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Glossary
24 journalism and newsroom terms used across this site.
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Anchor
The presenter who leads a television or radio news programme, reads the main stories and introduces reports and interviews.
Beat
The subject area or institution a journalist covers regularly, such as health, courts, technology or city hall.
Bureau chief
The journalist in charge of a news organisation's office in a city or country away from its headquarters.
Byline
The line naming the author of an article, usually under the headline.
Columnist
A writer who contributes a regular opinion or commentary piece under their own name, often on a fixed schedule.
Copy editor
An editor who checks articles for accuracy, grammar, style and length before publication and often writes headlines.
Correspondent
A reporter who covers one region, country or subject for an outlet, often based away from the main newsroom.
Dateline
The place, and sometimes the date, at the start of a story showing where it was reported.
Editor-in-chief
The most senior editor of a publication, responsible for its editorial content and direction.
Embargo
A request from a source that information is not published before a set date and time.
Feature writer
A journalist who writes longer stories that give background, context or human interest rather than breaking news.
Freelancer
A journalist who works for several outlets on a per-story or contract basis rather than as staff.
Managing editor
A senior editor who runs the day-to-day operation of a newsroom, below the editor-in-chief.
Masthead
The list of a publication's senior editors and staff, usually printed in the paper or on an about page.
Media list
A list of journalists and outlets that a PR team pitches for a story, usually grouped by beat or region.
News producer
In broadcast news, the person who plans and assembles a programme or segment: choosing stories, writing scripts and managing timing.
Off the record
Information a source gives on condition that it is not published or attributed.
Op-ed
An opinion article written by someone outside the publication's editorial board, traditionally placed opposite the editorial page.
Photojournalist
A journalist who tells news stories through photographs.
Pitch
A short message to a journalist proposing a story, source or interview.
Press release
A written statement issued by an organisation to journalists to announce news.
Staff writer
A writer employed by a publication, as opposed to a freelancer or contributor.
Stringer
A freelance journalist paid per story who regularly covers an area for an outlet.
Wire service
A news agency, such as the Associated Press or Reuters, that supplies stories to other outlets by subscription.