Journalism Glossary: A List Of Words That Every New Journalist Needs To Know

Reporting from a newsroom comes with its own set of vocabulary – and it can often feel overwhelming for new journalists who aren’t accustomed to the jargon. I certainly struggled on my first day as a trainee journalist on an NCTJ course, after we were presented with a list of words. Our task was to work out their definition without the support of the internet or a dictionary.

The list included words like splash, standfirst and bounce rate. I glanced at the list and realised I only knew the meaning of one word, which was ‘call to action’. Even though I had completed work experience prior to starting the course, the words came as a surprise to me.

What Even Are Journalistic Words?

Abbianca Makoni, a news reporter at the Evening Standard, agrees. Speaking to Journo Resources, she says: “When I first started my journalism apprenticeship, I was not sure about the meaning of words such as beat, NIBs (news in brief), copy, and filing.

“This made it difficult for me to understand what was being communicated across the newsroom. It was only until an editor sat me down and explained what the terms meant, that I understood.”

She also believes that journalists should be given training on newsroom lingo, particularly in their first year, so as not to alienate them.

For me, when I first looked at the list of news terms on my course, I felt disappointed with myself because I had not thought about the language that journalists use on a daily basis.

Before starting the course, I had spent my time focusing on some of the other modules, like media law and public affairs, and it did not occur to me to devote some time to learning journalism vocabulary.

Our group decided to discuss the terms together, rather than concentrating on the competition element of the task. We worked our way through each word, exploring possible definitions as we went along. And, in the end, we fared quite well in the contest.

It actually taught me one of the golden rules of journalism – if you’re ever unsure, ask around. Especially if you’re among other new trainees, chances are there will be words that they are not familiar with either. Sharing your knowledge among one another and asking senior or permanent members of staff will ensure you’re up to scratch with what you need to know.

Making Time To Learn Journalism Definitions

Throughout my time on the course and during work experience in the newsroom, I was exposed to more journalism terms as I attended the courts, tribunals, and press conferences.

Toby Porter, news editor and chief reporter at the South London Press, tells me that it’s about making the newsroom as efficient as possible.

“The job of a journalist is to convey information as quickly as possible in as short a space as possible,” he explains.

“Knowing all this jargon enables you to communicate in the quickest possible way with a news editor so that person can make decisions.

“The quicker you can do it, the quicker they can get on with other tasks. It’s a shortcut and journalists need shortcuts all the time to free up time to cover more stories.”

In The Newsroom Journalism Words Come To Life

After completing the NCTJ news reporting course, I was offered a work placement on the foreign desk of a national newspaper.

In the newsroom, the words that I learned came to life. It felt like bingo, striking off the words I heard instead of numbers.

When the editor asked me to monitor the news wires and write some NIBs I knew exactly what to do. I also understood exactly what was required of me when I was asked to add some colour to a news agency story during an environmental protest.

So, to make sure you have a grasp of the vocabulary that whizzes around newsrooms, here’s a handy guide to get you started.

Journalism Glossary