MEDIA GLOSSARY

1. Ad Dummy The blank sets of newspaper or magazine pages of an edition with the shapes and position of the advertisements marked. It is given to the news desk for the placement of the stories in the space available. It is the advertising department, which decides about the number of pages of a daily. It shows that advertisement department is more powerful than editorial department. 2. Angle It is an item of information in a story that a journalist chooses to emphasize. It may be a local angle aiming at the local readers. 3. Boil Tight editing of a story to reduce length. It is done by deleting minor details. To boil down a copy means to shorten a copy. 4. Breaking News It is an unanticipated, unpredicted and unexpected news developing, awaiting further information. Eg: Terrorist attack, train derailment, plane crash. 5. Brief (Capsule News) Short item of news. It may be limited to one or two or three sentences. It is also known as snip, nib, bright, filler. It can also refer to short advice to journalist how to cover a story. 6. Broadsheet Large size newspaper. Its size is 22 X 15 inches. Eg. The Hindu, The New York Times, Guardian, Malayala Manorama. But Rashtra Deepika and Flash are tabloids 7. Bulldog First edition of a daily. This word was coined in New York at a time when there were three morning newspapers The New York World, The New York Herald and The New York Journal were the competing bulldogs to get their edition on the street first. Bulldog can also refer to supplements printed and sent early. Eg: Sree or Sunday Magazine of a daily.

8. Tombstone It is also called Bumped Headline. It refers to a newspaper display in which single column headlines are placed in identical types side by side. 9. Campaigning Journalism It refers to expressly partisan journalism or a journalism that promotes a particular cause. It is also called Advocacy journalism. 10. Canned Copy It is a publicity materials sent to a newspaper by an individual or organisation. It is also known as handout. 11. Catchline or Slug It refers to a label or a single word for identifying a story. It is typed on right hand corner of every page. 12. Centrespread Material extending across the two center-facing pages of a newspaper or a magazine. 13. Civic Journalist It refers to newspapers becoming involved in community issues rather than just covering the mass news. Eg: B.G. Verghese, Hindustan Times. My Village Chettera. It is also known as public journalism. 14. Copy fitting Selecting a typeface and type size and condensing the story to suit the space allotted for a story. Consideration is given not only to the size of the type but also to the style that best represents the mood of the story. 15. Editorialize Insert the reporters opinion in a news item. Newspapers allow opinions only in analytical stories, columns and editorials. 16. Embargo Time (often found on press releases) before which information should not be published. It is a system based on the trust between the sources and the media. Example:

The PMs speech at the Red Fort on August 15, given to the media on the previous day with an embargo. 17. Flash Urgent brief message, announcing a big story. Eg: FLASH, VEERAPPAN SHOT DEAD. 18. Ghost Ghostwriter is the author of stories that carry someone elses name. The sports pages normally carry such column. 19. Hoax Deliberate deception of the media consumers or public to increase circulation or ratings. 20. Imprintline Name and address of printer and publisher required by law. It is often at the foot of the back page. In a magazine it is within the first few pages. 21. Jazz Journalism It was a style of news presentation in American newspapers that emphasized action and scandal. It can also be termed as yellow journalism. Yellow journalists followed a tabloid style format with extensive photography. 22. Late Man Late man is the deskman who stays back for late news when last edition has gone to press. 23. Legman Legman is a reporter who collects facts but does not write the story. 24. Media Circus It refers to the congestion and chaos resulting from journalists reaching the scene of news. Eg. Press conference scene or an accident scene. 25. Media Pack It contains the details of magazines circulation, readership and technical specification.

26. Mofussil It is a term for local or regional news. There are mofussil desk and mofussil correspondents. 27. New Journalism It is a subjective form of reporting. It was pioneered in America in 1960s and 1970s. The major proponents were Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion and Truman Capote. Example: Tom Wolfes New Journalism in 1977. 28. Newsflash Interruption of normal programming in a TV channel to give brief details of an urgent breaking story. 29. News Peg A timely story related to an event currently relevant. Example: January 30, 2008, th 60 year of Gandhijis assassination. 30. News Release Publicity handout from an organisation or a company informing the newsroom about a possible news item. 31. Off beat A story with humorous touch. It is normally used on front page. It provides light relief from all other major hard news stories. 32. Paparazzi It is an Italian word. It refers to freelance photographers usually following an unwilling newsmaker. The most controversial case is that of Princes Dianas death in a car crash because of a chase of paparazzi in Paris 1997. 33. Penny Press In America newspapers competed with one another lowering their prices to boost up their circulation. It was in 1830s. New Yorks Sun was the first newspaper to do that. It lowered its price from six cents to one cent in 1833. 34. Pulp Magazine It is a magazine specializing in sensationalized articles. It can also refer to magazines printed on low quality paper to reduce the cost. 35. Running Story It is a story that is developing, that constantly changes. It demands frequent updates. Eg: Train accident, earthquake 36. Sacred Cow It is a copy or a subject always given a favorable treatment. It is a copy not to be cut or changed. Eg. Virendra Kumar in Mathrubhoomi, Amritananda Mayi, Pope, a column by Azhikode or K. M. Roy. 37. Splash It is news about which there is no prior information. Eg. Accident or fire. It is not a scheduled news item. 38. Junket: It is an expense-paid trip intended to influence media coverage 39. Freebies: They are gifts offered to reporters for media coverage 40. Muckrakers: In 1906, American President Theodore Roosevelt coined this word to describe investigative dirt-diggers-: journalists who raked out the muck of society