The Communicator’s Dictionary
The world of Public Communication is filled with a lot of specific terminology. In this section, we define the terms and phrases most commonly used. Definitions were developed with the help of the textbook Strategic Writing written by Charles Marsh, David W. Guth, and Bonnie Poovey Short.
Active Voice – The active voice means that in your sentences, the subject is actually doing the verb. Example: You wrote this paper. This sentence in the passive voice would be: This paper was written by you.
Backgrounders – supplies supplemental information for a news release or media kit. Should be unnecessary but relevant information that bolsters the story but isn’t vital. For example, a full biography of a key individual, visual aids, or fact sheets.
Blogs – a blog, The News Manual (new tab), is an online commentary often written by individuals about their hobbies, interests, etc.
Brochures – typically a single piece of paper folded into panels, brochures do not tell a whole story, but merely deliver highlights. They often are educational and have a very specific audience and purpose.
Clutter – In advertising, clutter refers to the plethora of messages out there that consumers face each and every day. The question is, how will your message cut through the clutter and be the one that stands out?
Dateline – this is how you traditionally begin a news story, and consists of capital letters and a dash (for example: BURLINGTON, Jan 1st -). Datelines always give the location, and occasionally the date as well.
E–Blasts – mass–produced emails that are sent out to a targeted list of recipients. Think of the emails that go to your spam folder – most of those are E–blasts – but they can also be used for fundraising efforts!
Inverted Pyramid – this is a term used to describe how to best write newsworthy information. The idea is that the “who, what, when, where, and why” of the story will be the base of the pyramid, and start any good news story. This will immediately be followed by other important details, and trail off into unnecessary but relevant information.
Jargon – The Miriam–Webster dictionary defines jargon as “the language used for a particular activity or by a particular group.” Most of the definitions on this page are examples of journalistic or communicative jargon. They are words that people outside of communications would understand in a different way, or not at all.
Lede – this is journalism jargon for a “hook,” or an introductory sentence. It should be gripping, and should make the reader want to keep reading.
Media – Technically the plural of “medium” the media are “the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers, etc., that reach or influence people widely” (as defined by dictionary.com).
Media Kit – A media kit is, in a sense, an expanded news release. It will include backgrounders, brochures, photo opportunities, fact sheets, and any other relevant information concerning your subject. It can be printed, but is usually offered in a digital form – either online or on a CD.
News Release – A news release is a document that conveys newsworthy information to the news media. It is written in a ready–to–publish format and is very short and concise. It is not a promotion for your business or service, but important, informative, and relevant to a specific audience. News releases will be sent to journalists and media stations in the hopes that your story will be broadcasted to their audience. Think of it as a tip off to a great story. You’re saying to them “listen up! You should tell your audience about this!”
Nutgraf – an abbreviation for “nutshell paragraph,” the nutgraf is the paragraph following a lede that includes why the story is newsworthy. It is explanatory and informative.
–30– or ### – these symbols are found centered, at the bottom of the page, and signify the end of a news release. If you have multiple pages, “–more–” will be at the bottom of each page until the end.