Journalism Terminology

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Advocacy Journalism

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A type of journalism where the reporter openly declares their stance on an issue while attempting to espouse it with factual reporting.

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Actuality

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Audio recording taken outside of the studio on location, often referred to as a sound bite in radio.

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Anchor

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News anchors present stories on-camera, usually from a studio location, though work can take place in the field.

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AP Stylebook

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The Associated Press Stylebook, commonly adhered to as the industry standard on formatting and word usage in news writing.

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A-Roll

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The main portion of audio video footage in a news story.

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Attribution

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The written phrase that identifies the source of a fact, opinion, or quote in a story.

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Back Timing

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Rehearsing the final segment of a news broadcast and timing it to coincide with the scheduled finishing time of the program.

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Backgrounder

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A story used to provide history and context to a current news story.

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Beats

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Areas of expertise in which a journalist or reporter covers on a regular basis and on an in-depth level, such as politics, health, or law enforcement.

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Beat Checks

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A list of established contacts that a beat reporter frequently touches base with to find or develop a story.