Journalism Vocabulary Quiz

A broadsheet is a large-format newspaper traditionally associated with serious, in-depth reporting on politics, business and international affairs. A tabloid is a smaller-format newspaper that typically features shorter articles, larger photographs and often focuses on celebrity news, sport and human interest stories. British broadsheets include The Times and The Guardian; tabloids include The Sun and the Daily Mirror.

A byline is the line of text — usually at the top or bottom of an article — that gives the name of the author who wrote the piece. For example: 'By Sarah Jones, Political Correspondent.' The byline credits the writer and is an important part of journalistic accountability.

News content aims to present facts objectively — what happened, when, where, who was involved and why. Editorial content expresses opinions, analysis or the newspaper's institutional viewpoint. An editorial (called a 'leader' in British English) states the publication's position on an issue. Good journalism clearly separates news from opinion.

A press embargo is an agreement between a news source and journalists that certain information will not be published before a specified date and time. Embargoes are common with scientific studies, government announcements and product launches. They allow journalists time to prepare accurate stories while ensuring all outlets publish simultaneously.

When a source speaks to a journalist 'off the record', the information cannot be published or attributed to them by name. Journalists use off-the-record briefings to gain background understanding of a story. The related terms are 'on the record' (can be quoted and attributed) and 'on background' (can be used but the source cannot be named).

A sub-editor (or 'sub') checks and edits journalists' copy for accuracy, grammar, style and length before publication. Sub-editors also write headlines and photo captions, and ensure content fits the available page space. In digital journalism the role often includes SEO and social media optimisation.

Investigative journalism involves a deep, extended examination of a single topic — often corruption, wrongdoing or misuse of power. Investigative journalists spend weeks or months gathering evidence, interviewing sources and analysing documents. Famous examples include The Washington Post's Watergate investigation and the Guardian's phone-hacking exposé.

The 'lead' (traditionally spelled 'lede') is the opening paragraph of a news article. A good lead summarises the most important information, answering the five Ws: Who, What, When, Where and Why. It must grab the reader's attention immediately. The lead is considered the most critical part of any news story.

Both are forms of defamation — making a false statement that damages someone's reputation. Libel is defamation in written or published form (including online and broadcast media). Slander is defamation that is spoken. Libel is the primary legal concern for journalists. A successful libel claim requires proving the statement was false, published to a third party, and caused harm.

Essential journalism vocabulary: headline (article title), byline (author credit), lead/lede (opening paragraph), scoop (exclusive story), source (person providing information), correspondent (journalist reporting from a specific location or topic), editor, copy (written text), deadline, press conference, embargo (publication restriction), and exclusive (a story only one outlet has).