Parts of a Newspaper

Parts of a Newspaper and Other Newspaper Terms

 AP: Abbreviation for the Associated Press  Banner: A headline running across the top of a page  Beat: The area assigned to a reporter for his/her regular coverage  Box-out: A small part of the page, shaded in a different color  Byline: Writer’s name appearing at the head of a news story or under a photo  Caption: Typed text under photographs explaining the image  Column inch: One inch of type (measured vertically) and one column wide  Cutline: Explanatory information under a photo or graphic  Dateline: Words at the beginning of a story that give a story’s place of origin  Deadline: A time at which all copy for an edition must be in  Dummy: Diagram for a newspaper page used to show printers where stories, photos, and ads are to be placed  Ear: Either upper corner of the front page (sometimes used for weather news or to call attention to a special feature), can also be called Pugs  Editorial: An article expressing the opinion of the newspaper regarding a certain subject  Extra: An edition of the newspaper which is not regularly scheduled  Feature: An article that may not have news value but is of interest to readers  Flag: The newspaper’s nameplate on the front page  Headline: This is the main statement, usually in the largest and boldest font, describing the main story; A banner headline spans the full width of the page.  Jump: To continue a story on another page.  Kicker: This is a story designed to stand out from the rest of the page by the use of a different font (typeface) and layout  Lead Story: The main story on the front page, usually a splash  Lead: The first paragraph or two of a news story  Lure: A word or phrase directing the reader to look inside the paper at a particular story or feature  Masthead: The detailed information printed in the newspaper stating the title, ownership, subscription rates and other general information about the newspaper  Menu: The list of contents inside the paper.  Obit: Short for obituary or death notice  Pull Quote: A quote pulled out of a story to attract more attention to an article  Scoop: A story obtained before other newspapers receive the information  Secondary Lead: This is usually only a picture and headline; it gives a sneak preview of a story that you might find inside the paper  Sidebar: When a main feature has an additional box or tinted panel along side  Splash: The splash is the main story on the front of the paper. The largest headline will accompany this, along with a photograph.  Spread: A story that covers more than one page  Tag: A word or phrase used to engage a reader’s interest in a story by categorizing it as “Exclusive” or “Sensational”.