Pillars & Ethics
This nickname for the press highlights its role as an unofficial watchdog and fourth branch of government that holds power accountable.
What is the Fourth Estate?
In standard AP Style, numbers zero through nine are spelled out as words, while numbers in this range and above are written as numerals.
What is 10 and above?
The classic news writing model where the most critical facts appear at the top and supporting details follow in decreasing order of importance.
What is the Inverted Pyramid?
An eyewitness, official record, or direct participant in an event falls under this category of original information sources.
What is a primary source?
Reporting that sticks strictly to verifiable facts without inserting personal feeling or commentary is objective, whereas opinionated writing is this.
What is subjective?
The constitutional amendment that guarantees both freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the United States.
What is the First Amendment?
Unlike general whole numbers under 10, ages are ALWAYS expressed using this format (e.g., a "6-year-old girl" or "the boy is 8").
What are numerals?
In feature stories or non-traditional leads, this paragraph answers the "so what?" question, explaining the core premise and significance of the story.
What is the nut graf (or nut graph)?
The standard verification practice that requires reporters to confirm factual claims through independent verification from at least this minimum number of sources.
What is two (the two-source rule)?
Words like "disastrous," "scheme," or "heroic" that carry emotional charge designed to sway a reader's opinion are examples of this.
What is loaded language?
Cheap, mass-produced 19th-century newspapers that made news accessible to the general public for just one cent, shifting journalism toward mass audience reporting.
What are Penny Press newspapers?
Unless needed to prevent ambiguity, AP Style strictly omits this specific comma before the conjunction in a simple series.
What is the Oxford comma (or serial comma)?
Journalists use this grammatical structure (e.g., "The council passed the bill" instead of "The bill was passed by the council") to keep writing direct and concise.
What is active voice?
Informal street interviews conducted with random passersby to capture public reaction to a current event.
What is Vox Pop (or vox populi)?
The form of media bias that occurs when news outlets choose to cover certain stories while completely ignoring others.
What is selection bias (or story selection / gatekeeping)?
Progressive-era investigative journalists who exposed corporate monopolies, government corruption, and unsafe working conditions.
Who are the Muckrakers?
The location heading at the start of a news story that indicates where the reporting originated, typically written in ALL CAPS.
What is a dateline?
A key design and text element featuring a brief quotation pulled directly from the article and set in larger type to engage readers.
What is a pull quote?
A source that interprets, summarizes, or analyzes primary materials—such as an encyclopedia entry or secondhand summary.
What is a secondary source?
Timeliness, Proximity, Prominence, Consequence, Conflict, and Human Interest collectively make up the core elements of this concept.
What are the factors of newsworthiness?
Published written statements that falsely damage a person's reputation are known as this form of defamation (as opposed to spoken defamation, which is slander).
What is libel?
In standard AP Style, formal job titles are capitalized only when they appear in this specific position relative to a person's name.
What is directly before the name (e.g., Principal Smith, but John Smith, principal)?
The opening sentence or two of a standard hard news story that immediately delivers the core 5 Ws and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How).
What is a summary lead (or news lead / hard lead)?
An agreement where a source provides information that can be published for context, but their identity must remain unnamed and hidden from the reader.
What is "on background" (or an anonymous source)?
The psychological tendency for people to seek out, favor, and remember information that confirms their existing personal beliefs while ignoring opposing evidence.
What is confirmation bias?