Introduction to Journalism Sreeja Tirkey

Why do we read newspapers? To know the truth? What does it mean by “ Stop the Press”? Why do they stop the press? Read the article A Night for Stop the Presses tured_articles/ friday.html tured_articles/ friday.html

Printing Press Its not easy to stop the press at last minute of printing. Why? Look at how complicated the printing process is. &feature=related kEV7QZn_CA g&feature=related

Some Newspaper Terms/ Jargon Layout Front page Columns Broadsheet/ tabloid

More Newspaper terms Masthead- is the title block or logo identifying the newspaper at the top of the front page. The style is fixed and gives an identity to the newspaper. ( The font, Size, colour, etc of the name of the newspaper)

Pugs- The corner areas at the top of the front page on either side of the newspapers name. They are also called the ‘ears’ of the page.

Lead story- The main story on the front page, usually a splash. Splash- the splash is the main story on the front of the paper. The largest headline will accompany this, often along with a photograph.

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. Strapline- this is an introductory headline below the headline.

By- line – The name of the reporter who reported the news ( if it is important to mention, or else this is usually avoided). Credits- Photographs will have name of the person who took them or the agency that supplied them. Caption – typed text under the photographs explaining the image.

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. Lure- a word or phrase directing the reader to look inside the paper at a particular story or feature. 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 categorising it ( eg. Exclusive, Sensational, etc.) Exclusive- this means that newspaper and no one else solely cover the story. The paper will pay their interviewees, buying the story so it cannot be used by another paper. Feature- not necessarily a ‘ news’ item ( current affairs), but usually with a human- interest angle presented as a spread.

Dateline- Information at the start of the story giving the location and/or date of the story. Jumpline- line telling the reader where the story is continued. Lead- the first sentences of a news story informing the reader of who, what, when, where, why and how. Its known as the 5Ws and one H.

What is the difference between hard news and soft news?

What makes a story newsworthy?

Timing The word news means exactly that - things which are new. Topics which are current are good news. Consumers are used to receiving the latest updates, and there is so much news about, that old news is quickly discarded. A story with only average interest needs to be told quickly if it is to be told at all. If it happened today, it's news. If the same thing happened last week, it's no longer interesting.

Size/ number The number of people affected by the story is important. A plane crash in which hundreds of people died is more significant than a crash killing a dozen.

Proximity Stories which happen near to us have more significance. The closer the story to home, the more newsworthy it is. For someone living in France, a major plane crash in the USA has a similar news value to a small plane crash near Paris. Proximity doesn't have to mean geographical distance. Stories from countries with which we have a particular bond or similarity have the same effect. For example, Australians would be expected to relate more to a story from a distant Western nation than a story from a much closer Asian country.

Prominence/ famous people Famous people get more coverage just because they are famous. If you break your arm it won't make the news, but if the Queen of England breaks her arm it's big news.

Human Interest Human interest stories are stories that appeal to our emotions. They aim to evoke responses such as amusement or sadness. They often disregard the main rules of newsworthiness; for example, they don't date as quickly, they need not affect a large number of people, and it may not matter where in the world the story takes place.

Unusual Anything unusual is also news. When a dog bites a man, it need not be news but when a man bites a dog, its news.

Check The Korea Herald or The Korea Times and find out why certain stories are news worthy.