News hole

The space for news after advertising columns have been inserted. Not relevant in the digital age.

Don Murray defines:

"The amount of space left after the advertising columns have been allocated."

New journalism

A style of news writing that is laced with personal experience of the reporter and his opinion. Not objective reporting.

Don Murray defines:

"A term used to describe the journalism of the late sixties and seventies, in which the reporter/writer abandoned the position of objective observer and participated in the story and commented upon the story with personal opinion."

Natural order

The most optimal way to lay out a story.

Here's Don Murray defining it:

“A story that uses a sequence that seems normal to organize the information for the reader. Chronology is used in a narrative; sometimes a place is described by taking a walk through it. Often a legislative act is shown by allowing the reader to experience the process of getting a bill passed or blocked.”

Mapping

Mapping is a technique that let's a reporter develop related stories.

"A brainstorming technique in which the writer puts a topic in the center of the page and then, as rapidly as possible, draws branches out to any topics that seem related." - Don Murray

The Line

Here's the definition from Don Murray:

"A fragment of language that contains the central tension that will move a story forward."

Lead or Lede

The first paragraph in a news story that captures the reader's attention forcing him to read the rest of the piece.

Layering

Here's the definition from Don Murray:

"The process of writing a story over and over again to develop it adequately."

Kicker

The kicker in journalism is like the punch line in a joke -- a strong, memorable ending to a story.

Don Murray defines it as:

"A strong ending on a news story, column, or editorial; information that will make an impact on the reader and remain with the reader after the story is finished."

Inverted pyramid

The traditional news story format that has a packed lede that provides the most essential information about a story to the readers.

Here's the definition from Don Murray.

"Traditional news stories that tell the reader the most important news first, the next important news next, and so on. If space is needed, these stories can be cut from the bottom right up to the lead paragraph, which is packed with the most important information."

Hard news

Serious news that is of widespread importance and readers need to know immediately is called hard news.

Attribution

How do readers know where a piece of information came from? Attribution.

Cover shot of writing book by Donald Murray.

Here's a neat definition from "Writing for Your Readers: Notes on the Writer's Craft from the Boston Globe " by Donald Murray, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing in 1954:

Folo

Folo, in journalism lingo, is simply a follow-up on a breaking news story.

Face in Journalism

Think of the word "face" as the face of something. For example, a man, who was beaten up badly by a partner, can be the face of domestic violence against men.

Explainers

A news story that explains a complex subject to readers. For example, government credit rating, municipal bonds, or how the internet work (not a series of tubes invented by Al Gore).

Cliche of Vision

The cliche of vision is something experienced journalist must be aware of to counteract its influence. Learn to see every event, every news story, as just that, something new.

Article Billboard in Journalism

A billboard is not a large sign on the side of a highway in journalism. It's just another word for a nut graph.

Backgrounder

A backgrounder helps your readers get a better understanding of a news story by providing them history and context of an event.