LEARNING ABOUT NEWSPAPER LINGO HELPS READERS UNDERSTAND US

Every business has its lingo. Newspapers are no exception. Frequently I hear someone talking about the technical aspects of a job or business, and I start to think I am listening to a foreign language.

Folks who work for newspapers do the same thing. Years and years ago there was a television show, one of the pre-payola quiz shows, that required contestants to guess someone's occupation based on listening to the person talk about his or her job.

It was pretty funny sometimes. One that still sticks in my mind turned out to be a newspaper press operator. Those were the days of plates and mats and mats and slugs as well as webs and folders. See how quickly you can get lost in the language of the job? Does anyone remember that old show?

When readers call me on the telephone or talk to me in person about the newspaper, they try to use the terms and phrases they have heard or read relating to newspapers. I thought I might give you a short glossary to help you understand:

AD: This is short for advertisement, which is a paid announcement place by a business or individual. Ads come in two basic kinds, classified and display. Display ads are the bigger ads that run throughout the paper. Classified ads are in the classified section and are sorted by topic. Politicians also use ads, usually display ads, to inform voters.

ARTICLE: An article is the same as a story. (See STORY.)

BRIEF: A brief is a short story that gives readers basic information. Sometimes local, state, national and world news is presented as a package of briefs. Club notices and the like often are briefs. Briefs allow newspapers to include many items in the least amount of space.

COVER: This is what newspapers call the first page of a section. Page 1 is the cover for the A section in the Southeast Missourian. Beginning today, the B section cover will be sports. Stories on section fronts sometimes are called cover stories.

COLUMN: A column expresses the opinions and thoughts of the writer. There are several kinds of columns, including helpful columns like Mary Blue's Lady Bug gardening column and Abigail Van Buren's advice column, "Dear Abby." (See GUEST COLUMN and SYNDICATED COLUMN.)

EDITORIAL: Editorials express the opinion of the newspaper. At the Southeast Missourian, editorials are produced by the newspaper's editorial board. Editorials are at the top of the opinion page in this newspaper. Editorials take sides. They are intended to promote discussion of topics and ideas rather than to obtain agreement from every reader.

FEATURE: Features are news stories that deal with interesting people, places and things. Unlike other news stories, features usually aren't written about major news events, although news coverage of some major events also includes relevant features.

GUEST COLUMN: These are columns written by readers or others at the invitation of the editor. A guest column represents the views of the writer, and they are printed on the opinion page.

HEADLINE: A headline is the large type that goes above a story to tell readers at a glance what the story is all about. Good headlines capsule the essence of a story accurately and fairly.

JUMP: This is what newspapers call the portion of a story that is continued from one page to another. In the Southeast Missourian, jumps from Page 1 stories are printed on Page 2 for the convenience of readers. Occasionally a Page 1 story is jumped (see, it can be a verb too) somewhere other than Page 2, but usually because there are related stories, photographs or graphics.

LETTER: A letter to the editor is a brief and to-the-point expression of opinion by readers. Letters are printed on the opinion page.

STORY: A story is an account of something interesting or important about people, communities and government. Newspapers often refer to stories as "hard-news stories" or "feature stories." (See FEATURE.) Hard-news stories are about topics that have timely significance.

SYNDICATED COLUMN: A syndicated column is an expression of opinion by a writer whose columns appear in many newspapers. The writer's column is sold and distributed by a company called a syndicate. There are many syndicates, and they also sell and distribute comics, editorial cartoons, crossword puzzles and the like. Some syndicated columns are printed on the opinion page. Others (such as "Dear Abby" and "Barry's World") are printed in other parts of the newspaper.

This is a short introduction to newspaper terms, but it covers the familiar words used most by newspaper employees.

In future columns (see, there is one of those words) I will familiarize you with other aspects of the newspaper. I hope readers find it easier to deal with and communicate with us as a result.

If you have a newspaper expression that puzzles you, let me know.

R. Joe Sullivan is editor of the Southeast Missourian. If you have comments or suggestions about the newspaper, please call 335-6611. Thanks.