's foreign correspondent in Moscow."
datelinenoun
DAYT-lyne
A line at the top of an article giving the place and date of writing.
"The dateline 'WASHINGTON, March 14' told readers exactly where the story was filed from."
hooknoun
hook
An opening that grabs the reader's attention — a striking fact, quote, or anecdote used to draw the reader in.
"The story opened with the hook: 'At 3am, Maria heard the knock she had been dreading for six years.'"
balancenoun
BAL-uns
The practice of presenting multiple perspectives in a news story so that no single view dominates unfairly.
"Reporters are trained to achieve balance by seeking comment from all sides before publishing."
objectivitynoun
ob-jek-TIV-ih-tee
The journalistic ideal of reporting facts without personal bias or opinion.
"Critics argue that perfect objectivity is impossible — every editorial choice reflects a human judgment."
quotenoun / verb
kwoht
A direct reproduction of someone's exact words; to reproduce someone's words exactly.
"The minister's quote was striking: 'We have no apology to make.'"
off the recordphrase
off thuh REK-erd
Information shared by a source that may inform a journalist's understanding but cannot be published or attributed.
"The official spoke off the record, which meant the journalist could not use the information directly."
on backgroundphrase
on BAK-grownd
Information that can be used by a journalist but without direct attribution to the source.
"She spoke on background, so the story referred to 'a senior government official' without naming her."
embargonoun
em-BAR-goh
A restriction on publishing information until a specified time.
"The press release arrived under embargo — journalists could read it but not publish until midnight."
fact-checkverb / noun
FAKT-chek
To verify the accuracy of a claim before publishing; an article devoted to verifying claims.
"The editorial team fact-checked every statistic before the article went live."
copynoun (uncountable)
KOP-ee
Written material for publication; a journalist's article as submitted to the editor.
"The journalist filed her copy at 11pm, just before the print deadline."
deadlinenoun
DED-lyne
The latest time by which a journalist must submit their story for publication.
"The constant pressure of deadlines is one of the defining features of daily journalism."
exclusivenoun / adjective
ek-SKLOO-siv
A story published by only one outlet, having been obtained before competitors.
"The newspaper had an exclusive — it was the only outlet to receive the leaked documents."
investigative journalismnoun phrase
in-VES-tih-GAY-tiv JUR-nuh-liz-um
In-depth, long-form reporting that uncovers hidden or complex stories, often involving wrongdoing by powerful institutions.
"The investigative journalism team spent a year building the story about corruption in the city's housing department."
mastheadnoun
MAST-hed
The printed heading of a newspaper or magazine, listing its title, editors, and staff; also used to mean the editorial leadership.
"The editor-in-chief's name appeared on the masthead for the first time that morning."
op-ednoun
OP-ed
A newspaper page opposite the editorial page, containing opinion articles by outside contributors (short for 'opposite editorial').
"She published an op-ed in the Times arguing that the sanctions were counterproductive."
correspondentnoun
kor-eh-SPON-dent
A journalist based in a specific location or covering a specific topic, who reports regularly to their outlet.
"The war correspondent had been covering the conflict for six months without returning home."
newspegnoun
NYOOZ-peg
A current event that justifies publishing a story that might otherwise seem irrelevant or outdated; the reason a story is timely.
"The anniversary of the disaster gave the journalist a newspeg for revisiting the long-term health effects."
sidebarnoun
SYDE-bar
A secondary article or box alongside a main news story, providing additional context or related information.
"The main article covered the summit; the sidebar explained the history of the conflict."
cutline / captionnoun
KUT-lyne / KAP-shun
The text beneath a photograph in a newspaper or website, describing what it shows.
"The caption read: 'Demonstrators gather outside parliament on the third consecutive day of protests.'"
scoopnoun
skoop
An exclusive story obtained and published before all competitors; the biggest stories are described as major scoops.
"Publishing the leaked memo before anyone else was the biggest scoop of her career."