JB - Journalism Basics Module Overview

Journalism Basics Module Overview

Introduction

Newspaper clipartNewspapers are the most popular form of print journalism. They are often divided into various sections: news, opinion, entertainment, sports, and classifieds. Newspapers usually have a very broad audience with widely varying ages and interests.  

Magazine uses many of the same tools as newspapers, but do differ in a number of ways. Magazines have national audiences who have a very specialized interest in one particular topic. Magazines are published monthly instead of daily. Therefore readers expect articles that are longer with much more in-depth analysis of issues and trends.    

Scholarly journals serve a number of purposes. They present original research findings as well as research that can be used to support or refute an existing theory. Other articles within scholarly journals review the literature on a particular topic and summarize the research findings; still others may present a new or modified a way of collecting and analyzing data.    

Essential Questions

  1. Why study the history of print journalism?
  2. What are the different types of print journalism?
  3. How do the different types of print journalism compare?

Key Terms

  1. By-Line - This indicates who wrote the story.  It often includes the writer's title.
  2. Caption - The portion of the layout which explains what is happening in a photograph.   They often include a photo credit.
  3. Banner - The name of the paper that usually appears at the top of page one.
  4. Graphics - The use of lines, screens, boxes, large initial letters etc. to enhance a design by breaking up areas.
  5. Headline - Large type designed to summarize a story and grab the reader's attention.
  6. Kicker - A short (one or two word) statement at the beginning of a caption that serves to grab the reader's attention.
  7. Layout - The positions of stories, advertisements, photos, and graphics on a page.
  8. Lead - The beginning of the story which serves to summarize the story and/or grab the reader's attention
  9. Masthead - Information about the newspaper, such as the name of the publishing company, names of the officers of the company, location of editorial offices, editorship and distribution facts, all usually found at the top of the front page or cover.
  10. Spread - Two facing pages that are designed as one unit.
  11. Cover Lines - Lines which are distributed around the main image without detracting from it too much. 
  12. Dateline - The month and year of the publication, along with the price, is a must on any magazine.
  13. Main Image - The magazine image used to make an impact on the news-stand.
  14. Selling Line - A short, sharp description of the title's main marketing point.

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