Primer on some newspaper terms

Readers will email with comments about various parts of a newspaper page or a story. Although editors and reporters will generally understand the reader’s point, the terminology at times can be off and can lead to confusion. Here are some common terms and some newspaper jargon, as well.

Headline: Many readers refer to this as the “title.” It’s the big wording above the story. It could be bold (mainly for hard-news stories) or light-face (frequently used for lighter stories or features). Page designers like to mix bold and light and type sizes for a more attractive page. Also, size indicates importance. A big story gets a large, bold headline. Reporters write the headlines for their stories online, but copy editors write the headlines for print.

Subhead: This appears in smaller type under the main headline. It expands on the headline, giving more detail on the story. It might provide a name or specific location. In newspaper jargon, it’s called a “deck.”

Caption: I have seen readers refer to headlines as captions, but a caption is the description that accompanies a photograph. In newspaper jargon, it’s a “cutline.” Jump: In layman’s terms this would be a continuation. A story continues on a page inside. An editor would say it “jumps to A6”(or whatever page). The jump is on page A6. So “jump” can be a noun or verb. Pull quote: I also have seen readers refer to this as a headline. This is a large-type quote from the story. The page designer uses it to either highlight a good quote or to dress up a page. Sometimes the designer will also use one to take up some room on the “jump” if the story is short. Newspaper jargon might also refer to a pull quote as a “quote out.” Tagline: This is pure newspaper jargon for the reporter’s email address, or a contributing line, or a reporter description that appears at the end of stories. A contributing line would be “City News Service contributed to this report.” A description would be “Jones writes for The Associated Press.”

If you have questions about parts of a newspaper or a story, email me at adrian.vore@sduniontribune.com.