1. A JOURNALISM
GLOSSARY
FOR NEWS
CONSUMERS

2. Journalists use a lot of terms that may make it difficult
to tell fact from fake news. We broke them down to help
you understand what reporters are talking about.

3. ANONYMOUS SOURCES
They're not unknown. The writer and her editor know who the
source is. All this means is that the source wished to remain
unnamed, usually for fear of retribution.

4. SOURCES SAID
The journalist is paraphrasing information received
from a number of sources. It means multiple people
said this, but they may have spoken on background.

5. ON BACKGROUND
A source spoke to the reporter to give him information, but the
source cannot be quoted directly. Often, background quotes will be
attributed to a company or group.

6. ON THE RECORD
Anything said on the record can be used by the reporter
and all quotes can be attributed to the person sharing
that information.

7. OFF THE RECORD
This means a source has essentially told a journalist a
secret. A good journalist will never report on off-the-
record conversations, not even to say they had them.

8. EDITORIAL
The opinion of the publication. This is not news, but is the
newspaper's official stance on an issue.

9. OP-ED
Literally "opposite the editorial," this is an old-school
newspaper term for opinion pieces. These articles are not
news. They are the thoughts of the individual writers.

10. SPONSORED CONTENT
If you see the word "sponsored," that means it's an ad
designed to look like the publication's normal features.
Reputable outlets will always label sponsored content.

11. SATIRE
It may seem like fake news, but satire is not meant to be
taken as fact. Honest publishers will note on their About
Me pages that they are satirical and not news.

12. Visit
NewsMediaAlliance.org
for more information on
how you can
#SupportRealNews