Account The public relations or advertising agency staff assigned to a
Team specific client, generally consisting of various members, and
often including an account director, account manager, senior
account executive/account executive, and account assistants.
Advertising Presenting persuasive material to the public by means of paid
space or broadcast time to promote a product, idea, or service.
Angle The particular approach a reporter takes in writing a story.
AP Style Standardized rules of grammar and writing style, issued by the
Associated Press.
Area of Geographic area reached by radio stations.
Dominant
Influence
(ADI)
Article Requirements and procedures used to standardize bylined articles
Guidelines for submission to a specific publication.
Audiovisuals Presentation methods that use sight and sound in order to
(AV) enhance the understanding of a topic. AV includes the use of
electronic devices, usually involving screen and visual images, as
contrasted with printed material.
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B
Backgrounder Any briefing or report intended only for the purpose of
providing background information to a reporter.
Biographer A person who gives vital facts and history of a person's life.
Brainstorming The creative method for producing a multitude of ideas on a
given subject or problem, generally recorded for future
evaluation and use.
Broadcast The dissemination of programs or messages through the media
of radio, Internet, or television.
B-roll Video with natural sound that does not include a reporter's
voiceover.
Brochure A printed piece created for informational purposes or
promotion.
Business A distribution service that delivers breaking business news and
Newswire multimedia content to traditional and online newsrooms and to
targeted journalists.
Byline Name of the writer positioned under the headline at the
beginning of a story.
Bylined Article written by a non-media person, usually an expert in a
Article certain field, and submitted for publication.
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C
Callback Telephone follow-up to a printed invitation or advisory.
Client The organization or person who employs the services of a
public relations or advertising firm.
Consumer Printed matter intended for a general reader.
Publication
Content The technique of reading publications, advertisements, or
Analysis other messages to find references to an organization or an
idea, then coding and analyzing the content to determine
trends and opinions.
Contract A formal agreement made between the service provider and
the client, covering agreed objectives, timing, and price.
Copy Written text.
Corporate Public relations for a corporation, integrated as part of the
Communications company's overall strategic objectives, rather than activities
designed for its individual segments.
Crisis The practice of preparing a communications plan that can be
Management effectively put into action in the event of a potentially
negative issue for a company or organization.
Cue Sheet A piece of written material containing messages about the
client or its products, or an extract from a paper or magazine.
Also referred to as clipping.
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D
Dateline Place and date of an article's origin that appears at the beginning
of the first paragraph of an article.
Daybook Daily schedules of upcoming news events, published by the
Associated Press and other wire services.
Deadline A time limit for the completion of an article or other assignment
by a reporter or other contributor.
Delayed Lead Writing style where the specific subject of a story doesn't come
into clear focus until some time after the first paragraph(s),
usually in an attempt to set the background and tone before
getting to the main point.
Designated Area reached by television stations.
Market Area
(DMA)
Direct Mail The use of letters or personalized advertising, targeted to
carefully selected lists of people, in order to promote a specific
product, idea, or service.
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E
Editor The supervisor of a department of a newspaper, magazine, etc.
Editorial Expression of opinion, as opposed to a news article which
presents facts without opinion, that often appears on the editorial
page separate from news stories.
Email Pitch A pitch sent via email instead of presented to the media by
phone, mail, or fax.
Embargo A heading on a news release indicating that the news is not to be
Date reported before that date.
Exclusive An interview or story opportunity presented solely to one
reporter or publication and not to others.
Exposure The extent to which the target audience becomes aware of a
person, activity, theme, or organization from the efforts of PR or
advertising.
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F
Fact Sheet A list of facts or statistics about a particular topic that allows
media quickly to grasp a particular issue or situation.
Feature A newspaper or magazine article that discusses and interprets an
Article event or trend, as opposed to spot reporting.
Fees The pre-negotiated price, usually based on hourly billable rates,
for the time of the staff working on client projects, generally
invoiced in regular monthly installments and monitored through
daily time records.
Freelance A person who sells his or her articles to a publication without a
Writer long-term commitment.
Full Service A one-stop PR company that serves clients from many different
industry sectors. Generally, full-service agencies offer a range of
PR disciplines, in-house design, and other services.
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G
Ghostwriting Writing generated without published credit to its author and often
credited to another.
Graf Paragraph.
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H
Hard News A story that is truly newsworthy, presented factually and
objectively.
Healthcare Specialist PR discipline that communicates about healthcare
PR products or issues to medical groups, interested third parties, and
specialist media.
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I
Institutional Paid advertising that promotes a company and its ideas or
Advertising policies rather than specific products and services.
Integrated A multidisciplinary approach that uses a number of marketing
Campaign communications techniques in order to deliver a consistent set
of messages.
Internal Communicating with employees and shareholders to inform
Communications them of change or to further corporate objectives.
Interview Alert Similar to a media alert, a means of presenting an expert
source willing to comment on a timely issue, including
contact information to set up an interview.
Inverted Style of writing in which the most important information is
Pyramid put in the lead, followed by less and less important
information, constructed so an editor can cut after any
paragraph and have a complete story that meets space
limitations.
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J
JLNS Jaffe Legal News Service, a weekly, electronic news feed created
and distributed by Jaffe Associates, Inc., composed of timely,
newsworthy events and available experts within the legal
industry.
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L
Lead Beginning of a news story, generally containing the who, what,
when, where, and why.
Lead Story Dominant article that is given primary attention and prominent
placement on the first page of a publication.
Lead Time The deadline for submission of articles, set by reporters or
publications, which allows enough time to for a piece to be
written, edited, and sent to print.
Letter to the Letter written and submitted by a non-publication staff member,
Editor usually complimenting or criticizing the coverage of an issue by
the publication.
Libel Printing or broadcasting false or defamatory statements that
injure a person's reputation.
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M
Media A brief summary of a recent news event, followed by the
Advisory background and credentials of an expert willing to comment
upon it. Also known as an "interview alert."
Media Alert A brief summary of the basic facts surrounding an event or
offering an expert available for comment on a particular topic,
often used when time is too short, or the occasion does not
warrant a printed invitation. Also referred to as a news advisory
or tip sheet.
Media Call A log recording the media sent a release or contacted for a
Report specific pitch, which details when the contact was made, with
whom, and to what result.
Media Kit Organized package of information that includes background
information on a general topic or special events.
Media List A list of reporters and/or editors strategically chosen to reach a
specific audience relevant to the person or story being pitched.
Media Dealing with journalists in an attempt to build a good working
Relations relationships with the broadcast, print, and online media.
Media Providing people with guidelines, strategies, and skills to work
Training effectively with media for public relations purposes.
Messages Agreed words or statements that a client wants to convey to third
parties, such as the media or shareholders.
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N
Natural The audio portion of a broadcast tape that is recorded naturally
Sound by the camera or microphone.
News Information that is new, unusual, unexpected, controversial, of
wide significance or interest to audience of a publication or
program.
News Angle That which is new, important, different, or unusual about a
specific event, situation, or person.
News Prearranged gathering of media representatives to announce and
Conference explain a significant and newsworthy subject or event.
News Hole Space reserved for material other than advertising.
News Peg A particular angle of a story that ties in with current events or
something newsworthy.
News Release The most common written form used in public relations,
announcing a client's news and information. Also referred to as a
press release.
Newswire An electronic service providing late-breaking news stories or
other up-to-the-minute information.
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O
Official A written comment prepared for the purpose of responding
Statement consistently to any question from the media regarding a
particular controversial issue.
Op-ed Opinion and column page usually opposite the editorial page.
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P
Pitch An angle encompassing a unique or interesting aspect of a
story or person, used to catch the media's attention and to sell
reporters on a particular story or interview.
PR Newswire An electronic distribution service that provides
communications services for public relations and investor
relations professionals, such as information distribution and
market intelligence.
Press A meeting at which media reporters ask questions of a
Conference specialist, politician, celebrity, or other notable individual.
Press Office Performed by either an in-house function or outsourced to a
PR firm, entity that handles all media inquiries and puts out all
messages and press releases to the media on behalf of an
organization.
Press Pack/Kit A collection of promotional materials for distribution to the
media, usually at press conferences.
Press Release An announcement of an event or other newsworthy item issued
to the press.
Proactive PR Aggressive public relations strategies that strive to anticipate
events, circumstances, or situations, often through the
execution of contingency plans.
ProfNet A service of PR Newswire that distributes media queries to
various audiences to connect writers and reporters with expert
sources.
Proposal Document outlining a proposed PR campaign to an existing or
potential client.
Public Affairs The process of communicating an organization's point of view
on issues or causes to political audiences.
Public Service Advertising with a message in the interest of the public,
Announcement usually run free of charge.
(PSA)
Publicity/Media Scheduled publicity appearances in a series of cities or
Tour locations.
Publisher The business head of a newspaper organization or publishing
house, commonly the owner or the representative of the owner.
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Q
Q&A An exchange of questions and answers, typically between a
single authority and the press.
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R
Reactive/Defensive A policy of responding to a given set of circumstances,
PR situations or events after the fact.
Reporter A writer, investigator, or presenter of news stories,
employed to gather and report news for a print publication,
wire service, or broadcast station.
Responsive Correcting or capitalizing on a situation by writing to fill in
Writing omitted details or add information that better clarifies a
subject, points out an error, or promotes an issue.
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S
Sector Press The media relevant to specific audiences, including special
interest magazines and newsletters. Also called Trade Press or
Vertical Press.
Sidebar Feature appearing in tandem with a news article, giving the
human interest or historical aspects of a story.
Slug Short name or title given to a print or broadcast story used for
identification purposes.
Server A machine that provides a specific kind of service to client
software running on other computers. The term "server" can refer
to a particular piece of software or to the machine on which the
software is running. A single server can run several different
server software packages, providing many different servers to
clients on the network.
Sound Bite A very brief quote excerpted from a person's broadcast interview,
used in the media to convey a certain idea or opinion.
Source A person with information useful to the media.
Speaking Op Opportunity arranged for a client to speak at a conference,
seminar, etc. to a relevant audience in order to heighten
awareness or receive favorable press.
Special Event Activity arranged for the purpose of generating publicity.
Sponsorship Donating funds to an organization or event in exchange for
supportive association in order to generate publicity.
Spot News Current news, reported immediately.
Stylebook An organization's printed guide to matters of grammar and style.
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T
Target Selected group of people who share similar needs or
Audience demographic characteristics, such as income, age, sex,
occupation, or education and best represent the most likely
potential recipients of an organization's message.
Tease/ Teaser An enticing lead to a story that tells just enough about the story
to urge the reader or listener to continue. In a public relations
context, it is a promotion that is intended to arouse interest in the
main PR campaign that follows.
Trade Publication that focuses on a specific profession or industry.
Publication
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U
Underwriting Financial backing of a program or event.
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V
Video News Broadcast version of a press release; usually includes packaged
Release news story between one minute and 90 seconds that is ready for
(VNR) on-the-air use and b-roll to allow producers to edit and create
their own stories.
Voice Over A reporter's or other talent's recorded script used to run over
broadcast news pieces as well as commercials.
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W
Wire Copy Stories supplied to newspapers by news services.
Wire Services Companies that supply news to various media on a subscription
basis.
Word Count A word limitation placed on a written piece to govern its length.
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