Journalism & Media Vocabulary: 100 Key English Terms
Journalists in every country now work with English: agency wires, foreign sources, international press conferences and newsroom tools all use it. This glossary explains the core vocabulary of news gathering, reporting and editing, headlines and news language, broadcast and online media, interviews, media ethics and law, and fact-checking, with natural Turkish equivalents and realistic newsroom examples. It is written for working journalists and for communication faculty students who read, write or report in English.
100 terms
11 topics
55 core terms
202 example sentences
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News Gathering and Sources
source
noun
Meaning
A person, document or organisation that gives a journalist information for a story; also the place where a piece of information comes from.
Where you use it
Reporters develop, cultivate and protect sources, and editors ask whether a fact is well sourced. Sources can be named, anonymous, official or reliable. News language often says sources close to the company or according to sources.
Examples
Two independent sources confirmed that the factory will close in March.
It took her years to build a network of sources inside the health ministry.
Always note the source of every figure you use in the story.
Usage note
Source is a pronunciation trap: it sounds like sauce in British English (/sɔːs/), not like the Turkish 'sur-s'.
Common phrases
reliable source · anonymous source · protect a source · sources close to · well-placed source
An official written announcement that a company, institution or person sends to journalists to share news and encourage them to report it.
Where you use it
Press offices issue, send out or put out press releases; journalists receive dozens a day. A good reporter treats a press release as a starting point, checks its claims and looks for other voices instead of copying it.
Examples
The company announced the job cuts in a short press release on Friday evening.
Don't just rewrite the press release; call the union for their side.
Usage note
In US English a press release is also called a news release. A story built almost entirely from press releases is sometimes criticised as churnalism.
Common phrases
issue a press release · send out a press release · according to a press release · embargoed press release
A meeting arranged by a person or organisation where they make an announcement to journalists and usually answer their questions.
Where you use it
Organisations hold, call or give a press conference; journalists attend it and ask questions. Reporters often say presser informally. In American English news conference is also common.
Examples
The club will hold a press conference at noon to introduce the new coach.
At the press conference, the police chief refused to name the suspect.
Usage note
In British newspapers, news conference can also mean the editors' daily planning meeting, so check the context.
Common phrases
hold a press conference · call a press conference · joint press conference · at a press conference · ask a question at a press conference
An important or exciting story that one journalist or outlet publishes before any of its competitors; as a verb, to beat rivals to a story.
Where you use it
Journalists get, land or break a scoop, and they hate being scooped by rivals. A scoop is often labelled exclusive. Informal and slightly old-fashioned, but still widely used in newsrooms.
Examples
The Harbour Gazette got the scoop on the merger a full day before everyone else.
We were scooped by a rival website while we were still checking the details.
Usage note
Turkish journalists call this atlatma. Be careful: a scoop of ice cream is a top dondurma, so context matters.
Common phrases
get a scoop · big scoop · be scooped · land a scoop
An organisation that collects news, photos and video and sells or supplies them to newspapers, broadcasters and websites, which then publish them.
Where you use it
Also called a wire service, and its stories are called wire copy or agency copy. Newsrooms monitor the wires all day and often credit the agency at the end of a story. Agencies can be international, national or specialised.
Examples
The first reports of the crash came from a news agency photographer at the airport.
Most of our foreign stories are based on copy from two news agencies.
Usage note
Do not confuse a news agency with an advertising agency (reklam ajansı) or a PR agency (halkla ilişkiler ajansı).
Common phrases
international news agency · national news agency · agency copy · wire service · agency photographer
A person who gives information to a journalist on the condition that their name is not published, usually because they could lose their job or be in danger.
Where you use it
Many newsrooms allow anonymous sources only when the information is important and cannot be obtained on the record. Stories then describe the source: a senior official, a person familiar with the talks. Editors usually need to know who the source is.
Examples
The report relies on three anonymous sources inside the company.
Our policy is that an anonymous source must be confirmed by a second person.
Usage note
The fixed news phrase is spoke on condition of anonymity (isminin açıklanmaması şartıyla konuştu). Unnamed source means the same.
Common phrases
rely on anonymous sources · quote an anonymous source · speak on condition of anonymity · unnamed source
A piece of secret or early information given to a journalist or the police about something that has happened or is going to happen.
Where you use it
Newsrooms receive tip-offs by phone, email or secure messaging apps; readers are invited to send tips. The verb is tip off: someone tipped us off about the closure. In American English tip alone is more common.
Examples
The story started with a tip-off from a worker at the recycling plant.
A neighbour tipped off reporters when the police arrived.
Usage note
Notice the hyphen: the noun is tip-off, the phrasal verb is tip off. A tip in a restaurant (bahşiş) is a different meaning.
Common phrases
receive a tip-off · anonymous tip-off · act on a tip-off · tip off reporters
An agreement that journalists will not publish information they have received in advance until a stated date and time.
Where you use it
Common with scientific studies, company results, official reports and speeches. A press release is embargoed until a time; journalists respect, break or lift an embargo. Breaking one can mean losing access to future releases.
Examples
The study is under embargo until Wednesday at 00:01, so prepare the story but don't publish it.
One website broke the embargo and published the results an hour early.
Usage note
A news embargo is voluntary. A court order banning reporting is different: in English it is a gag order or reporting restrictions, and in Turkish yayın yasağı.
Common phrases
under embargo · embargoed until · break an embargo · lift an embargo · respect an embargo
An official card or badge that shows someone is a working journalist and allows them into events, courts or areas closed to the public.
Where you use it
Journalists apply for, show or wear a press pass; organisers issue or withdraw them. For one event the word accreditation is common: apply for accreditation to the summit. Also called a press card.
Examples
Don't forget your press pass, or security won't let you into the stadium.
Freelancers sometimes find it hard to get a press pass for big events.
Usage note
Accreditation is stressed on -ta-: ac-cred-i-TA-tion. In Turkish newsrooms akreditasyon is used in the same way.
Common phrases
show a press pass · apply for a press pass · press card · media accreditation
A person who saw an event, such as an accident, crime or disaster, with their own eyes and can describe what happened.
Where you use it
Reporters at the scene look for eyewitnesses and collect eyewitness accounts. Early eyewitness reports can be wrong or contradictory, so they must be attributed and compared carefully.
Examples
One eyewitness said the bus was travelling very fast before it hit the wall.
We spoke to three eyewitnesses, but their accounts were very different.
Usage note
Witness alone also works, and in court it is the usual word. Eyewitness stresses that the person actually saw the event.
Common phrases
eyewitness account · according to eyewitnesses · eyewitness report · eyewitness video
A person whose job is to speak to the media on behalf of an organisation, company, government body or public figure.
Where you use it
News stories often say a spokesperson for the hospital said or a police spokesperson confirmed. Spokesman and spokeswoman are also used, but many style guides prefer the neutral spokesperson. Press officers often act as spokespeople.
Examples
A spokesperson for the airline said all passengers had been offered new flights.
Call the police spokesperson and ask whether anyone has been arrested.
Usage note
The plural is usually spokespeople. The stress is on the first syllable: SPOKES-per-son.
Common phrases
a spokesperson for · police spokesperson · company spokesperson · official spokesperson
An official announcement, written or spoken, in which a person or organisation gives information or their position on something.
Where you use it
Organisations issue, release or put out a statement; journalists quote from it: in a statement, the company said. A joint statement comes from several parties. A statement allows no follow-up questions, unlike an interview.
Examples
In a short statement, the hospital said the patient was in a stable condition.
The family released a statement asking the media to respect their privacy.
Usage note
In legal contexts a statement is also what a witness or suspect tells the police (ifade). Context shows which meaning is meant.
Common phrases
issue a statement · in a statement · joint statement · written statement · release a statement
A person whose job is to gather, write, edit or present news and information for newspapers, websites, radio, television or other media.
Where you use it
The most general word for people in the profession. It covers reporters, editors, columnists and presenters, and it is not limited to newspapers. Common types: freelance, investigative, sports, business and data journalist.
Examples
She has worked as a journalist for twelve years, first at a local paper and now at a news website.
Journalists were not allowed into the building until the meeting had ended.
Data journalists on our team turned the budget figures into an interactive map.
Usage note
The field is journalism and the person is a journalist. Do not confuse journalist with journal, which usually means a diary or an academic publication.
Common phrases
freelance journalist · investigative journalist · trainee journalist · work as a journalist · fellow journalists
A journalist whose main job is to find out what is happening, talk to people, collect facts and write or broadcast news stories about it.
Where you use it
Reporters cover events, chase stories, interview sources and file copy to their editors. They are often named after their subject or place: crime reporter, court reporter, political reporter, a reporter at the scene.
Examples
We sent two reporters to the flooded villages this morning.
As a court reporter, he spends most of his week in the city courthouse.
Usage note
In Turkish both reporter and correspondent are usually muhabir. In English, correspondent suggests a reporter based in a particular place or covering one subject.
Common phrases
crime reporter · court reporter · senior reporter · reporter at the scene · cub reporter
A single piece of reporting about a recent event or issue, published in print or online or broadcast on radio or television.
Where you use it
In newsrooms people usually just say story. Reporters pitch, chase, write and file stories; editors run, hold or spike them. A story can be big, developing, exclusive or front-page.
Examples
Our news story about the hospital waiting lists was the most-read article of the week.
Can you file the news story by six? We want it on the website before the evening bulletin.
Usage note
News is uncountable: say a news story or a piece of news, never a news. Many news is also wrong; say a lot of news or many stories.
Common phrases
break a story · file a story · run a story · cover a story · developing story
News about an important event that is happening right now or has only just happened, reported as soon as it is known and updated as more details come in.
Where you use it
Seen on TV banners, website labels and push alerts. Newsrooms switch to breaking news mode, interrupt programmes and update stories constantly. Early details in breaking news are often unconfirmed, so careful wording matters.
Examples
We have breaking news: a fire has broken out at the city's main train station.
In breaking news situations, we publish a short version first and update it every few minutes.
Usage note
Breaking news is uncountable: say a breaking news story, not a breaking news. The verb break is used too: the paper broke the story first.
Common phrases
breaking news alert · breaking news coverage · breaking news banner · this just in
The way the media report an event or subject, and how much attention they give it, in print, online or on air.
Where you use it
Coverage can be live, extensive, wall-to-wall, balanced or biased. Events get or attract coverage, and outlets are praised or criticised for their coverage. The verb is cover: we covered the trial every day.
Examples
The channel's coverage of the storm ran for eleven hours without a break.
Readers complained that our coverage of the strike only quoted the employers.
Usage note
Coverage is uncountable in this sense. Turkish speakers sometimes translate it as kapsam, but in news contexts haberleştirme or yayınlar sounds more natural.
Common phrases
live coverage · media coverage · extensive coverage · balanced coverage · get coverage
A reporter who is based in a particular city or country, or who specialises in one subject, and sends regular reports from there or about it.
Where you use it
Usually named by place or subject: foreign correspondent, Paris correspondent, economics correspondent, health correspondent. On TV, presenters hand over to a correspondent: let's go to our correspondent in Rome.
Examples
Our Berlin correspondent has been following the trade talks all week.
She spent ten years as a foreign correspondent in South America.
Usage note
Correspondent is a pronunciation challenge: the stress falls on -spon-. In business English it also means someone you exchange letters with.
Common phrases
foreign correspondent · health correspondent · chief correspondent · our correspondent in · war correspondent
The line at the top or bottom of an article that gives the name of the journalist who wrote it, sometimes with their job title or location.
Where you use it
Journalists get or share a byline, and a first byline is a big moment for trainees. Stories written by several people carry a joint byline; agency copy may have no byline at all.
Examples
She got her first byline in her second week as an intern.
Please add the photographer's name under the byline.
Usage note
A dateline is different: it shows the place (and sometimes date) the story was filed from, such as ANKARA at the start of the text.
Common phrases
get a byline · share a byline · joint byline · first byline
The opening sentence or paragraph of a news story, which gives the most important facts and makes the reader want to continue.
Where you use it
Editors say the lead is buried when the key fact appears too late. A hard news lead answers the main questions in one sentence; a delayed or anecdotal lead starts with a scene. Lead also means the top story of a bulletin or a promising piece of information to follow up.
Examples
Your lead is too long; tell me who, what and where in under thirty words.
The police have no strong leads in the case so far.
Usage note
American journalists often spell this word lede to separate it from other meanings of lead. Pronounce it /liːd/, not like the metal lead /led/.
Common phrases
write a lead · bury the lead · hard news lead · strong lead · follow a lead
The subject, institution or area that a reporter covers regularly, such as health, education, crime, the courts or city hall.
Where you use it
Reporters cover, work or are assigned a beat, and develop sources on their beat. Beat reporters are specialists, unlike general assignment reporters who cover whatever comes in.
Examples
After two years on the education beat, she knows every head teacher in the city.
Who covers the health beat while Murat is on holiday?
Usage note
This meaning comes from a police officer's beat, the area they patrol. Turkish journalists usually say alan or name the post, such as adliye muhabiri.
Common phrases
cover a beat · beat reporter · health beat · on the crime beat · assigned to a beat
Interesting or important enough to be reported as news, for example because it is new, unusual, local, surprising or affects many people.
Where you use it
Editors ask is this newsworthy? when choosing stories. Journalism courses teach news values such as timeliness, impact, proximity, prominence, conflict and human interest. The noun is newsworthiness.
Examples
A dog biting a man is not newsworthy, but a man biting a dog might be.
The council meeting wasn't newsworthy until the budget vote failed.
Usage note
Turkish haberlik (as in bu haberlik bir şey) is informal. In formal writing, haber değeri taşıyan is safer.
A way of writing news in which the most important facts come first and the less important details follow, so the story can be cut from the bottom.
Where you use it
The basic structure taught in every news writing course and still used for hard news, agency copy and online stories. Feature writers often break the rule and start with a scene instead.
Examples
Use the inverted pyramid: put the death toll and the location in the first paragraph.
Because the story followed the inverted pyramid, the editor could cut the last three paragraphs easily.
Usage note
Inverted means upside down. The opposite approach, telling events in time order, is called chronological structure.
Common phrases
inverted pyramid style · inverted pyramid structure · write in the inverted pyramid
The basic questions every news story should answer: who, what, when, where and why, usually with how added as well.
Where you use it
A checklist for reporters and editors, also called the five Ws and H or the five Ws and one H. A good hard news lead answers most of them in the first sentence or two.
Examples
Check your lead against the five Ws: I still don't know when the accident happened.
On the first day of the course we learned the five Ws and H.
Usage note
Turkish 5N1K is the same idea: ne, nerede, ne zaman, nasıl, neden and kim. English groups how separately because it does not start with W.
Common phrases
the five Ws and H · answer the five Ws · cover the five Ws
The particular point of view or focus a journalist chooses for a story, which decides which facts and voices come first.
Where you use it
Editors ask what's the angle? or ask for a fresh, local or human angle. The same event can be told from a business angle, a consumer angle or a local angle depending on the audience.
Examples
Everyone has covered the price rise; find a local angle for our readers.
The new angle was how the closure affects students who travel by bus.
Usage note
Do not confuse angle /ˈæŋɡl/ with angel /ˈeɪndʒl/ (melek); they look similar but sound very different.
Common phrases
local angle · fresh angle · human angle · find an angle · news angle
A new story that reports later developments of an event already covered, such as the results of an investigation or how people's lives changed.
Where you use it
Editors ask reporters to do or write a follow-up, often a day, a week or a year later. The phrasal verb is follow up: we followed up on the story. A follow-up question in an interview presses for more detail.
Examples
We ran a follow-up six months after the fire to see if the families had been rehoused.
Her follow-up question forced the director to give a clear answer.
Usage note
The noun and adjective are hyphenated (a follow-up, a follow-up story), but the verb is two words: to follow up.
Common phrases
do a follow-up · follow-up story · follow-up question · follow up on a story
A journalist who decides what is published or broadcast and checks, corrects and improves other people's work; also the person in charge of a whole publication or section.
Where you use it
Titles show the level: news editor, sports editor, foreign editor, managing editor, editor-in-chief. In British newspapers the editor alone means the head of the whole paper. Reporters send copy to an editor, who may cut, rewrite or hold it.
Examples
The sports editor wants the match report in 400 words, not 800.
My editor asked me to find a second source before we publish.
Usage note
An editor is not the same as a publisher. The publisher owns or runs the business side of a newspaper or publishing house; the editor is in charge of the content.
Common phrases
news editor · sports editor · managing editor · night editor · send it to the editor
The office where journalists and editors of a newspaper, broadcaster or news website work together to gather, write and publish the news; also the team itself.
Where you use it
Used for both the place and the people: the newsroom is busy, the newsroom voted, newsroom culture. Modern outlets talk about integrated or digital-first newsrooms that serve print, web and video together.
Examples
The newsroom went quiet when the first pictures from the earthquake came in.
Our newsroom now publishes online first and prints a selection of stories the next morning.
Usage note
Turkish yazı işleri is close to newsroom in a newspaper, but in legal and formal Turkish sorumlu yazı işleri müdürü is a specific legally responsible editor, not just a newsroom member.
Common phrases
busy newsroom · newsroom staff · digital newsroom · join the newsroom · newsroom culture
The latest time by which a story, photo or programme item must be finished and handed in so that it can be published or broadcast.
Where you use it
Daily life in a newsroom is built around deadlines. Reporters meet, miss or work to a deadline, and they are often on deadline in the evening. Print papers have fixed press deadlines; online outlets work to constant rolling deadlines.
Examples
The deadline for the print edition is 10 p.m., so we need your copy by nine.
I can't talk now, I'm on deadline.
Usage note
In journalism a deadline is usually a time of day, not just a date. 'Press time' is the moment the paper goes to print.
Common phrases
meet a deadline · miss a deadline · tight deadline · on deadline · press deadline
The text of a news story or article that a journalist writes and sends to be edited and published.
Where you use it
Newsroom jargon: reporters file copy, editors check, cut and clean up copy, and copy can be clean or messy. Agency copy is text from news agencies. The word is uncountable in this sense.
Examples
Your copy was clean; I only changed the headline.
Please file your copy by eight so the subs have time to check it.
Usage note
False friend: in journalism copy does not mean a duplicate (kopya). It also means one printed issue: the paper sold 50,000 copies.
The most senior editor of a newspaper, magazine, broadcaster or website, who is responsible for all its content and editorial decisions.
Where you use it
Often written as editor in chief or shortened to EIC or EiC. The editor-in-chief sets the editorial line, approves sensitive stories and represents the newsroom. In British newspapers the title is often simply the editor.
Examples
The editor-in-chief decided to publish the story after a long meeting with the lawyers.
She became editor-in-chief of the magazine at just 34.
Usage note
The plural is editors-in-chief, not editor-in-chiefs. Turkish sorumlu yazı işleri müdürü is a separate legal role that may be held by another person.
Common phrases
appoint an editor-in-chief · deputy editor-in-chief · former editor-in-chief · editor-in-chief of
An editor who checks and corrects reporters' text for accuracy, grammar, style and length, and often writes headlines and captions.
Where you use it
American English uses copy editor; British newspapers say sub-editor or sub, and the team is the subs desk. Copy editors follow the house style guide and catch errors before publication.
Examples
The copy editor noticed that the mayor's age was wrong in two places.
Our copy editors cut every story to fit the page and check the style.
Usage note
A proofreader checks the final version for typing and layout errors only, while a copy editor can also change wording, structure and length.
The title printed above a news story in large letters, or written at the top of an online article, that tells readers quickly what the story is about.
Where you use it
Sub-editors write headlines, and a story that gets a lot of attention makes or grabs the headlines. On radio and TV, the headlines are the short summary of main stories at the start of a bulletin. Headlines use their own compressed grammar.
Examples
The headline was too long for the mobile page, so we cut it to eight words.
The bridge collapse made headlines across the country.
Usage note
Turkish manşet usually means the main headline on the front page. Every article has a headline, so for an ordinary article title başlık is the better translation.
Common phrases
write a headline · make the headlines · front-page headline · misleading headline · the main headlines
The first page of a newspaper, where the most important stories and pictures of the day appear; also the home page of a news website.
Where you use it
Stories make, lead or dominate the front page; editors decide what goes on the front. As an adjective it is hyphenated: front-page news, a front-page story. Newsroom slang for it is page one or the splash in British tabloids.
Examples
The rescue of the miners was on the front page of every paper.
Do you think the transport strike is front-page news?
Usage note
Turkish manşet usually refers to the main headline on the front page, not the page itself. In English, the lead story on the front page is the splash (UK) or the lead story (US).
Common phrases
make the front page · front-page story · front-page headline · on the front page · front-page news
A short piece of text under or next to a photo, chart or video that explains what it shows, who is in it and sometimes who took it.
Where you use it
Captions are written by reporters, photographers or sub-editors and must be checked as carefully as the story: names left to right, place and date. On social media, caption also means the text posted with a picture or video.
Examples
The caption named the wrong player, so we fixed it within minutes.
Write a caption that says who is in the picture, from left to right.
Usage note
For films and TV, the translated text at the bottom of the screen is usually called subtitles, and text for deaf viewers is closed captions. Turkish uses altyazı for both.
Common phrases
photo caption · write a caption · the caption reads · wrong caption
A short introductory sentence or paragraph between a headline and the article, usually in bold or larger type, that summarises the story.
Where you use it
A British newspaper and magazine term. In the US the same element is called a dek or deck, and online it is often called a subheadline or summary. Sub-editors usually write it together with the headline.
Examples
The standfirst should add something the headline doesn't already say.
I rewrote the standfirst to mention the number of people affected.
Usage note
Turkish spot is a false friend: in English a spot is a place or a short advert slot, so use standfirst (UK) or dek (US) when you mean the summary under a headline.
Common phrases
write a standfirst · headline and standfirst · dek · subheadline
Used to show that something has been claimed but not yet proved, especially about a crime or wrongdoing.
Where you use it
Essential in crime and court reporting before a verdict: the man allegedly stole, the alleged victim, an alleged fraud. The related verb is allege and the noun is allegation. Overusing it can make writing heavy, so editors check each case.
Examples
The driver allegedly ignored a red light before the crash.
Two officials allegedly accepted payments from the construction company.
Usage note
Allegedly does not protect you automatically from a libel claim. If you report a serious accusation, you still need good evidence and the other side's response.
Common phrases
allegedly involved · allegedly stole · alleged victim · make an allegation · deny the allegations
Used to show who or what a piece of information comes from, so that readers know its source.
Where you use it
One of the most common attribution phrases in news: according to police, according to the report, according to figures released on Monday. It shows the information is reported, not the journalist's own claim.
Examples
According to the fire service, the blaze started in the kitchen.
Prices rose by 4 per cent last month, according to official figures.
Usage note
Turkish speakers often say according to me for bana göre, but in English it sounds odd. Use in my opinion or I think instead.
Common phrases
according to police · according to sources · according to the report · according to figures
A short word for an official investigation, used especially in headlines; as a verb, to investigate something carefully.
Where you use it
Typical headline language because it is short: Police launch probe into hospital deaths, Probe finds safety failures. In the body of the story journalists often use the longer word investigation.
Examples
Headline: Council orders probe into school bus contract.
The probe found that the lift had not been inspected for three years.
Usage note
Probe is typical headlinese. Learners should recognise it, but in normal writing and speech investigation or inquiry usually sounds more natural.
Common phrases
launch a probe · order a probe · police probe · probe into · the probe found
In headlines, to criticise someone or something very strongly in public.
Where you use it
Common in tabloid and online headlines: Parents slam school's new phone ban, Fans slam ticket prices. Serious outlets often prefer criticise or condemn because slam can sound sensational.
Examples
Headline: Residents slam plan to close village post office.
The union slammed the decision as unfair to night-shift workers.
Usage note
The basic meaning of slam is to shut a door hard. In headlines it is one of many short, dramatic verbs, along with blast, hit out and rap.
Common phrases
slam a decision · slam a plan · slammed by critics · slam as unfair
An article that gives the official opinion of a newspaper or magazine on an issue, usually written by senior editors and often published without a byline.
Where you use it
Papers run or publish editorials, which argue, criticise or call for action. As an adjective, editorial means connected with content decisions: editorial team, editorial independence, editorial policy, editorial meeting.
Examples
Today's editorial calls on the council to reopen the public library.
Advertisers have no say in our editorial decisions.
Usage note
An editorial is not a news report. Opinion belongs in editorials and columns, while news pages should keep fact and opinion separate.
A longer article that explores a person, place, trend or issue in depth, often with description, background and human stories rather than only the latest facts.
Where you use it
Contrasted with hard news. Features are less tied to a deadline and can be profiles, long reads, travel pieces or human-interest stories. Newspapers have a features desk and a features editor; you write, pitch or commission a feature.
Examples
I'm writing a feature on the last traditional bakers in the old town.
The weekend magazine runs one long feature and several shorter interviews.
Usage note
Feature is also a verb: the report features interviews with nurses. In tech English, a feature is a function of a product, which is a different meaning.
Common phrases
write a feature · features desk · features editor · long-form feature · human-interest feature
A regular article by the same writer, usually in the same place in a newspaper, magazine or website, giving their personal views or advice.
Where you use it
Writers have, write or contribute a column: a weekly column, a sports column, an advice column. Column also means a vertical block of text on a page, as in a front-page story across four columns.
Examples
She writes a weekly column about city life for the Sunday edition.
His column this week criticises the new parking rules.
Usage note
The final n in column is silent: /ˈkɒləm/. Turkish köşe yazısı fits the opinion meaning, while sütun fits the layout meaning.
A writer who produces a regular column for a newspaper, magazine or website, giving personal opinions, analysis or advice.
Where you use it
Columnists can be staff journalists or outside experts. They are described by subject or style: political columnist, sports columnist, guest columnist. Their views belong to them and not necessarily to the outlet.
Examples
The columnist's piece on school meals started a heated debate among readers.
We invited a doctor to be our guest columnist for the health pages.
Usage note
Turkish often calls columnists simply yazar, but in English writer is broader. Use columnist when you mean someone who writes a regular newspaper column.
Common phrases
political columnist · guest columnist · sports columnist · leading columnist
An opinion article by a named writer, often an outside expert or public figure, published on a newspaper's opinion pages or website.
Where you use it
The name comes from opposite the editorial page, where such articles were traditionally printed. People write, submit or pitch an op-ed, and opinion editors accept or reject it. Mainly American; British papers often say comment piece.
Examples
A local surgeon wrote an op-ed calling for more organ donors.
Op-eds should be under 800 words and include the author's full name.
Usage note
An op-ed is not the same as an editorial: the editorial is the newspaper's own view, while an op-ed gives the view of its named author.
Common phrases
write an op-ed · submit an op-ed · op-ed page · guest op-ed
Journalism that spends weeks or months uncovering hidden information, often about wrongdoing, corruption or abuse of power, using documents, data and confidential sources.
Where you use it
Investigative reporters work in small teams or units, and their stories are often called investigations or exposés. The work is expensive and slow, and it often leads to legal checks before publication.
Examples
The paper's investigative journalism team spent eight months on the care home story.
Investigative journalism needs time, money and good lawyers.
Usage note
Stress the second syllable: in-VES-ti-ga-tive. An investigation by journalists is different from a police investigation (soruşturma).
Common phrases
investigative reporter · investigative unit · fund investigative journalism · cross-border investigation
A meeting or conversation in which a journalist asks someone questions to get information, opinions or quotes for a story or programme; also the published or broadcast result.
Where you use it
Journalists request, arrange, conduct and record interviews; people give or grant an interview. Interview is also a verb: we interviewed the head teacher. Types include phone, live, exclusive and sit-down interviews.
Examples
The coach agreed to a ten-minute interview after training.
We interviewed more than thirty residents for the housing story.
Usage note
Turkish röportaj usually means an interview. English reportage is different: it means reporting in general, especially descriptive, on-the-scene reporting.
Common phrases
give an interview · conduct an interview · exclusive interview · phone interview · interview request
The exact words that someone said or wrote, repeated in a story inside quotation marks; as a verb, to repeat someone's words and say who said them.
Where you use it
Reporters get, use and check quotes; a strong quote can carry a whole story. As a verb: the paper quoted a senior doctor. Quotes must be accurate and in context. Quote is the everyday form of quotation.
Examples
We need a quote from the school before we can run this story.
She was quoted out of context and has asked for a correction.
Usage note
Quote marks or quotes are the punctuation marks (tırnak işareti). Do not confuse quote with quota (kota).
Common phrases
direct quote · get a quote · quoted out of context · quote someone by name · strong quote
Said privately to a journalist on the understanding that it will not be published, or at least not linked to the person who said it.
Where you use it
Sources ask to speak off the record, and reporters agree to keep something off the record. It must be agreed before the information is given, not afterwards. Turkish journalists also use the English phrase.
Examples
The manager agreed to talk, but only off the record.
Anything he told you off the record cannot appear in the article.
Usage note
Newsrooms define off the record in slightly different ways. Always agree with the source what exactly it means before the conversation.
Common phrases
speak off the record · an off-the-record briefing · go off the record · strictly off the record
Said in a way that can be published and openly attributed to the person who said it, using their name and position.
Where you use it
The default rule in most interviews: unless something else is agreed, everything is on the record. Reporters ask, will you say that on the record? Officials may refuse to go on the record about sensitive topics.
Examples
None of the employees wanted to speak on the record about the safety problems.
Is this on the record, or are you just giving me background?
Usage note
On record without the can mean officially recorded, as in the hottest day on record (kayıtlara geçen en sıcak gün).
Common phrases
go on the record · speak on the record · say on the record · on-the-record interview
Given on the understanding that the information can be published but the source will not be named, only described in general terms.
Where you use it
Mostly American newsroom and government press office language. Officials brief reporters on background, and stories then say a senior official said. Deep background means the information can guide reporting but cannot be attributed at all.
Examples
The spokesperson agreed to explain the plan on background, as a company official.
Is this conversation on background or off the record?
Usage note
These rules are not used the same way everywhere. Agree on what on background means before the interview starts.
Common phrases
speak on background · brief on background · on deep background · background briefing
A set of very short interviews with ordinary people in a public place, asking them all the same question about a current topic.
Where you use it
Used in radio, TV and online video to show a range of public reactions. Reporters do or go out for a vox pop. It shows opinions, not statistics, so it should not be presented as representative.
Examples
Can you do a quick vox pop at the market about the new bus fares?
The vox pop showed that most shoppers had not heard about the change.
Usage note
It comes from the Latin vox populi, the voice of the people. The plural is vox pops.
Common phrases
do a vox pop · radio vox pop · street vox pop · vox pops
The person who answers the questions in an interview, as opposed to the interviewer, who asks them.
Where you use it
Used in journalism training, research and broadcasting guidelines: put the interviewee at ease, check the interviewee's name, the interviewee asked to remain anonymous. On TV, the interviewee is usually called a guest.
Examples
Ask the interviewee to spell their name and confirm their job title.
A nervous interviewee often relaxes if you start with an easy question.
Usage note
The stress is on the last syllable: in-ter-view-EE. The -ee ending marks the person who receives an action, as in employee or trainee.
Common phrases
put the interviewee at ease · interviewer and interviewee · the interviewee said · brief the interviewee
A written or printed copy of exactly what was said in an interview, speech, broadcast or recording.
Where you use it
Reporters make or check transcripts to quote accurately; many now use automatic transcription tools and then correct the text. Outlets sometimes publish a full transcript of an important interview. The verb is transcribe.
Examples
Send me the transcript of the interview so I can check the quotes.
It took me two hours to transcribe the recording of the meeting.
Usage note
Turkish journalists say deşifre etmek for transcribing a recording. In English decipher means to work out a code or bad handwriting, so it is a false friend here.
Common phrases
full transcript · interview transcript · read the transcript · transcribe a recording
A phrase people use when they refuse to answer a journalist's question or give any opinion on a subject.
Where you use it
In news writing it is usually reported with set phrases: declined to comment, did not respond to a request for comment, could not be reached for comment. Reporters should show they gave the person a fair chance to reply.
Examples
When we asked about the missing funds, the director said 'no comment' and closed the door.
The club declined to comment on the transfer rumours.
Usage note
Comment is uncountable here and is often used as a verb: she declined to comment. Do not write she said that she has no comments.
Common phrases
say no comment · decline to comment · request for comment · could not be reached for comment
The main presenter of a television or radio news programme, who introduces the stories, links to reporters and often interviews guests live.
Where you use it
Mainly American English; British broadcasters usually say newsreader or presenter. Anchor is also a verb: she anchors the evening news. Anchors are often the public face of a channel.
Examples
The anchor interrupted the interview to bring viewers the election results.
He anchored the morning programme for six years before moving to radio.
Usage note
Turkish spiker comes from speaker and suggests someone who reads the news. An anchor does more: they lead the programme and interview guests.
A programme sent out on television, radio or the internet for the public; as a verb, to send out such a programme or to make information widely known.
Where you use it
Used for both the programme and the activity: a live broadcast, the broadcast media, broadcast journalism. The past form is usually broadcast (sometimes broadcasted). Broadcasters are the companies that broadcast.
Examples
The final will be broadcast live on Valley TV and online.
During the broadcast, the reporter's microphone stopped working twice.
Usage note
Turkish separates yayınlamak (broadcasting on radio or TV) and yayımlamak (publishing in print or online). English uses broadcast for the first and publish for the second.
Common phrases
live broadcast · broadcast journalism · broadcast media · broadcast live · public broadcaster
A person who introduces and leads a radio or television programme, speaking to the audience, linking items and talking to guests.
Where you use it
The standard British word for anyone who fronts a programme: news presenter, breakfast presenter, sports presenter. Americans more often say host or anchor. The verb is present: she presents the evening news.
Examples
The presenter thanked the guests and handed over to the weather forecast.
She started as a radio producer and became a TV presenter five years later.
Usage note
Stress is on the second syllable: pre-SEN-ter. The noun present (gift) is stressed on the first syllable, but the verb present is stressed on the second.
Common phrases
news presenter · TV presenter · radio presenter · guest presenter · breakfast presenter
Being broadcast on radio or television at this moment; as an adjective, describing people or things heard or seen during a broadcast.
Where you use it
Studios have an on-air light that shows when microphones are live. People go on air, come off air, or are taken off air. Before a noun it is hyphenated: on-air talent, an on-air apology.
Examples
We go on air in two minutes, so please switch off your phones.
The host made an on-air apology for the wrong figures.
Usage note
British English usually says on air, while American English often says on the air. Both are correct; just be consistent within one text.
Common phrases
go on air · off air · on-air presenter · on-air apology · taken off air
Recorded film or video of an event, used in news reports, documentaries or programmes.
Where you use it
Common types are CCTV, drone, archive, amateur and exclusive footage. Broadcasters obtain, air, release and verify footage. News language often says footage shows or footage emerged.
Examples
Footage from a security camera shows the van leaving at 3 a.m.
We need permission from the owner before we air this footage.
Usage note
Footage is uncountable: say some footage or a piece of footage, never a footage or footages.
A short programme on radio or television that gives the latest news at a regular time, such as every hour or in the evening.
Where you use it
Mainly British English; Americans more often say newscast. Producers run, prepare and lead a bulletin with the top story. Radio stations have hourly bulletins, and TV channels have a main evening bulletin.
Examples
The flood warning was the top story in the six o'clock news bulletin.
Our radio newsroom produces a two-minute news bulletin every hour.
Usage note
A newsletter is different: it is a regular email or printed update, not a radio or TV programme.
Common phrases
evening news bulletin · hourly bulletin · lead the bulletin · late bulletin
Figures that show how many people watched a television programme or listened to a radio show, used to compare programmes and set advertising prices.
Where you use it
Usually plural: ratings go up, drop or hit a record. Shows win the ratings battle or are cancelled because of poor ratings. Audience share (or share) means the percentage of people watching TV at that time who chose that channel.
Examples
The new evening debate show had disappointing ratings in its first month.
Election night coverage often brings some of the channel's highest ratings.
Usage note
Turkish reyting comes from this word. In other contexts a rating can also be a score or grade, such as a hotel rating or a credit rating.
Common phrases
TV ratings · high ratings · ratings war · ratings battle · boost ratings
A short, memorable phrase or clip taken from a longer speech or interview and used in a news report.
Where you use it
Broadcast reporters choose soundbites for their packages; spokespeople and public figures are trained to give good soundbites. It can be critical: a campaign of soundbites suggests short slogans without real substance. Also written sound bite.
Examples
We only have time for a ten-second soundbite from the coach.
The CEO avoided our questions and repeated the same soundbite three times.
Usage note
In TV newsrooms a recorded clip of someone speaking is also called a clip, a grab or SOT (sound on tape).
Common phrases
a good soundbite · short soundbite · give a soundbite · soundbite politics
The evening hours when the largest number of people watch television, and when channels show their most popular programmes and charge the most for adverts.
Where you use it
Channels schedule their main news bulletins, big series and live events in prime time. As an adjective it is often hyphenated: a prime-time slot, prime-time viewers. The exact hours differ between countries.
Examples
The documentary was moved to prime time after the strong reviews.
Advertising during the prime-time news costs three times more than in the morning.
Usage note
Prime is pronounced /praɪm/ and rhymes with time; it does not sound like Turkish prim.
Common phrases
prime-time slot · in prime time · prime-time viewers · prime-time audience
A system on a news website that lets only paying subscribers read some or all of its articles.
Where you use it
Outlets introduce, put up, drop or lower a paywall; stories can be behind the paywall or free to read. A hard paywall blocks everything, while a metered paywall allows a few free articles a month.
Examples
We put the investigation behind the paywall but made the safety advice free.
Since we introduced the paywall, digital subscriptions have doubled.
Usage note
Many outlets drop the paywall during emergencies such as natural disasters or public health crises so that everyone can read vital information.
Common phrases
behind a paywall · introduce a paywall · metered paywall · hard paywall · drop the paywall
Online headlines or content designed mainly to make people click, often by exaggerating, hiding the key fact or promising more than the story gives.
Where you use it
Used critically by journalists and readers. Typical clickbait says you won't believe what happened next. As an adjective: clickbait headlines, a clickbait site. Platforms and editors try to reduce it because it damages trust.
Examples
Our editor banned clickbait headlines like 'Doctors hate this simple trick'.
Clickbait may bring traffic today, but it loses readers in the long run.
Usage note
Clickbait is uncountable and written as one word. Turkish newsrooms commonly call it tık tuzağı or describe the practice as tık odaklı habercilik.
Common phrases
clickbait headline · pure clickbait · avoid clickbait · clickbait site
To spread very quickly and widely on the internet as people share it again and again, usually on social media and messaging apps.
Where you use it
Used about videos, posts, photos and claims. News stories often begin with a video that went viral. Something viral is not automatically true, so reporters verify viral content before using it.
Examples
The video of the firefighter rescuing a cat went viral overnight.
Before you write about a post that has gone viral, find out who posted it first.
Usage note
The past form is went viral or has gone viral. Viral is an adjective, so say a viral video, not a virus video.
A single web page that a news site updates continuously during a developing event, adding short timed posts, quotes, photos and videos.
Where you use it
Used for elections, major sports events, storms, trials and breaking news. Journalists run, update or follow a live blog. Live is also a verb here: we live-blogged the whole match.
Examples
Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the storm.
Two reporters took turns running the live blog during the trial.
Usage note
Turkish news sites usually label these pages canlı anlatım or canlı takip rather than using the word blog.
Common phrases
run a live blog · follow our live blog · live blog updates · live-blog an event
A regular email, or sometimes printed sheet, that sends a selection of news, articles or updates directly to people who have signed up for it.
Where you use it
News outlets launch newsletters to build loyal audiences: a morning briefing, a weekly politics newsletter, a sports roundup. Readers sign up for, subscribe to or unsubscribe from a newsletter.
Examples
Our morning newsletter now goes to more than 200,000 inboxes.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get the best long reads.
Usage note
Turkish haber bülteni usually means a radio or TV news bulletin, so for email updates use e-bülten or bülten to avoid confusion.
Common phrases
sign up for a newsletter · weekly newsletter · email newsletter · launch a newsletter · subscribe to a newsletter
A series of audio, or sometimes video, episodes that people can download or stream online and listen to whenever they want.
Where you use it
News organisations produce daily news podcasts, interview podcasts and investigative series. People host, record, launch, listen to and subscribe to podcasts; each part is an episode.
Examples
Our daily news podcast explains one big story in twenty minutes.
The investigation was turned into a six-part podcast series.
Usage note
The word combines iPod and broadcast. In Turkish writing, add suffixes with an apostrophe: podcast'i, podcast'te.
Common phrases
news podcast · host a podcast · podcast episode · launch a podcast · podcast series
News reporting by ordinary people who are not professional journalists, often using their phones to record and share events they witness.
Where you use it
Discussed in media studies and newsroom debates about digital change. Citizen journalists can be first at the scene, but their material must be checked carefully. Newsrooms often call the content they send user-generated content.
Examples
Citizen journalism played a big role in reporting the first hours of the flood.
The course compares citizen journalism with traditional newsroom reporting.
Usage note
Citizen journalist is the person. Some writers prefer participatory journalism for projects where readers work together with professional journalists.
Photos, videos, posts and other material created by members of the public rather than by journalists, which news outlets may verify and use.
Where you use it
Usually shortened to UGC. Large newsrooms have UGC or social media desks that find, verify and get permission for this material. Editors must credit the creator and check that the content is real and current.
Examples
Most of the first footage from the fire was user-generated content from residents.
Before you use any user-generated content, contact the person who filmed it.
Usage note
Using a video found online without permission can break copyright. Asking the creator and crediting them is standard newsroom practice.
Common phrases
UGC desk · verify user-generated content · use user-generated content · user-generated video
The right of journalists and media to collect and publish information and opinions without censorship, threats or control by the state or other powerful groups.
Where you use it
Also said freedom of the press. Used in reports by media rights groups, in law and in debates about censorship. Press freedom is defended, protected, restricted or threatened. World Press Freedom Day is marked on 3 May.
Examples
The conference brought together editors from twenty countries to discuss press freedom.
Media lawyers argue that the new rules could restrict press freedom.
Usage note
Freedom of expression (ifade özgürlüğü) is the wider right of everyone; press freedom is how that right applies to journalism and the media.
Common phrases
defend press freedom · restrict press freedom · freedom of the press · press freedom index · World Press Freedom Day
The quality of being correct in every fact, name, number and quote, which is the first duty of a journalist in most codes of practice.
Where you use it
Appears in ethics codes, editorial guidelines and complaints: commitment to accuracy, a breach of accuracy. The adjective accurate is very common: an accurate report, accurately quoted. Speed and accuracy are often described as competing pressures.
Examples
In breaking news, accuracy is more important than being first.
The complaint questioned the accuracy of the figures in our report.
Usage note
Stress the first syllable: AC-cu-ra-cy. Do not confuse accurate (doğru, hatasız) with careful (dikkatli).
Common phrases
commitment to accuracy · check for accuracy · factual accuracy · accuracy and fairness
The principle of reporting facts as they are, without letting the journalist's own feelings, opinions or interests shape the story.
Where you use it
A central ideal in journalism teaching and ethics debates. Some journalists prefer the words fairness, balance or impartiality, arguing that complete objectivity is impossible but a fair method is not. The adjective is objective.
Examples
Objectivity does not mean giving equal space to a claim that has been proved false.
Our first-year students write an essay on objectivity in war reporting.
Usage note
Impartiality is the word British broadcasters use in their rules. Turkish tarafsızlık can translate both objectivity and impartiality, but nesnellik matches objectivity more closely.
An unfair preference for or against a person, group or idea that affects how a story is chosen, written or presented.
Where you use it
Audiences accuse outlets of bias, and editors check stories for bias. Bias can be political, commercial or unconscious, and it can appear in word choice, sources, photos and story selection. The adjective is biased.
Examples
Several readers accused the paper of bias after it quoted only one side.
Using words like 'admitted' instead of 'said' can make a report sound biased.
Usage note
Bias is pronounced /ˈbaɪəs/, like BYE-us, not bee-as. The adjective is biased, not bias: a biased report.
Common phrases
media bias · political bias · unconscious bias · accuse of bias · biased reporting
The legal wrong of publishing or saying false statements about someone that damage their reputation.
Where you use it
A key term in media law courses and newsroom legal checks. People sue for defamation, and outlets face defamation claims or cases. Defamation covers libel, which is in permanent form, and slander, which is spoken.
Examples
The businessman sued the magazine for defamation over the article.
Our lawyer read the piece twice to make sure it contained no defamation risk.
Usage note
Turkish iftira is not defamation: it means falsely accusing someone of a crime. The verb is defame, and the adjective is defamatory.
Common phrases
sue for defamation · defamation case · defamation law · defamation claim
Defamation in a permanent form, such as print, broadcast or an online post, that falsely damages a person's or company's reputation.
Where you use it
Common in phrases like libel action, libel case, libel laws and libel damages. Editors send risky stories for a libel check. Spoken defamation is called slander, though law varies by country.
Examples
The newspaper paid damages after losing the libel case.
Every investigation goes through a libel check before publication.
Usage note
Do not confuse libel with label (etiket) or liable (sorumlu). The adjective is libellous in British and libelous in American English.
Common phrases
libel case · libel action · sue for libel · libel laws · libel check
Reporting that exaggerates or dramatises events, or focuses on shocking details, in order to attract attention rather than to inform.
Where you use it
A criticism used by media critics, press councils and journalism teachers. Outlets are accused of sensationalism in crime, disaster and celebrity coverage. The adjective is sensational or sensationalist.
Examples
The press council criticised the paper for sensationalism in its coverage of the murder.
Avoid sensationalism: describe the injuries accurately, without graphic language.
Usage note
Sensational can also be positive in everyday English (a sensational goal), but sensationalism and sensationalist are always critical.
Common phrases
accused of sensationalism · media sensationalism · sensationalist headline · avoid sensationalism
The chance, or in some countries the legal right, for a person or organisation criticised in the media to answer the claims made about them.
Where you use it
Good practice before publication is to give the subject of a critical story a fair right of reply and enough time to respond. After publication, some laws allow people to demand that their reply is printed or broadcast.
Examples
We emailed the company on Monday to give them a right of reply before we published.
The minister's office complained that it had been given no right of reply.
Usage note
Turkish tekzip is the published reply itself, demanded by the person in the story. A correction is published by the outlet on its own initiative.
Common phrases
give a right of reply · offer a right of reply · exercise the right of reply · fair right of reply
The benefit of society as a whole, used to judge whether publishing information, especially private or secret information, is justified.
Where you use it
A key test in ethics codes and media law: a story is in the public interest if it exposes crime, protects health or safety, or stops the public being misled. Editors often must show a public interest defence for intrusion.
Examples
We decided the hospital's safety failures were clearly in the public interest.
A celebrity's holiday photos are interesting to the public, but publishing them is not in the public interest.
Usage note
Public interest is not the same as what interests the public. A story many people want to read is not automatically in the public interest.
Common phrases
in the public interest · public interest defence · public interest journalism · serve the public interest
The principle, recognised in many ethics codes and laws, that journalists should not reveal the identity of confidential sources.
Where you use it
Discussed in media law, ethics training and digital security. Protecting sources includes secure communication, careful storage of notes and refusing to name a source even under pressure. Whistleblowers rely on it.
Examples
Source protection starts with not keeping the source's name in your shared files.
The workshop on source protection covered encrypted apps and safe meeting places.
Usage note
In English you protect a source; do not say hide a source. A whistleblower is an insider who exposes wrongdoing, often as a confidential source.
Common phrases
protection of sources · source protection laws · protect a confidential source · confidential source
Using another person's words, ideas, research or images and presenting them as your own without giving credit.
Where you use it
A serious breach of ethics that can end a journalist's career. Outlets investigate, discover or are accused of plagiarism. Copying another outlet's exclusive without credit is a common form. The verb is plagiarise (UK) or plagiarize (US).
Examples
The columnist was suspended after readers found plagiarism in three of her articles.
If you use another paper's scoop, credit them, or it could be seen as plagiarism.
Usage note
Pronounce it PLAY-juh-riz-um. Quoting with attribution is not plagiarism; the problem is presenting someone else's work as your own.
Common phrases
accused of plagiarism · act of plagiarism · plagiarism scandal · plagiarised material
A situation in which a journalist's personal, financial or family interests could influence, or seem to influence, how they report a story.
Where you use it
Ethics codes ask journalists to avoid or declare conflicts of interest, for example owning shares in a company they cover or reporting on a relative. Accepting gifts or free trips can also create one.
Examples
He stepped away from the story because his brother works for the company, a clear conflict of interest.
Please declare any conflict of interest before you accept the assignment.
Usage note
The plural is conflicts of interest. Even the appearance of a conflict can damage trust, so many newsrooms ask staff to report it early.
Common phrases
declare a conflict of interest · avoid a conflict of interest · potential conflict of interest · clear conflict of interest
To check whether the names, numbers, dates and claims in a story or statement are correct before or after it is published; as a noun, the check itself.
Where you use it
Used in two senses: internal checking of your own story before publication, and published fact-checks that rate public claims as true, false or misleading. Fact-checkers work in newsrooms and in specialist organisations.
Examples
Please fact-check every number in the budget story before it goes live.
Our fact-check found that the viral video was filmed three years ago in another country.
Usage note
The spelling varies: fact-check, fact check and factcheck are all seen. Most style guides use fact-check for the verb and fact-checker for the person.
Common phrases
fact-check a claim · publish a fact-check · fact-checking team · independent fact-checkers
To check carefully that information, a photo, a video or a source is real and true before you use or publish it.
Where you use it
Central to digital journalism: journalists verify claims, footage, accounts and locations. The noun verification is common in job titles and teams. Stories may say the video could not be independently verified when checks are incomplete.
Examples
We could not verify the photo, so we decided not to use it.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Usage note
Turkish journalists often say teyit etmek. In English, confirm is used for getting a source to say something is true, while verify usually means checking it yourself.
Common phrases
verify a claim · verify footage · independently verified · verification team
False or misleading information that is spread without the intention to deceive, often by people who believe it is true.
Where you use it
Used by journalists, researchers and platforms, especially about health, disasters and online rumours. Misinformation spreads, circulates and goes viral; newsrooms track, counter and correct it. It is uncountable.
Examples
After the earthquake, misinformation about new shocks spread quickly on messaging apps.
Our health desk publishes a weekly guide to common misinformation.
Usage note
Misinformation is uncountable, so say a piece of misinformation, not a misinformation. Compare disinformation, which is deliberate.
Common phrases
spread misinformation · health misinformation · tackle misinformation · a piece of misinformation
False information that is created or spread deliberately to mislead people, damage someone or influence public opinion.
Where you use it
Common in reports about coordinated online campaigns, fake accounts and manipulated media. People run, spread or are targeted by disinformation campaigns. Journalists should show evidence of intent before calling something disinformation.
Examples
Researchers traced the disinformation campaign to a network of fake accounts.
The fabricated letter was a clear piece of disinformation.
Usage note
The key difference from misinformation is intent. Turkish dezenformasyon is the standard equivalent and is used in official and news language.
False stories made to look like real news reports; the phrase is also used, sometimes unfairly, to attack reporting that someone simply dislikes.
Where you use it
Very common in everyday talk and headlines, but many journalists and researchers avoid it in their own reporting because it is vague and politically loaded. They prefer misinformation, disinformation or false claims.
Examples
The workshop teaches pupils how to spot fake news on social media.
The website looked professional, but every story on it was fake news.
Usage note
News is uncountable, so fake news is too: a fake news story, not a fake news.
A short published note that admits and fixes a mistake in an earlier story, such as a wrong name, figure or quote.
Where you use it
Outlets publish, run or issue corrections, often in a fixed corrections column or at the end of the online article. Good practice is to be open about what changed rather than silently editing the story.
Examples
We published a correction after misspelling the head teacher's name.
Correction: an earlier version of this article gave the wrong date for the concert.
Usage note
A correction fixes part of a story. A retraction withdraws the whole story because it should not have been published.
Common phrases
issue a correction · publish a correction · corrections column · correction notice
To show with clear evidence that a claim, rumour, theory or image is false or misleading.
Where you use it
Fact-checkers debunk viral claims, myths and conspiracy theories. Research suggests debunking works better when you explain the facts first and avoid repeating the false claim too often. Prebunking means warning people about misleading tactics in advance.
Examples
Our team debunked the photo within an hour: it was taken at a concert in 2019.
The article debunks five common myths about vaccines.
Usage note
Yalanlamak in Turkish often means officially denying a report. Debunk is stronger: it means proving with evidence that something is false.
Common phrases
debunk a myth · debunk a claim · debunk a rumour · widely debunked
A search that uses an image instead of words to find where else that image appears online and when it was first published.
Where you use it
A basic verification step for photos and video stills shared during breaking news. Journalists run or do a reverse image search with search engines and specialist tools, then compare dates, places and versions.
Examples
A quick reverse image search showed the 'flood photo' was from another country.
Always run a reverse image search before using a picture sent by a reader.
Usage note
For video, journalists take screenshots of key frames (keyframes) and search for those, because most tools search images, not whole videos.
Common phrases
run a reverse image search · do a reverse image search · reverse image search tool
A video, image or audio recording made or changed with artificial intelligence so that a real person appears to say or do something they never did.
Where you use it
A growing concern for newsrooms and fact-checkers. Journalists detect, expose or are fooled by deepfakes. Signs include unnatural blinking, strange lighting and mismatched lip movements, but good deepfakes may need specialist tools to identify.
Examples
The audio clip of the mayor turned out to be a deepfake.
Our verification desk trains reporters to spot deepfake videos.
Usage note
Not every edited video is a deepfake. A cheap fake or shallow fake is a simpler edit, such as slowing down a clip or cutting it out of context.
Common phrases
deepfake video · detect a deepfake · deepfake audio · AI-generated deepfake
Newspapers, magazines and news media as a group, and the journalists who work for them; originally the printing press used to produce newspapers.
Where you use it
Always with the: the press, the local press, the foreign press. It appears in many fixed phrases: press freedom, press office, press pass, press release, press conference. A story that gets a lot of coverage gets good or bad press.
Examples
The minister's office refused to answer questions from the press.
The new stadium has had a lot of bad press because of the delays.
Usage note
Press is also a verb meaning push, and the phrase go to press means a newspaper or book is about to be printed.
Common phrases
the local press · the foreign press · freedom of the press · talk to the press · bad press
Any organisation or channel that publishes or broadcasts news and information, such as a newspaper, TV channel, radio station, magazine or news website.
Where you use it
A neutral umbrella term used by journalists, researchers and press officers. Often shortened to outlet: national outlets, local outlets, independent outlets. Press releases are sent to media outlets; stories are picked up by several outlets.
Examples
The study was covered by more than forty media outlets in one day.
Smaller media outlets often cannot afford to send a reporter abroad.
Usage note
Media is plural in origin (singular medium), but in everyday English the media is used with both singular and plural verbs.
Common phrases
major media outlets · local media outlet · independent outlet · news outlet · online outlet
A newspaper with small pages, short stories and big pictures, often focused on celebrities, crime and scandal; also a style of sensational journalism.
Where you use it
Originally a page size, now mostly about style and content. People talk about tabloid journalism, the tabloid press and tabloid headlines, often critically. Some serious papers also print in a small compact format.
Examples
The singer's divorce was all over the tabloids for weeks.
Avoid tabloid language like 'monster' or 'shame' in court reports.
Usage note
Turkish magazin usually means celebrity and showbusiness news, while English magazine just means a periodical (dergi), so do not translate magazin as magazine.
A newspaper printed on large pages, traditionally associated with serious news, analysis and a more formal style than tabloids.
Where you use it
Used mainly in Britain and Australia to contrast quality papers with tabloids. Even after some quality papers moved to smaller formats, people still call them broadsheets because of their style.
Examples
The broadsheets gave the report two pages, while the tabloids barely mentioned it.
She moved from a regional tabloid to a national broadsheet.
Usage note
In American English people more often say a serious paper or a newspaper of record instead of broadsheet.
The number of copies of a newspaper or magazine that are sold or distributed, usually counted per day, week or month.
Where you use it
Circulation rises, falls or is audited; publishers report average daily circulation. Advertisers use it to judge reach. For websites, people talk about traffic, page views or unique visitors instead.
Examples
The paper's circulation has fallen by a third in five years.
The magazine has a circulation of around 40,000 copies a month.
Usage note
Circulation counts copies, while readership counts people. One copy can have several readers, so readership is usually higher.
The people who read a particular newspaper, magazine or website, or the total number of them.
Where you use it
Editors talk about building, losing or reaching a readership, and describe it as young, loyal, local or international. Marketing teams study readership surveys to understand who reads what.
Examples
Our readership is mostly over fifty, so we are launching a newsletter for students.
The magazine has a small but very loyal readership.
Usage note
For radio and TV, the matching words are audience, listeners and viewers. Audience can also be used for readers in general.
A journalist, photographer or editor who is not employed by one organisation but sells their work to different outlets, usually piece by piece.
Where you use it
Freelancers pitch stories to editors, get commissioned, and are paid per word, per piece or per day. The adjective and adverb is freelance: a freelance reporter, she works freelance. Staff journalists are the opposite.
Examples
The photos were taken by a freelancer who was already in the area.
As a freelance journalist, I pitch about ten stories a month to different editors.
Usage note
Freelancer is the person, freelance is the adjective or adverb. A stringer is a part-time local reporter paid for each story, often abroad.
Common phrases
freelance journalist · work freelance · commission a freelancer · freelance rate
Ten questions from this glossary. Pick the right meaning for each term and see your score.
How to learn journalism & media vocabulary
Read the same news story in two or three English-language outlets every day. Compare the headlines, the lead paragraphs and the sources they quote, and note the words each one chooses.
Learn reporting verbs and their exact weight: say, state, claim, allege, admit, insist, deny and confirm. Choosing claim instead of say can change how fair a story sounds.
Collect newsroom collocations rather than single words: break a story, file a story, run a story, cover an event, meet a deadline, issue a correction, decline to comment.
Study headline language separately. Headlines drop articles, use the present simple for past events and prefer short words such as probe, slam, vow and bid, so they read differently from normal English.
Watch or listen to a short English news bulletin with a transcript. Mark how presenters hand over to reporters and how they attribute information, then try reading a few lines aloud yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Can I say 'a news' in English?
No. News is uncountable and takes a singular verb: the news is good, not the news are good. For one item say a news story, a news item, a piece of news or, in newsroom talk, simply a story. Turkish haber is countable, which is why 'a news' and 'many news' are among the most common mistakes Turkish speakers make.
What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation?
Both are false or misleading information. Misinformation is shared without the intention to deceive, for example by someone who honestly believes a wrong claim. Disinformation is created or spread on purpose to mislead people. Journalists usually avoid the label fake news in their own reporting and use these two more precise words instead.
What do on the record, off the record and on background mean?
They are ground rules agreed between a reporter and a source. On the record means everything can be published and attributed to the source by name. Off the record usually means the information cannot be published at all. On background means it can be used but not attributed by name, only to a description such as a senior official. Exact meanings vary between newsrooms, so good reporters agree the rules before the conversation starts.
What is the difference between a journalist, a reporter and a correspondent?
Journalist is the broadest word: anyone who gathers, writes, edits or presents news professionally. A reporter is a journalist whose main job is to find and report stories, often in the field. A correspondent is a reporter based in a particular place or responsible for a particular subject, such as a Brussels correspondent or a health correspondent. Turkish usually translates both reporter and correspondent as muhabir.
Why do English newspaper headlines look so strange?
Headlines follow their own compressed grammar, often called headlinese. Articles and the verb be are dropped, the present simple describes past events (Fire destroys warehouse), the infinitive shows the future (Mayor to resign) and a past participle alone is passive (Driver arrested). Short dramatic words such as probe, slam and bid save space. Once you know these patterns, headlines become much easier to read.
