10 Terms Every Journalist Should Know

1. Lede

The first sentence of a hard-news story; a succinct summary of the story’s main point.

2. Inverted Pyramid

The model used to describe how a news story is structured. It means the heaviest or most important news goes at the top of the story, and the lightest, or least important, goes at the bottom.

3. Copy

The content of a news article.

4. Beat

To cover a particular area or topic, such as cops, courts or city council.

5. Byline

The name of a news story's author, usually put at the start of the article.

6. Dateline

The city from which a news story originates, usually placed at the start of the story.

7. Source

Anyone you interview for a news story.

8. Anonymous Source

A source who does not want to be identified in a news story.

9. Attribute

To tell readers where the information in a news story comes from.

10. Morgue

A newspaper’s library of clippings of old articles.